Hi everyone,
The next beginner bluegrass jam will be held on Tuesday, January 7th, and will be led by Cahill Jones.

I'll send out the song of the week email for the jam when it gets closer to January 7th.  
In the meantime, attached here is a slightly revised version of the main song list for the jam. For each of the songs with vocals, two keys are placed in parentheses. The first one is the key that I usually sing the song in, and the second one is the key that Janene usually sings the song in. 

The purpose of this is not to dictate what key individual singers should sing the songs in, but to be a guide for choosing a key appropriate for one's voice and for the style of the music. For the men: start with the key that is listed first, and then from there, gradually lower or gradually raise the key until you find a key that works for you, if the key that I sing the song in does not work for you. For the women: start with the key that is listed second, and then from there, gradually lower or gradually raise the key until you find a key that works for you if the key that Janene sings the song in does not work for you.

But, something to keep in mind when doing this. The men should not lower the key any more than necessary, for bluegrass singing favours the use of the upper part of the male vocal range. (The tenor range. If you're a tenor, it would be a good idea to try singing all, or most, of the songs a bit higher than where I sing them: for, I am not a tenor, but a baritone who sings in the upper part of my range when singing bluegrass.) Conversely, the women should not raise the key any more than necessary, for the higher that one goes above the upper part of the tenor range (and even more so, when one goes above the highest notes in the alto range), the less bluegrassy the music tends to sound. So, when singing bluegrass music, it tends to work best if basses and baritones make it a point to sing in the upper part of their ranges when singing the melody of a song, and if sopranos and mezzo sopranos make it a point to sing in the lower part of their ranges when singing the melody of a song. 


Song List
15 songs were played at last night's jam: 8 from the main list, 6 from the additional songs list, and 1 that is on neither list:

Blue Ridge Cabin Home - D
Forked Deer - D
Gold Watch And Chain - E
In The Pines - A
Long Journey Home - G
Sweetheart, You Done Me Wrong - G
Wreck Of The Old '97 - A
You Are My Sunshine - Bb
Buffalo Gals - A
Foggy Mountain Top - A
Mountain Dew - A
Old Joe Clark - A
Soldier's Joy - D
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - C
Away In A Manger - C

Have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Jason

Hi everyone,
The song of the week is 'Blue Ridge Cabin Home' in the key of D. 


Recordings
Flatt and Scruggs - key of Bb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcZN9x4q4kg

The Bluegrass Album Band - key of Bb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htxGouge9-g


Jam Videos
Janene Thomas - key of D
Blue Ridge Cabin Home [D] (youtube.com)

Jason Homey - keys of A and Bb 
Jason’s YouTube Links – Alphabetical Listing – Parisology (cyberplasm.com)


Progression
1144
5511
1144
5511
(Progression W8 on the Basic Chord Progressions chart.)
In the key of D: 1=D, 4=G, 5=A
In the key of C: 1=C, 4=F, 5=G
In the key of Bb: 1=Bb, 4=Eb, 5=F
In the key of A: 1=A, 4=D, 5=E  
In the key of G: 1=G, 4=C, 5=D


Song List
16 songs were played at last night's jam: 10 from the main list, 5 from the additional songs list, and 1 that is on neither list:

Blue Ridge Cabin Home - G
Clinch Mountain Backstep - A
Cluck Old Hen - A
Columbus Stockade Blues - G
Forked Deer - D
Little Cabin Home On The Hill - D
Nine Pound Hammer - G
Sweetheart, You Done Me Wrong - F
Wreck Of The Old '97 - C
You Are My Sunshine - Bb
Angeline The Baker - D
Boil The Cabbage Down - A
Bury Me Beneath The Willow - C
Soldier's Joy - D
Will The Circle Be Unbroken - C
Away In A Manger - C

Happy Pickin',
Jason


Files:
Blue Ridge Cabin Home - banjo tab (C+2=D)
Download File
​
Blue Ridge Cabin Home - guitar tab (C+2=D)
Download File

Blue Ridge Cabin Home - guitar tab (low C+2=D)
Download File

Blue Ridge Cabin Home - guitar tab (D)
Download File

Blue Ridge Cabin Home - guitar tab (low D)
Download File

Blue Ridge Cabin Home - mandolin tab (D)
Download File

Blue Ridge Cabin Home - melody in D
Download File

Blue Ridge Cabin Home - lyric cheat sheet
Download File

Hi everyone,
The song of the week is 'Away In A Manger' in the key of C.


Recordings
Ricky Skaggs - key of G for first two verses and break, key of A for third verse. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGPwYOo1rPE  

Jason Homey & The Snake River Boys - key of G (starts at 3:40) 
Jason Homey and the Snake River Boys, IBA Open Mic, 12_16_19 - YouTube


Jam Videos
Janene Thomas - key of C
Away In a Manger [C] - YouTube

Jason Homey - key of G 
Jason’s YouTube Links – Alphabetical Listing – Parisology (cyberplasm.com)


Progression
On the melody sheets attached here the progression given for Away In A Manger is:
1141
5511
1141
5151

...but it is desirable, in a bluegrass context, to add an extra measure to the bottom line of the progression, so as to allow room for fill-ins to be played, so the progression becomes:
1141
5511
1141
51511

In the key of C: 1=C; 4=F; 5=G.
In the key of G: 1=G; 4=C; 5=D. 
In the key of A: 1=A; 4=D; 5=E


Song List
13 songs were played at last night's jam: 9 from the main list, 3 from the additional songs list, and 1 that is on neither list:

Canaan's Land - B
Clinch Mountain Backstep - A
Columbus Stockade Blues - G
Forked Deer - D
In The Pines - C
Little Cabin Home On The Hill - D
Way Down Town - A
Wreck Of The Old '97 - G
You Are My Sunshine - Bb
Angeline The Baker - D
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms - C
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot - C
Away In A Manger - C

Happy Pickin',
Jason