Starting old time

[Cary Fagan]

I'm a bluegrass player but a friend has started to learn to frail a banjo and I'd like to work up some old-time stuff with her. I have listened to Cylde Curley, Skip Gorman, Blake and Ostroushko, the new lost city ramblers, and have some collections of early stufff, so I've done some listening.

Is Mike Seeger's 'old time mandolin' book the best place to start (other than using your ears, I mean)? Any other suggestions?
Thanks

[John Flynn]

I would also listen to anything by Curtis Buckhannon, especially the Ill-Mo Boys' "Laugh and Grow Fat."
http://www.vigortonerecords.com/lagftracks.html

The best book, IMHO, is the "Fiddler's Fakebook" or if you need tab, "The Mandolin Fakebook." There are even better online resources, though, including The Tabledit files on Mandozine, Hetzler's Fakebook, The Fiddler's Companion, Jay Buckey's site, etc.

[Joe F]

A great resource for old time is the Portland Collection. #It's a 2-volume set with hundreds of tunes in standard notation. #Portland Collection (http://www.theportlandcollection.com/)

[Perry]

It's helps if you can read music then you can turn to the fiddle books. See Mike Compton's recommended list of fiddle tune books (http://www.mikecompton.net/index.php?page=fiddletune)

I really like Jeff Todd Titon's "Old Time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes"

The New Lost City Rambler's Old-Time String Band Songbook (http://www.amazon.com/Old-Time-String-Band-Songbook-Fiddle/dp/0825601797) is a great resource too.

For a CD you may not have heard but which features clawhammer and fiddle only check out the excellent Frank Lee and Adam Tanner recent CD Two Mules (http://www.old97wrecords.com/store.html)

There was a thread here on the Cafe a few months ago discussing how to make Old-time music sound 'old time'.

I never owned Mike Seeger's book but it's probably a good start. As always just listening to the stuff over and over is probably the best way to learn it.

Remember: "Old Time Music, it's better then it sounds" http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[JeffD]

Mike Compton's list is great. One book in particular he lists that I have used and loved for years and did not know anyone else had it, much less thought much of it. It was my first or second tune book.

The Fiddle Book, Marion Thede, Oak Publications, Inc. -1974

Unlike the Fiddler's Fake Book, which is an impersonal encyclopedia of tunes, Marion Thede's book is more like a visit with Marion in which she shares her tunes with you. The book gives really beautiful versions of the tunes - very very playable. Marion's essays and descriptions are excellent too - really giving a feeling for the music and its context.

Both books have their uses, I would not do without either (and the Portland book for that matter), but I am really glad to see someone apprecieates Marion Thede. For Ole-Timey music it is a great resources.

[Perry]

Another VERY helpful (and unique) thing about the Thede book:

The cross-tuning tunes are written in both standard (as if tuned to GDAE) and then another verison is given where you play the sheet music as written even though you are in the cross tuning. In other word play the sheet music as if you were in standard.

Kinda like "standard-tab" http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

Titon's book is full of info & bios too. It's a hardcover
and makes a nice addition to the collection.

Currently reading "The Devil's Box" by Charles Wolfe. There are no transcriptions just a history of old time fiddlers. So far it's very entertaining.

[JeffD]

Another VERY helpful (and unique) thing about the Thede book:

The cross-tuning tunes are written in both standard (as if tuned to GDAE) and then another verison is given where you play the sheet music as written even though you are in the cross tuning. In other word play the sheet music as if you were in standard.
Yes I forgot to mention that. I haven't seen that elsewhere. It is very helpful.

[a12]

Thede's book is more about Oklahoma area fiddlers than
Appalachian style.
Oak publications had several good books, but I don't know if
any are still in print. By Miles Krassen(spl?) and Alan Kaufman were the authors.

[sgarrity]

Dix Bruce did a transcription of the Fuzzy Mountain String Band. It's got about 20-25 good tunes in it. I think it's a Mel Bay book.

Shaun