Music, Miners, and Old-Time

I've been thinking about this: how can a man work underground in the dark for hours, then come up into the light, pick up a fiddle or a banjo and play? How does he do that? How do his fingers know to pick the strings so lightly, to move so fast? How can his mind remember all the notes after hours of repetitive work in dark and damp?

I listened to a CD recently. A man on the CD proudly gave his name and age, and the fact that "I am a miner. I work in the mines." And then lit out on a tune that was so fast it made my head spin just listening.

I am in awe of a man like that. (Or a woman. Plenty of them in the mines too.) I can't play, but I sure love to listen. I will never know the life of a miner, but the old-time music of these mountains must be somewhere in my blood.

For online listening, Sugar In the Gourd is a radio station devoted to "all old-time, all the time." Doesn't get any better than that.