Hi everyone,
The song of the week is 'Nine Pound Hammer' in the key of B.

Here are three jam videos in which I have recorded Nine Pound Hammer in the key of B: one with me on banjo, one with me on mandolin, and on the bottom one (which I recommend starting with), I am on guitar.
Beginner Bluegrass Jam Songs - Idaho Bluegrass Association

But, an easier way to access the jam videos for Nine Pound Hammer is to click on
Jason’s YouTube Links – Alphabetical Listing – Parisology (cyberplasm.com)
and then scroll down on the list to the video you want, and it will take you right to the point in the video where the preamble to the song starts. (Note: If no instrument is specified beside the song title, then on that video I am playing guitar.)

Below the three jam videos (in the first link), there are two song of the week write-ups for Nine Pound Hammer. The top one is the most relevant to read through, since it deals with playing Nine Pound Hammer in the key of B, whereas the bottom one is a song of the week write-up for Nine Pound Hammer in the key of A.

But the most important part of the song of the week write-ups is the listening material: the youtube links to recordings of the song. I highly recommend listening both of the recordings:

Lonesome River Band - key of B
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tNA13W2cds

Tony Rice - key of A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u964a0f38s

Also, here is a band recording (from a couple years back at the Bluegrass Open Mic) in which I am playing banjo on Nine Pound Hammer

Jason Homey and the Snake River Boys, IBA Open Mic, 2/26/19 - YouTube
The song starts at the 8:27 mark in the video.

For a copy of the jam handouts, and an explanation of the handouts, here are the PDF files that can be downloaded and printed off. There are 5 attached files total. (four at the bottom of the page, and one - the Main Song List - that comes earlier than at the bottom of the page)
Idaho Bluegrass Association - Beginner Bluegrass Jam Songs

15 songs were played at last night's beginner jam: 12 from the main list, and 3 from the additional songs list:

Blue Ridge Cabin Home - A
Boil The Cabbage Down - A
Buffalo Gals - A
Bury Me Beneath The Willow - G
Cripple Creek - A
Down The Road - A
Gathering Flowers From The Hillside - Bb
I'll Fly Away - G
My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains - G
Nine Pound Hammer - B
Shortnin' Bread - G
Soldier's Joy - D
Jambalaya - D
A Memory Of You - G
Old Joe Clark - A

Happy Pickin',
Jason

Hi everyone,
I had a wonderful time leading the jam on Tuesday. Thank you to all who participated in the jam. I am looking forward to next Tuesday evening. (For more on how the jam went, scroll down to the bottom of this email message.)

The song of the week is 'My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains' in the key of G.

On the Idaho Bluegrass Association's website idahobluegrassassociation.org there are a few song of the week write-ups for My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains that I have written. The write-ups include youtube links to recordings of the song, melody sheets for the song (written in standard notation, mandolin tab, guitar tab, and banjo tab), the chord progression for the song, plus more as regards explanations and tips about playing and singing the song. Song of the week write-ups also often include general information and tips about playing (and singing) songs at the jams.

Also on the website there are youtube jam videos that I have created for My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains. There are three of them: one each with me leading the song on guitar, banjo, and mandolin. For those who are new to playing along with a youtube jam video, I recommend starting with the guitar video. In the videos, when I say 'together' this means that we play a break together; when I say 'your turn', this means that you play your break while I accompany you/back you up; but, of course, you are free to play along with the videos in any manner that you desire to. When I raise my leg near the end of the song, that means that the song is about to end.

Remember also that on a laptop, you can slow down and speed up youtube videos without altering the pitch of the audio by clicking on settings and then clicking on playback speed.

In the following link, there are three youtube jam videos for My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains. In order from top to bottom, I am on banjo, mandolin, and guitar. And below this, there are two identical song of the week write-ups for the song.
Beginner Bluegrass Jam Songs - Idaho Bluegrass Association

A more convenient way, though, to access the youtube jam videos is by clicking on the following link, and then scrolling down to the song title, which is listed three times, since there are three videos for the song on the website. Click on the version that you want to play along with, and it will take you right to the point in the video at which I start the preamble to the song. That way you don't have to hunt around in the video to find the song. (Each youtube jam video contains three songs.)
Jason’s YouTube Links – Alphabetical Listing – Parisology (cyberplasm.com)
If no instrument is specified beside the song title, then on that video I am playing guitar.

For a shorter song of the week write-up on My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains, click on:
Beginner Bluegrass Jam Songs - Idaho Bluegrass Association

Finally, here is a live band performance in which I am playing mandolin (instead of banjo) for our song of the week, that is not included in the song of the week write-ups on the website.

Jason Homey and The Snake River Boys, IBA Open Mic, 2_24_20 - YouTube
The song starts at the 3:42 mark in the video.

For a copy of the jam handouts, and an explanation of the handouts, here are the PDF files that can be downloaded and printed off. There are 5 attached files total. (four at the bottom of the page, and one - the Main Song List - that comes earlier than at the bottom of the page)
Idaho Bluegrass Association - Beginner Bluegrass Jam Songs

14 songs were played at the jam on Tuesday: 10 from the main list, and 4 from the additional songs list:

All The Good Times Are Past And Gone - A
Boil The Cabbage Down - A
Buffalo Gals - A
Bury Me Beneath The Willow - G
Cripple Creek - A
Foggy Mountain Top - G
I'll Fly Away - G
My Home's Across The Blue Ridge Mountains - G
Nine Pound Hammer - B
Will The Circle Be Unbroken - A
Angeline The Baker - D
Jambalaya - D
A Memory Of You - G
Old Joe Clark - A

There were about 20 people at the jam on Tuesday evening outdoors at the Powderhaus. I think that the jam went really well. Distancing was easy, not awkward, to achieve for all those who desired distance between them and their neighbours in the jam circle. The option of forming an outer ring outside the main jam circle, to help accommodate distancing, was also made use of. As far as I could gather, the jam was a positive and fun experience for everyone involved. People were mindful, respectful, and accommodating of their neighbours. It appeared to me that everyone was at ease, with each person's comfort zone being respected. If, however, you were at the jam, and your experience fell short of my assessment of how the jam went, please feel free to contact me to express your concerns. For, my goal is to provide a positive, healthy, comfortable, and accommodating environment for all who wish to participate in the jam. And, if you were not at the jam, but would like to hear more details as to how the jam went before deciding whether or not to come to future beginner jams that I'll be leading in the weeks to come, also please feel free to contact me with your questions. 

Happy Pickin',
 Jason

Hi everyone,
I will resume leading the weekly Beginner Bluegrass Jams in Boise after Labor Day.

The jams will be held outdoors at the Powderhaus (9719 W Chinden Blvd, Garden City, ID), for the months of September and October, until the weather gets too cold.

The jams will be held on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 - 9pm, starting on Tuesday, Sept. 7th.

I am very happy to finally be able to say:
The song of the week is 'Boil The Cabbage Down'.

But before I go any further, I would like to express a special thank you to all who have contributed to the video jam cause, during the year and a half that I have been making the videos and sending them out in place of the song of the week write-ups for the live jams. Your support and generosity has been greatly appreciated by me and my family. Thank you so much. (I intended to keep on making the videos until the live jams resumed, but circumstances have gotten in the way of my doing this for the past couple of weeks.)

If you click on the following link, you will find three of the jam videos that I have made for Boil The Cabbage Down. In the order presented here, they are: 1)  banjo - key of A; 2) mandolin - key of A; 3) guitar - key of D. Below these you will find two song of the week write-ups that I have written for Boil The Cabbage Down: the first is a longer write-up, and the second is a shorter write-up. At the bottom of each write-up there are attachments that can be printed off. These include, amongst other things, melody sheets for Boil The Cabbage Down, written in standard notation, guitar tab, mandolin tab, and banjo tab.

Beginner Bluegrass Jam Songs - Boil The Cabbage Down,

For those who are new to the beginner jams, I recommend reading only the shorter of the two write-ups.

And, here is a fourth jam video that I have created for Boil The Cabbage Down (guitar - key of A), which I recommend over the other three jam videos, for playing along with, especially for those who are new to the beginner jam, or who have not spent much time playing along in the past with jam videos that I have made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju268pNhAkA

The preamble to the song starts at the 4:28 mark in the video.
The song starts at the 5:30 mark.

Remember: on a laptop you can slow youtube videos down to 75% (and to 50%) of the original speed by going to settings.

Happy Pickin'
Jason

​How The Beginner Jam Works: Song and Key Selection

For the first phase of the new beginner jam, we shall, for the first half of the night, play only songs on the 'Main List' and only in the keys specified for each song on that list (see the attachments). In this phase of the new beginner jam, I'll lead the singing on all songs called during the first half of the evening. 

For the second half of the night, people are welcome to call and lead the singing on any beginner-friendly bluegrass or quasi-bluegrass songs that they would like to play at the jam, and with most of the key restrictions removed, including for songs that are on the main list. For the person leading the singing on a song ought to choose a key for that song that suits his or her voice for bluegrass-style singing.