The difference between bluegrass and old time

I wonder can anyone tell me the difference between bluegrass and old time

, I have been learning the old time style for about a year now ...(having learned classical as a kid and then picking up the fiddle again about 3 years ago)... old time really helped me to relax and let go myself go

... though I do appreciate having a good solid grounding the classical stuff gave me ...tee hee I realised double stops and chords from the old timey stuff was great fun and it opened doors when improvising in sessions...but it sounds so similar and to bluegrass ...so come on folks whats the difference pray tell

One big difference is that in BG, players take turns taking solo breaks, while in OT everyone plays together more or less constantly...

I am not an expert on the subject of old time music. I have been learning bluegrass banjo
the last 2 years. There is a huge difference in bluegrass and old time banjo playing styles. Old time banjo is open backed (No resonator) and has a plunky sound when played. Bluegrass banjo uses 3 picks while clawhammer banjo is played with the fingers. Bluegrass banjo is usually faster and has much more drive.

In the old days the fiddle was brought to this country by our Irish and Scottish ancestors. They brought many of the fiddle tunes that we learned and modified. The banjo and guitar was added but everything was still centered around the fiddle tunes. These fiddle tunes were common until Bill Monroe and later Earl Scruggs developed the Bluegrass style of music that is so popular today. There is as much emphasis on vocals,mandolin,banjo,guitar,as there is on the fiddle. The music has more drive than old time and players seem to improvise more. To my uneducated ear old time sounds like the same thing played over and over.

Just get some old bluegrass recordings by Flatt and Scruggs and you will hear the difference between that and old time. Then listen to a current day cd of The Lonesome river band. Still bluegrass but it has progressed. Old time fiddle tunes haven't seemed to have evolved. I guess they are valued for their ties to our ancestors as well as their melodies.

Just my opinion. Hope it helps some.
Lonesome Will

I picked up the fiddle thinking that I liked bluegrass but, in reality, i find that i like old timey stuff more. bluegrass is always evolving and much of what I hear on the sirius bluegrass channel sounds like country music played with bluegrass instruments. I much prefer the pre-Monroe stuff or even the earlier Monroe than what bluegrass has become.