-
Continue reading →: 1952 Grand Ole Opry Program
I discovered this April 12, 1952 Grand Ole Opry program at Rolling Hills Antique Mall in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The program features many influential figures in bluegrass and country music, including Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe, Chet Atkins, Maybelle Carter (of The Carter Family), and June Carter. The lineup also includes several…
-
Continue reading →: Haunting Traditional Tunes: Dark and Spooky Folk Music for Halloween
This collection of melodies evoke spookiness through two distinct paths: some earn their haunting reputation through their musical character—minor keys, modal scales, and melancholy melodies that seem to drift from shadowy corners—while others simply bear names that conjure Halloween imagery, like “Black Cat in a Briarpatch” or the ghostly-titled “Spootiskerry.”…
-
Continue reading →: Easy Fiddle Tunes for Beginners
These foundational fiddle tunes for beginners are perfect for developing essential skills and building confidence. These melodies are widely recognized across multiple fiddle traditions, making them valuable for jam sessions and social playing. Each tune includes links to online lessons and recordings from various musicians, giving you multiple approaches to…
-
Continue reading →: Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys Fiddling Timeline
A chronological look at the fiddlers and other prominent musicions who shaped bluegrass music through Monroe’s legendary band Bill Monroe (born September 13, 1911) formed The Blue Grass Boys in 1938, after the Monroe Brothers disbanded. The band joined the Grand Ole Opry in October 1939, launching what would become…
-
Continue reading →: Fieldwork: Preserving America’s Traditional Music
In the early 20th century, scholars embarked on a race against time to document America’s disappearing folk traditions. This urgent mission, known as folklore fieldwork, involved traveling to remote communities to record songs, stories, and customs before industrialization and mass media erased them forever. What is Folklore Fieldwork? Folklore fieldwork…
-
Continue reading →: Creating Sheet Music for Fiddle Tunes
One skill I’ve been slowly developing alongside playing the fiddle is transcribing music—creating sheet music for the tunes I learn. Writing a tune down can be incredibly helpful for remembering it later, especially when I haven’t played it in a while. It’s difficult to capture all the nuances of old-time…
-
Continue reading →: 2025 Goal: Learning by Ear
In 2025, I set myself a fiddle goal: learn one tune each week by ear. I’m much more comfortable playing from sheet music, but the oral tradition is a key aspect of old-time music. I established this goal to get more comfortable with learning by ear. When I first started…
-
Continue reading →: Angeline the Baker Tune History
The tune “Angeline the Baker” has woven itself into the fabric of American musical heritage, transcending its 19th-century origins to become a beloved standard in old-time and bluegrass circles. The story of “Angeline the Baker” begins with Stephen Foster (1826-1864), a prominent American songwriter. Foster wrote many popular songs that…