Picking After Hours
We have a few informal groups that sometimes meet immediately after the Main Jams end (at 9pm) for about 30-40 minutes and have specialty focus, such as: Fiddle Tunes, Swing / Jazz, etc. If you are unfamiliar with these styles, this is a great way to learn something new.
Note on Jim's Root and Blues Website
Jim's Root and Blues is one of THE BEST websites for Fiddle Tunes. A couple of quick notes on how it works.
Standard Music Notation - Use this page if you are comfortable reading standard music notation.
Tab Notation for Mandolin, Guitar - (NOTE, sorry not banjos) This will let you see the tab for all instruments. This has an extra step but works very well. Best done on a desktop computer or Tablet. The instructions are at the top. Once you create the tab, you can then use the "Export PDF" to save it off as needed.
For the Chord Progressions - You have two options. We recommend StrumMachine.com which is a paid subscription, but is one of the best tools for learning bluegrass music ever. I promise it is worth every penny. Make sure you pick the actual key listed, then on the drop down menu click "Capo Chords" and find the chord shapes you are comfrotable with:
Jim's Root and Blues also has the chord progressions for quick reference.
Beginner Fiddle Tunes
Thank you to Peter for putting this together. We focus on beginner speeds of some of the most common Fiddle Tunes. Slow and Steady. Meet upstairs on Elementary hall after the final song, 3rd door on the left. So look through the following:
Angeline the Baker - Key of D
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Strum Machine (make sure to set it to Key of D)
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Tab - See the above video to convert to Tab
Cripple Creek - Key of A
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Strum Machine (make sure to set it to the Key of A)
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Jim's Root & Blues - Standard Notation
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Mandolin
Old Joe Clark - Key of A
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Strum Machine (see images above on setting key and capo)
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Tab - See the above video to convert to Tab
Soldier's Joy - Key of D
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Strum Machine (see images above on setting key and capo)
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Tab - See the above video to convert to Tab
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Banjo (Could not find one, sent me a link if you have a good video)
Cherokee Shuffle - Key of A
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Strum Machine (see images above on setting key and capo)
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Tab - See the above video to convert to Tab
Fiddle Tunes
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 Denver for leading this group!
Because each instrument is different, we suggest you look for the music/tabs for your instrument.
If you would like to dig FAR down into the Fiddle Tunes Rabbit Hole we suggest Jim's Roots and Blues - Fiddle Tunes. That site has meticulously curated over 660 songs in standards music notation and youtube videos for many of the songs.
Jazz & Bossa Nova for Beginners
This jam is for absolute beginners; no previous jazz experience required. We are open to instruments not commonly associated with jazz. We play in a style influenced by Bebop and Bossa Nova, but we stick to well-known jazz standards so that singers can feel welcome. We meet upstairs in the Electricana room (1st and 3rd Tuesdays). Songs with keys are announced one week beforehand in Discord to give players a chance to listen to the songs beforehand if they want to.
Here is our song book. We will be updating as we add songs.
Jazz & Bossa Nova For Beginners Jam Songbook-Draft-2025-08-31
Swing/Jazz/Gypsy Group
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.
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.
For those joining focus on:
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Summertime in Am
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Minor Swing in Am
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Dark Eyes in Dm
