Seth Shumate

Most every moment playing oldtime is lost to eternity, and that, perhaps, is a great part of its joy. As we sit with friends old and new, we dig into the now, riding the wave of notes rising and passing away, inviting the elusive...

2020 and 2021 have given us little to look forward to. If I were to pick one word that best encapsulates the past year, "exciting" would not be the one (in fairness, neither would "boring"). One thing I have found to be excited about is the...

These 19th century cowboys dancing to fiddle tunes, posted to a Facebook group, is but the latest case in point. A kindly member of our oldtime community ran across the photograph, found it interesting, and chose to share it with others. The result: a...

In this lesson, Nashville, TN oldtime fiddler George Jackson teaches the classic Emmett Lundy version of "Highlander's Farewell." He also includes a refresher on the finer points oldtime bowing, applicable to many other tunes as well. If you're interested in learning more fiddle from George,...

“I use gourds, coffee cans, beer cans, cigar boxes, gas cans, cookie tins, frying pans, copper pipe, and anything else I can find that will make a sound for my instruments,” said instrument maker Jim Morris. “I prefer using hand tools to build these...