Beginner Bluegrass Jam Songs - Idaho Bluegrass Association

Beginner Bluegrass Jam - Song list for 2018

12/28/2017

New Song Lists
Included in the attachments are two new song lists for the jam which are intended to replace the lists that were used for the jam between September and December 2017.

The first list (titled 'Beginner Bluegrass Jam - Jan. - June 2018 - Main List') consists of 22 of the 27 songs that were on the previous main list, plus 10 more songs that I intend on making songs of the week between now and the beginning of June. This list of 32 songs is the list that we will play from for the first half of the evening.

Notice that the progression given for 'Cluck Old Hen' on the new main list has more chord changes in it than the progression that was given for the song on the previous main list.

Also notice the inclusion of a common alternate progression for Will The Circle Be Unbroken that was not on the lists used for the beginner jam in 2017.

The second list (titled 'Beginner Bluegrass Jam - Jan. - June 2018 - Additional Songs') consists of the 5 songs that have removed from the main list (Beautiful Brown Eyes, Boil The Cabbage Down, Little Birdie, My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains, and Shortnin' Bread), and songs that have been played at least once at the Beginner Jam between September and December of 2017 during the second half of the evening, when people were free to call songs not on the main list, so long as these are beginner-friendly and appropriate for a Bluegrass jam. Many of the songs on this list will likely continue to be called by people at the jam during the second half of the evening, and some of the songs will eventually become songs of the week for the jam.

Notice that on the new additional songs list, no key is specified for Shortnin' Bread. If you wish, you may take this as an invitation to call the tune in any one of the keys that are commonly associated with playing traditional old-time fiddle tunes (i.e., A, D, G, and sometimes C).

Also included in the attachments is the Basic Chord Progressions handout that the song lists are keyed to, and Nashville Number System charts for converting the number names of chords to their letter names for the keys that songs are played in at the jam. No changes have been made to these handouts.