Going Virtual: Old-Time Music in the Time of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on every aspect of our lives. For those of us who enjoy playing old-time music, opportunities to play our instruments with others has been severely limited. No more going to jams at bars or coffee shops. No more festivals. No more workshops. No more lessons. Just sit at home and play alone.

Thankfully, technology can ease some of that pain.

In the last couple weeks, I participated in a couple of online fiddle workshops and a virtual old-time jam.

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, video conferencing has hit the mainstream. People using the technology for everything from remote work meetings to virtual cocktail hour with family and friends.

Zoom has become the technology du jour. The online conferencing platform seems to have materialized out of nowhere with the advent of social distancing, stay-at-home orders and mass quarantines. While some old-time musicians have been offering lessons through Skype for years, many are now using this conferencing technology to connect with a wider audience.

In addition to video conferencing, musicians are using live broadcasting features on Facebook and YouTube to bring their music to their fans through online concerts and play-along sessions, setting up admission fees and tip jars through PayPal and other online payment platforms to generate income since their gigs have been canceled.

We have seen large-scale festivals be canceled, such as the Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering and the Mount Airy Old-Time Music Convention. I also just learned this weekend that my favorite local festival, the Raccoon County Music Festival, has been canceled. But let's take a look at how the old-time community is leveraging technology to come together while we're all stuck at home.

Virtual Jamming

In the last month, some of my local old-time friends have gathered for semi-weekly jams through Zoom. Each player (who was willing) took turns leading a tune, while everyone else was on mute and playing along without the fear of lagging internet connections mucking up the works.

One benefit of that setup was, if you don't know the tune, you don't feel as self-conscious about making mistakes because no one else could hear you. However, you can't get that "in the groove" feeling of playing with a group. I found it challenging leading tunes and keeping decent time without the backing of the group. But it's better than nothing.

It was also nice having the social interaction that we're all sorely lacking.

I've also seen a "slow jam" through Facebook Live, hosted by Baltimore-based banjo player Brad Kolodner, with a tip jar for those following along at home. Check out the Baltimore Old Time Jam page for more details.

Webcast Workshops

I've attended two fiddle workshops in the last month. The first was with Michael Ismerio, based in Asheville, North Carolina.

Using Zoom, Ismerio conducted his workshop more as a webinar, focusing on his teaching of bowing patterns through mnemonic devices. He presents the free session every couple of weeks or so. You can register at his website, which also has information about his online fiddle instruction course, which he just launched.

"In essence the webinar is a no cost opportunity for people to get to know me and see if they like how I teach and present information," Ismerio told me in an interview I'll present in full next week. His aim was "helping people use this unexpected space in their life to focus on rhythm and bowing and improving their overall fiddle technique."

The other workshop I attended was with Paul Kirk, a fiddler and teacher from the Cleveland area who hosted his first online workshop on April 27. The workshop focused on "Last of Callahan," based on the playing of Oklahoma fiddler Frank West (1892-1951). Kirk featured the tune in his Tune of the Week series on YouTube, and presented his workshop through a private group on Facebook.

While the format didn't allow for individual feedback on attendees' playing, the chat feature allowed some interaction between teacher and audience. Overall, the experience was positive, as the playing was clear and there were minimal issues with the streaming broadcast.

Although it was difficult to get a full sense of the tune, the archived video of the workshop allows attendees to revisit the workshop to continue working on the tune at their own pace. His next workshop is May 11 (here's the link). You can find out more information and receive notification for upcoming workshops at his TOTW Facebook page.

Online Festivals

As in-person music festivals will likely be canceled for the foreseeable future, there's space for organizers to develop online events, such as the first Online Old Time Banjo Festival that took place this past weekend.

The event was organized by Cathy Fink and Brad Kolodner, and featured a robust schedule of workshops conducted via Zoom and concerts streamed live on YouTube.

It appears the festival was a success, as many of the workshops were filled up. The streaming concerts turned out very well, with the hosts filling up the time between performances with fun trivia and the musicians sounding loud and clear with no major technical issues. With Chromecast, I watched on my TV and felt like I was watching a PBS special.

"Every online event serves as an example for how this can be done," Fink told me. "As we watch and participate in other events, we are trying to take in 'best practices' that will make the next event run smoothly."

It'll be interesting to see if other event organizers will look to replace or supplement canceled or postponed in-person old-time festivals via online platforms.

Support Your Community

While the pandemic is forcing us to stay away from each other, technology provides a tool to come together. Technology also allows our favorite musicians to earn some form of income during this difficult time.

There are so many musicians offering online concerts and lessons. Sign up and support them if you can. It's hard enough to earn a living playing old-time music. This pandemic is making it even harder.

Finally, don't forget to buy their music. Seek out your favorite old-time musician via social media and see how you can purchase their albums.

One place to check out is Bandcamp, which has been waiving its revenue sharing fee on the first Friday of the month in May, June and July, allowing proceeds to go directly to the artist. There are plenty of old-time musicians who sell their albums through Bandcamp, including Anna & Elizabeth, Allison de Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves, Jake Blount, Riley Baugus and the entire catalog of Jalopy Records, just to name a few. I posted a bunch more on the GBB Facebook page last week.

While this pandemic has so significantly impacted our lives, we're lucky to be able to continue enjoying our music in myriad ways. I hope you can find ways to connect with your local old-time community to make it through the pandemic safe and healthy.