Jams

JAMS ARE BACK, STARTING IN SEPTEMBER!

Thursdays and Saturdays are jam days!  Front Porch jams are open to all levels of players, including Front Porch students as well as non-students. Attending a jam is different from taking a class in several key ways.

Proof of Vaccination and Mask Required
Covid policies & can be found HERE

Jam Schedule:

1st Thursday of the month – Old Time Jam, 7pm – 8:30pm
Jam Host: Christen Hubbard
*Sponsored by the Phyllis & Louis Gilbert Bluegrass Jam Fund

2nd Thursday of the month – Beginner Bluegrass Jam, 7pm – 8:30 pm
Jam Hosts: Lucas Rhondeau & Bill Collins
(Best for those who have taken Beginner II and are participating in adult group classes, but all members of the public are welcome!)
*Sponsored by the Phyllis & Louis Gilbert Bluegrass Jam Fund

4th Thursday of the month – Americana Jam, 7 pm – 8:30 pm
Jam Host: Rick Farris
Perfect for folks who enjoying jamming on Gordon Lightfoot, Robert Earl Keen, Mandolin Orange (now Watchhouse), Eric Clapton (Unplugged), Bob Dylan, John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker and more!

EVERY Saturday – Community Drumming Circle, 11 am – 12:30 pm
Jam Host: Kevin Munro
Bring your drum, dance moves, sticks, bells, shakers or other percussion. All ages welcome. Some drums are provided, so don’t be dissuaded if you don’t have one!

Jams ARE:

• A time to experience the joy of playing music with others
• A chance to be exposed to new songs
• An opportunity to become better at finding your way through unfamiliar songs
• A chance to take solos in a band-type setting
• A time to practice rhythm playing while others take solos

Jams are NOT:

• A time to be taught new songs – feel free to bring your own chord charts, and know that jams are meant to keep moving from song to song. If there’s a song you want to learn, write down the name and work on it at home or in class.
• Meant to be stressful. It’s perfectly okay to play quietly, finding the chords on your own. Others might play confidently, taking solos and leading songs. It’s also equally fine to sit back, listen, and enjoy! All are welcome

A few reminders about jam etiquette:

• • • Tune before joining the jam. If you arrive late, tune quietly away from the group or in another room.
    • Take turns being a song/tune leader (go around the circle)
    • Pass the solos around the circle (bluegrass jam)
    • Listen to others – be mindful of the tempo that is set by the song leader, pay attention to others’ rhythm and try to sync up with them. Be aware of who is soloing and who is playing fills.
    • Don’t play over each other – if someone is soloing, stick to rhythm (chopping, strumming, or subdued long bows) that supports the solo.
    • Same goes for if someone is singing. Do not play anything that is distracting or competing with the main thing going on.
    • If you don’t know the song, you can sit out the song, or just sit out the solo if you can figure out the chords
    • If you do not feel comfortable leading, that’s ok! You can skip.
    • Try to call songs that are easy enough for folks to pick up in the jam. If there’s one you really want to play that’s a little more difficult, you can suggest it to the group and then try it the following week, to give everyone a chance to learn it

Jam Resources:

Jam tunes will include standards and material from the Front Porch group class curriculums:

Songs you might play at the bluegrass jam
*you do not need to know all of these to participate

Boil ’em Cabbage Down (A)
Soldier’s Joy (D)
Old Joe Clark (A)
Angelina Baker (D)
Will the Circle Be Unbroken (G)
I’ll Fly Away (D)
Long Journey Home
Tombigbee Waltz (G)
Shady Grove (Dm)
Arkansas Traveler (D)
Whiskey Before Breakfast (D)
Spotted Pony (D)
The Girl I Left Behind (G)
The Crawdad Song (D)
The Girl I Left Behind (G)
Blue Ridge Cabin Home
Little Cabin Home on the Hill
Lonesome Road Blues
Bury Me Beneath the WIllow
Nine Pound Hammer

Bluegrass Tab Resources:
Idaho Bluegrass Association
Pegram Jam Free Songbook/Chord Chart Book (Old Time heavy, but many common tunes)
Easy Guitar TAB
Mandolin TAB Library – Mandolin Cafe
Mandolin TAB library – Mandolin Hangout
Pete Wernick’s list of easy jam songs

Old Time Specific:
Pegram Jam Free Songbook/Chord Chart Book
Old Time Ozark Traditions