Bluegrass Jamming Tips

[@fiddledr]

You're fortunate to be part of a bluegrass jam in 2020. Wish I could have been there playing fiddle 🎻!

[@BluegrassWithFriends]

It has been pretty sparse this year, but lots of great time to practice up and be ready when it happens!

[@BluegrassWithFriends]

Donna, hope to see you at a jam when it is happening.

[@johntait491]

What a great sound and what good musicianship. Thank you..!! 👍

[@BluegrassWithFriends]

Thanks! Just after this one of our jam members was exposed to Covid and we all just finished a 14 day quarantine. Who knows when we will jam again now that it is snowing here. Stay well!

[@johntait491]

@@BluegrassWithFriends I'm in Australia and it's just coming into Spring now. Covid and Lockdowns have been bad here in Victoria. However, it's given us all plenty time to practice eh..? I play fiddle and mandolin.

[@BluegrassWithFriends]

@@johntait491 enjoy your Spring! Once this Covid thing is over we are all going to sound great. 🎶🎻🎵 Sure miss jamming though!

[@kcalhoun32]

Thanks Mike, this was a great educational video for those of us entering into the world of bluegrass jamming!

[@BluegrassWithFriends]

I am glad you liked it and hope you get plenty of fun chances to jam. If you are ever in Bozeman, Montana drop in to the Eagles jam 7 to 9 pm. It is always so much fun.

[@joebullock3385]

Great sound

[@BluegrassWithFriends]

And lots of fun pickin!

[@mrsweettater]

A couple fine points I'd like to add. If you can't hear the vocal loud and clear, back off on your intrument's volume. Do not over ride the vocal! Also, when other instruments are playing a solo, again back off. Your volume should ebb and flow with what's going on. Musicians that are terrified to not be heard are rude! Good musicians can fade into the back ground and step up when called on. Good musicians listen!

[@BluegrassWithFriends]

thats 100% correct for all instruments in all types of music! Thank You MRSWEETTATER!!

[@rjmoney9]

New Orleans doesn't seem to have much of a bluegrass scene to begin with, but none of the musicians that I know from my scene play this music :( What part of the country are you in?

[@BluegrassWithFriends]

We are in Montana. There is a nice bluegrass jam scene here and people from all around the state get together and jam. Too bad so many of the festivals are not happening this year. Do you have a state bluegrass association? We have several here that host jams. They are a good place to find other pickers. Some brew pubs here also host jams once a week. Even in the land of jazz there must be some pickers out there.

[@rjmoney9]

​@@BluegrassWithFriends I've seen Montana listed as one of the really great places to be for bluegrass. I took a Greyhound out to Bozeman years back to visit a friend and she took me downtown that night to see a weekly bluegrass band the town brought in, seemed like the whole town turned up to dance and enjoy the music. Beautiful country up there I've just found some local and regional bluegrass associations online so I'll try contacting them, thanks for the idea! I'm sure there has to be pickers here, it's definitely harder to find specific music scenes without live music so I'm sure that has a lot to do with the difficulty I'm having. Hopefully one day not too far from now I can move somewhere that has a big and thriving community for this music

[@BluegrassWithFriends]

I'm actually in Bozeman. Now I wonder what band you saw. Bet I know them. Keep in touch if you are passing through.

[@rjmoney9]

@@BluegrassWithFriends Long forgotten the band, but the memories of Bozeman are clear as day. Peets Hill, Hylite Peak. Will do!

[@rjmoney9]

​@@BluegrassWithFriends Hope y'all are all doing well still and still picking. Funny how things work out sometimes... I'm actually going to be moving to Townsend this spring to join a wildland firefighting crew. I can't wait to explore the bluegrass jam scene you mentioned. I assume being so close to Helena and Bozeman, there will be some decent opportunities to find jams and improve my playing!

[@billmiller9763]

I go to jams , and find people in the jam 1who don't know how to jam . 2, change the way the songs rhythm is I started with to what they know. I havd to not do a lead brake because the way the song has been changed. And 3 what call the himm haaaaers , it comes time for them to do a song and they played maybe three songs they know. And they stand there like a deer in headlights wasting time when your waiting to play something. Ive gotten use to this and try to roll with the flow. Happy jamming all!,

[@BluegrassWithFriends]

Hey Bill, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. Figuring out how to roll with the flow like you say is the key. Choosing songs that fit the group of people you are playing with, keeping good time, the list goes on ...and most of all, help new players so they can fit in and everyone can have fun sharing this music. Practicing along with recordings and KZbin videos really helps when you are learning (and who isn't) because you can slow the videos down using the little KZbin menu item and then speed it up to practice at tempo once you have learned the song. Keep on picking and having fun.

[@nobodynoone2500]

I always assume i'll only know a few of the songs played by any group I jam with, no matter the style of music. So learning the chord changes and how to improvise and learn on the spot becomes a helpful and practiced skill. Be understanding with the noobs, they need to be nurtured a bit, but can be reliable payers. Always in short supply in these parts.