Shelby Eicher – Old Time Fiddling
Old Time Fiddling begins with an excerpt from one of Shelby Eicher’s performances from when
he was only ten years old. This opening track does several things; not only does it demonstrate
Eicher’s history with the fiddle, and not only does it show he’s been performing essentially his
whole life, but it also subtly demonstrates his skill with the instrument in showing how far he’s
come from that little boy hitting the fiddle notes on time.
Eicher’s mastery of the fiddle is apparent in all of the songs on the album, from old recognizable
folk tunes like “Turkey in the Straw”, “Tennessee Wagoner”, and a revamped arrangement of
“Twinkle Little Star” to more melody driven tunes like “Carroll Country Blues” and “Peacock
Rag”. He has a wonderful expertise of the instrument, being able to hold strong leads while also
playing the classic fiddling run-of-notes that is instantly.
While the album works as a showcase of Eicher’s skill superbly, the songs are, indeed, all fiddle
songs with no real variation. That may not be a problem for those with an acute passion for
fiddling (my great-grandfather was himself a fantastic fiddler), but for me, listening to the
complete album all in one go, the songs blended together interchangeably. With one or two
exceptions, they are all the same tempo, and a good number of them begin the song with the
iconic “dun-du-du-dun-du-du-dun” that is synonymous with the genre.
Again, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since that is exactly what the album is and sets out to do
– the name of the album is Old Time Fiddling. But the album has 26 songs, so it can get
repetitive to the untrained ear. However, the fiddling on the album is inspired and adept, so if
you enjoy listening to a good bout of fiddling, this album is definitely for you.
