Bluegrass and old-time music share many tunes and the same instruments. The difference is how the music is played. In a bluegrass jam, players take turns playing solo breaks, and singers trade songs. In an old-time jam, everyone plays the melody together, and the tune rolls on with no solos. Knowing which jam you are in tells you what to do.
Which came first
Old-time music is the older of the two. It is the string band and fiddle music of the rural American South, played for dances and at home, and it reaches back long before recordings.
Bluegrass grew out of that music in the 1940s. It takes its name from Bill Monroe’s band, the Blue Grass Boys. The sound most people call bluegrass came together in the mid-1940s, when Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt played in that band. Read the history of bluegrass music.
Solos or no solos
This is the main difference.
In bluegrass, one instrument at a time plays the lead. That solo is called a break. The others play backup. Breaks pass around the circle. Read how to take a break in a bluegrass jam.
In old-time music, the fiddle leads and all the melody instruments play the tune at the same time. Nobody steps forward. The players listen for a shared groove.
The banjo
Both styles use the five-string banjo, and they sound far apart.
Bluegrass banjo players pick with three fingers, wearing a thumb pick and two metal finger picks. The style is called Scruggs style, after Earl Scruggs. It makes a fast, bright stream of notes. Most bluegrass banjos have a resonator on the back, which makes them louder.
Old-time banjo players often use clawhammer style. The hand moves down across the strings, striking with the back of a fingernail, and the thumb catches the short fifth string. The sound is rounder and more rhythmic. Many old-time banjos have an open back.
The other instruments
A bluegrass band has guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and upright bass. Many add a Dobro. The mandolin plays a sharp chop on the offbeat. Read about bluegrass instruments.
An old-time string band is built around the fiddle and the banjo. Guitar and bass add rhythm. The mandolin, when there is one, plays the melody with the fiddle.
Singing
Bluegrass has a lot of singing. A lead singer takes the verses, and two or three voices sing harmony on the chorus. The high harmony part is called the tenor. Read how bluegrass harmony works.
Old-time music has songs too. An old-time jam leans toward fiddle tunes with no words, and harmony singing is less common.
How a tune goes
In a bluegrass jam, a fiddle tune goes around the circle one break at a time and ends after everyone has had a turn. That takes a few minutes.
In an old-time jam, the group plays the tune over and over together. A tune may last ten minutes or more. The lead fiddler ends it, often by lifting a foot or calling out during the last time through.
Both use the same tune form. Read how fiddle tunes are built.
Keys
A bluegrass jam changes keys from song to song. Each singer picks the key that fits their voice. Read what keys bluegrass jams use.
An old-time jam often stays in one key for a long stretch. Old-time banjo players retune for each key, and some fiddlers do too. Staying in D for an hour saves a lot of tuning. Players may spend the first part of a night in D and then move to A or G.
Speed and feel
Bluegrass is often faster, with a hard drive and clear, separate notes. Players show skill in their breaks.
Old-time music is dance music. The speed is steady and the rhythm has a strong pulse. The aim is a groove that the whole group shares.
Tunes both styles share
Many tunes live in both worlds. Soldier’s Joy, Old Joe Clark, Cluck Old Hen, Angeline the Baker, and Arkansas Traveler are played in both kinds of jam. The notes may differ a little from one circle to the next.
How to tell which jam you are in
Listen for one tune.
If one player solos while the rest play backup, it is a bluegrass jam.
If everyone plays the melody together for a long time, it is an old-time jam.
Look at the banjos. Finger picks and resonators point to bluegrass. Bare fingers and open backs point to old-time.
What to do in each one
At a bluegrass jam, be ready to play backup, take a break or pass, and lead a song when your turn comes. Read bluegrass jam etiquette.
At an old-time jam, do not take a solo. Play the melody with the group if you know it. If you do not, play soft rhythm or listen. Ask the host how the jam picks tunes. Many old-time jams let the lead fiddler choose.
Both kinds of jam welcome a new player who listens first. To find one, read how to find a bluegrass jam near you.