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Joined: Jan 2006
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Journeyman
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Journeyman
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Well, it is -25c with a stiff breeze, 6" of snow yesterday all caught up on outside and inside work and I am enjoying a hot cup of coffee and reading the forums. Note 4 current postings! This past Saturday I was invited to a Bluegrass jam. It was a most enjoyable time, the people were very hospitable and enthusiatic, and I was exposed to a genre of music I had not participated in before. The sets consisted of French Canadian and Acadian polkas and reels as well as bluegrass tunes. Although I could play backup for most of the changes and do a bastardized version of open string pickin, I had no idea as to the song titles, and melodies. I scratched out a swingjazzfolkcountry version of Amazing Grace and Will The Circle when it was my turn to perform. Here is my dilemna: I was invited back! And I would love to, but I need a crash course in Bluegrass exposure and I am wondering if it would be possible for any forum members to either list their 5 or ten favourite tunes with artist here on the forum, or pm me. If the reponses are good, there will be tunes in common and I will be able to initially focus on those. Also I am open to any other suggestions and direction that would be benificial to me. Thanks DennisD
There are only 3 kinds of musicians: those that can count, and those that can't!
PC AMD A4-5300 APU 3.4 GHz, 8gb RAM, 1T HDD, Windows 10,
Reaper 4.77, BIAB2018, PTPA12, RB2018, Roland VS-880 DAW
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Apprentice
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Hi Dennis, Glad you enjoyed your bluegrass jam. They're a wonderful way of practising: playing with others, learning new material, improvising, communicating when solos are coming up, finding appropriate parts when playing with others, encouraging others (especially beginners, or those with limited ability), timing and dynamics and sharing the spotlight. I take my resonator guitar and regular guitar, and they sure have helped my playing improve. There's a wealth of songs out there: tragic, touching, fun, and a whole range of styles when you get into it. Here are my recommendations. 1. Listen to all the "Circle unbroken" cd's from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. 2. Anything by Hank Williams - It ain't bluegrass but they'll allow and revere it. 3. Keep to the keys of C G D A - occasionally E 4. Capos are good. Always call out the key, and time if needed (4/4 3/4 sometimes 6/8 or 12/8) 5. Learn Nashville numbering for the chords. 6. Buy one of these books: Parking Lot Picker's Songbook - Dix Bruce - Mel Bay Bluegrass Picker's Tune Book - Richard Matteson - Mel Bay Bluegrass Fakebook - Bert Casey - Watch and Learn Inc 7 Google lots eg http://www.bluegrassnet.com/lyrics8 Youtube everything Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, John Hartford, Bill Monroe, Carter Family, 9 Learn Fiddler's Shorthand for sections. AABB ABAB AABBCAA etc 10 My favourite bluegrass songs: Columbus Stockade Blues Precious Memories Don't This Road Look Rough And Rocky I'll Fly Away Red Wing Life's Railway To Heaven 11 Keep to 3 chords unless really needed Take care, Andrew 
Andrew Lloyd
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Journeyman
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Journeyman
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Wayne thanks for taking the time for a response. I appreciate it, as it does give me some idea of direction. I found an Earl Scruggs book "Earl Scruggs and the 5-String Banjo" in a used book store, It didn't have the LP with so was only a $1.00.It had a list of some 60 examples of which only two I recognized! However with your list and suggestions I hope to get a top 20 list of songs to focus on.Thanks again. DennisD
There are only 3 kinds of musicians: those that can count, and those that can't!
PC AMD A4-5300 APU 3.4 GHz, 8gb RAM, 1T HDD, Windows 10,
Reaper 4.77, BIAB2018, PTPA12, RB2018, Roland VS-880 DAW
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If ya go to this ToneWay page you will get guitar & vocal demos, including lyrics, for well over 300 tunes. Tho not strictly bluegrass, there are a lot that are played at the jam sessions. And I can testify as to the "ToneWay" system for flat out beginners, it has workd wonders for the few I have worked on with it. They are SO happy to play along with the backing tracks I created in BB & give them. Anyway, hope this helps!
i5 3.20GHz, 32gb RAM, 1tb SSD OS, 12tb HDD, 4gb gForce vid card, 32" monitor, Audient id44, Win10 x64, BiaB/RB 2023, Reaper 6,IK Multimedia Total Studio 3.5 MAX, Waves 10
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Dennis, It's hard to give you some specific songs because "bluegrass" consists of so many different genres of acoustic stringed music. The songs you hear at a jam session vary so widely based on region, age of the musicians, and especially the skill level of the folks at the jam session. It can even be affected by a certain "herbal" aroma that sometimes permeates the session.  The advice that Andrew gave was very good and would serve you well. If you'd like some very good book CD/DVD lessons on bluegras jamming, Homespun has an excellent selection by some masters of bluegrass music. Some of the lessons that focus on jamming can be found here: http://www.homespuntapes.com/shop/category.aspx?id=330Others can be found by clicking on some of the links. Some focus on instrumentals while others focus on old standards with lyrics. Good luck and have fun.
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Might be hard to give you specific songs, but you'd better learn, "Don't Let Your Deal Go Down" in at least three of the Bluegrass common keys for starters...
Enjoy,
--Mac
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Journeyman
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Thanks for replies. I agree about the various genres of bluegrass. It does seem to be a type of music that can be more regionally and locally influenced than others. I've googled and utubed the suggestions and have come up with some tunes I can focus on. Something else twigged my "memory bank" so I went back into my BIAB program archives and found a set of 3.5's entitled the Bluegrass Band for Windows that I picked up in 1996! Bluegrass obviously was not on my radar at that time. In any case I loaded it up and it has 50 songs on it, so it is another resource for me as well. Thanks again for the support. DennisD
There are only 3 kinds of musicians: those that can count, and those that can't!
PC AMD A4-5300 APU 3.4 GHz, 8gb RAM, 1T HDD, Windows 10,
Reaper 4.77, BIAB2018, PTPA12, RB2018, Roland VS-880 DAW
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Apprentice
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Apprentice
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Here's some common sense advice to add to it all Jam Etiquette Before joining an existing jam, listen to a tune or two in the background. Join in if you think you can keep up. If not, play quietly in the background. Ensure that your instrument is in tune. If you're new to digital tuners, be aware that they should be calibrated to A 440. The purpose of jamming is to make bluegrass music and have fun. It is not to play as loud as you can, as fast as you can, or to show off how good a player you are. Listen to others in the jam, and make sure you blend into the music and/or singing. Don't practise your break (solo) in the jam circle. If you're playing the melody when it's someone else's turn to take a break or when someone's singing, you're stepping on toes. (Note that this is a major difference between bluegrass and Celtic or Old-timey jams.) Don't hog the jam. Give everyone a chance to play. Be supportive. When it's your turn to pick a tune, let everyone know the name of the tune, the key, the form (if it's an instrumental) and if there are any odd or unusual chord progressions, timing or rhythm issues. It's best and most rewarding to do tunes in generally accepted keys. Songs, however, are usually done in the key selected by the singer. But, this being said, it's best to pick a key and tempo that suits the tune and the abilities of the other jam participants. If capos are being put on or taken off between tunes, wait a few seconds for people to recheck their tuning. If you don't want to take a break on a particular tune, make it obvious, such as by stepping back out of the circle, and letting the person on your left know. No one wants to start their break half way through. If you can't hear a break or the words of a song, you are playing too loudly. Tone is every bit as important as volume. If the volume is getting "up there" on a particular tune, don't play. Work on your harmony singing or listening skills. Listen for the rhythm of the tune or song, get in the groove AND STICK WITH IT. If you find you're not in good time, stop playing for a beat or two until you feel the rhythm again. It is next to impossible to pick up the rhythm again, without stopping first. Don't have your eyes glued to your instrument. Look around, communicate with your eyes and body. A lot of communication in a jam is very subtle and you need to be alert to catch the signals. Listen, listen, listen. Listen to the bass and the room as a whole. Don't just listen to your neighbours because they may be leading you astray. Familiarize yourself with the Nashville Numbering System & Common Bluegrass Chords to communicate chord changes to other players.
Andrew Lloyd
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I knew I was playing the spoons too loud.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Expert
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Expert
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This is good advice for jamming in any genre. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a bluegrass player, but I enjoy listening to it and playing along with it because when it gets in the pocket it feels REAL good.
And I've known a few spoon players in my time who could really get in the pocket too, better than a lot of other musicians I've had the fortune (or misfortune) to have worked with.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
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Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
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XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
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