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History Part 2
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 Old-time
music as dance music.
Instrumental old-time music is traditionally played for dances, and is
considered to be dance music. As such, there is not much showiness, generally
with no solos, but always carrying a strong beat. This contrasts with bluegrass
music which was developed in the 1940s as a form of concert music. Bluegrass
music, however, developed from old-time music, and shares many of the same songs
and instruments, but is more oriented toward solo performance than is old-time
music.
While in the British Isles reels and jigs both remain popular, the reel is by
far the predominant metric structure preferred by old-time musicians in the
United States (though a few hornpipes are also still performed). Canadian
musicians, particularly in the Maritime provinces where the Scottish influence
is strong, perform both reels and jigs (as well as other types of tunes such as
marches and strathspeys).
Each regional old-time tradition accompanies different dance styles. Some of
these include clogging and flatfoot dancing (Appalachia), contradancing (New
England), square dancing (Southern states) and step dancing (Nova Scotia,
particularly Cape Breton Island), though there is some overlap between regions.
Learning old-time music.
Players traditionally learn old-time music by ear; even those musicians who can
read music generally learn and play old-time tunes by ear. A broad selection of
written music does exist, however, it is widely acknowledged that the style of
old-time music cannot be practically notated by written music.
Although it is one of the oldest and most prominent forms of traditional music
in the United States and Canada, old-time music (with a few notable exceptions)
is generally not taught in North American primary schools, secondary schools, or
universities. Although square dancing is still occasionally taught in elementary
schools (generally with recorded, rather than live music), old-time instruments
and dances are not included in the educational system, and must be studied
outside the school system.
Regional styles
There are numerous regional styles of old-time music, each with its own
repertoire and playing style. Nevertheless, some tunes (such as "Soldier's Joy")
are found in nearly every regional style, though played somewhat differently in
each.
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