Bluegrass Jam

Hosted on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month. It is hosted on the same Tuesdays as JamGrass

 

See Home Page for Calendar

 

We try and host 3 different Bluegrass circles. Acoustic instruments only with the exception of electric bass. 

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Beginner Bluegrass Jam / Slow Jam

• Mostly in Key of G

• Wernick Method JAM Songbook

  • Available for $12 at Jam​

  • PDF for sale at JAM Songbook at DrBanjo.com

  • JAM Songbook Playlist on Spotify

• If new to group playing, review Etiquette Rules of the Road

• We play 3 instrumental/fiddle tunes every time we meet. So look through the following.

  • Angeline the Baker - Key of D

    • Guitar (No Capo)

    • Banjo (Capo 2 for D)

    • Mandolin 

  • ​Cripple Creek - Key of A

    • ​​Guitar (Capo 2 for A)

    • Banjo (Capo 2 for A: Last 4 videos of the playlist)

    • Mandolin

  • Amazing Grace - G​

    • Guitar

    • Banjo

    • Mandolin

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Intermediate Bluegrass Jam​​​

• Familiar with Bluegrass Jams

• Bring at least 1 song to lead

  • Pick one from the JAM Songbook

  • It can be super easy!

• Comfortable changing keys​

• The group will venture outside the JAM Songbook.

  • Tons of great songbooks, but we suggest:​

  • The Parking Lot Pickers Series by Bruce Dix

  • Bluegrass Fake Book by Bert Casey

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Open Bluegrass Jam

• Standard/Traditional Bluegrass Jam. 

• Open to All Levels! 

• Bring a song or three.

• If you are familiar with with Bluegrass Jams this is your place. 

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Spotify Playlist

Through the suggestions of our members, we have amassed a very nice Spotify Playlist. If you are new to Bluegrass take a listen:

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Roswell Music Jam - Bluegrass Spotify Playlist​

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PICKING AFTER DARK​

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We have two informal groups that meet immediately after the Bluegrass Jams end (at 9pm) for about 30-40 minutes. One focused on Swing / Jazz and one focused on Fiddle Tunes.  List of songs is below.  If you are unfamiliar with these styles, this is a great way to learn something new. 

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Fiddle Tunes Group

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This group is working together to learn some Fiddle Tunes. They meet in the back room from from 9-9:45.  HUGE thank you to Nate for offering to start and lead this group! 

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All tabs can be found here. 

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If just starting out, focus on Red Haired Boy and Salt Creek.  Start VERY VERY VERY SLOW.  Accuracy and Tone is WAY more important than speed.  You must play slow first before you play fast. We have a PDF you can print to help you track your tempo improvements. 30 min each day makes a huge difference. 

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Finally, take a look at Strum Machine. Nate has put together a playlist in Strum Machine of the songs we are working on. You can add the list to your Strum Machine library, and as he adds more tunes, your list will update as well! It does have a monthly cost, but well worth! 

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Swing/Jazz/Gypsy Group

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This group is learning some Swing/Jazz/Gypsy songs.  They meet next to the piano (of course :D) from 9-9:45. Huge thank you to Eyal, Katie and Jasen for forming this group. 

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Swing/Jazz/Gypsy Song Book

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We are using PDF that was first published on MandolinCafe.com by the incredible Don Julin.  I modified it slightly by adding SummerTime​ in a few different keys. 

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For those joining focus on:

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• Summertime in Am

• Minor Swing in Am

• Dark Eyes in Dm

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