Oldtime

Old-time music
Stylistic origins	Tin Pan Alley gospel Appalachian music
Cultural origins	United States
Typical instruments	Old time fiddle guitar banjo harmonica
Derivative forms	Bluegrass country
Other topics
American folk music revival

Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dancing, clogging, and buck dancing. It is played on acoustic instruments, generally centering on a combination of fiddle and plucked string instruments (most often the guitar and banjo), and to a lesser degree piano, such as that of Jeff Little.

Reflecting the cultures that settled North America, the roots of old-time music are in the traditional musics of the British Isles (primarily English and Scottish), Ireland and Africa. In some regions French and German sources are also prominent. While many dance tunes and ballads can be traced to European sources, many others are of purely North American origin.

With its origins in both African music and the traditional music of Europe, old-time music represents perhaps the oldest form of North American traditional music other than Native American music, and thus the term "old-time" is an appropriate one. As a label, however, it dates back only to 1923.