Singing with the Fiddle: Accompanying Old Time Songs and Ballads

Songs such as “Indian War Whoop” from O Brother, Where Art Thou? have helped to usher in a whole new era of appreciation for “old time” music, including one of the simplest and most popular forms: singing with a fiddle. In this instructional program, Bruce Molsky—one of the most influential of the modern old-time fiddlers—encourages viewers by reminding them that most fiddlers have already mastered the hardest part (coordinating the right and left hands), and all that remains is a bit of synchronization and adding one's voice. Molsky takes viewers step-by-step through songs including “Omie Wise,” “Stay All Night,” “June Apple,” “Bachelor's Hall,” and “I Truly Understand” (the sheet music is featured in an accompanying booklet), demonstrating alternate tunings, multi-string harmonies, and syncopated bowing, among other techniques. Recommended. Aud: P. (C. Block)