“Old Barnes” is an original tune by the fiddler Mike Barnett, the opening track of his album “Portraits in Fiddles.” The record is a concept album of Barnett compositions, each one written in tribute to a fiddler or musician who shaped his playing.
“Old Barnes” is a twin-fiddle bluegrass instrumental, with Barnett trading lines and harmonies with a guest fiddler. The tune sets the tone for an album built around the sound of paired fiddles and the bluegrass tradition Barnett came up in.
This recording features Barnett himself on fiddle, joined by the fiddler Stuart Duncan, performing the tune on “Portraits in Fiddles.”