Jam standards

[Ian Brown]

I attended my first OT jam last night (at Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, PA). It was a lot of fun, except I don't know any of the songs. This isn't a surprise, as it isn't the music I grew up with, but I'd like to learn.

So, what would you consider the standards for OT Jams? Off the top of my head, the tunes I remember are John Brown's March, Whiskey Before Breakfast, Start up the Square Dance (or something like that), and Rocky Mountain Hornpipe (which was pretty, but I don't think anyone knew this one except the fiddler who suggested it).

Thanks

[devilsbox]

There is a good selection of tunes in the Fiddlers Fake Book. "Start up the Square Dance" could have been "Seneca Square Dance", a popular OT tune. There is a Mandolin Players Fake Book also, but I am not familiar with it.

[Jon Hall]

Some others that are always played at our jams are "Soldier's Joy", "Temperance Reel" and "St. Anne's Reel". A waltz that seems to have inter-regional appeal is "Ashokan Farewell".

[Mike Snyder]

Angeline the Baker, Rock the Cradle Joe
Mississippi Sawyer, Over the Waterfall
Flop-Eared Mule, Ragtime Annie
Forked Deer, Soldiers Joy
Golden Slippers, Liberty
Barlow Knife, Red Wing
Nail that Catfish to a Tree
Bill Cheatam, Kitchen Girl
Red Haired Boy, Cold Frosty Morning
Ookpik Waltz, Midnight on the Water waltz

I like a little Irish trad, too;
Julia Delaney
Road to Lisdoonvarna
Drowsy Maggie
Ducks on the Pond

[JGWoods]

There is the canonical repertoire of tunes that everyone should know- Soldiers Joy, Arkansas Traveler, on and on, but don't be at all surprised if you go to 10 jams and never hear even one of them. It's like nobody plays the standards anymore, and that's what makes it hard for you, and for anyone trying to compile a list of tunes likely to be played at and Old Time Jam.
We seem to have reached a point where the standards have become totally homogenized so that they represent the equivalent of elevator music to some players who now wouldn't be caught dead playing a standard, so we get sessions of Nail That Catfish to the tree and Shove the Pigs foot a Little Further in the Fire, both nice tunes, and lots of lesser known stuff. The tunes have seasons- what was popular at Clifftop last year won't be this year. One way to find what is current in the old time scene, unless you go to festivals, is to check out You tube videos of the most recent Clipptop and other festivals. What gets played there gets played everywhere , until next year.

[JeffD]

There is the canonical repertoire of tunes that everyone should know- Soldiers Joy, Arkansas Traveler, on and on, but don't be at all surprised if you go to 10 jams and never hear even one of them. It's like nobody plays the standards anymore, and that's what makes it hard for you, and for anyone trying to compile a list of tunes likely to be played at and Old Time Jam. .

Boy that is true. Especially in Southern OT. Northern OT (which contains lots of contra dance repertory, French Canadien and New England tunes), seems to play the identified standard tunes, and other war horses, more often.

In light of all of this, perhaps its not a winning strategy to try and make such a list. I know its real hard for newbies, but the real truth of the matter is that there is no front door, you just have to jump in where you are and swim out to the edges.

To the OP, I would recommend hanging in best you can at the jam, bring an index card and pencil and get the names of the tunes being played, perhaps getting a little hand held recorder "tune sucker" to grab the tunes and take them home and work on them, and perhaps talking with some of the jam attendees about this very problem. Perhaps one of the players has a paper list. I know several jammers that do keep lists.

I myself find that in Souther OT, the tunes go in and out of fashion so quickly the best I can do often enough is to learn them on the fly (they repeat them often enough), and not expect to hear the tune again for awhile.

There are any number of websites where many of the currently popular Southern OT tunes are listed, and perhaps your jam keeps a website. Certainly the tunes on any of the websites would not be irrelevant.

In fact, though frustrating, learning the tunes listed above, though perhaps not meeting your immediate goal, is not by any means a waste of time.

[Ian Brown]

Thanks for the suggestions; one of the jam leaders suggested I bring a recorder so I could get up to speed.

So far I have rough versions of Whiskey Before Breakfast, Angeline the Baker, and Cripple Creek. I'm working on Blackberry Blossom, but the pinky finger on the E just sounds terrible.

One nice thing about playing the mandolin (as opposed to fiddle or banjo); it's easier for the neophyte to pick really quietly on a mando. Also, I'm very appreciative that I found a friendly, welcoming jam.

[bgjunkie]

Check out Nashville Old Time String Band Association (NOTSBA) at www.nashvilleoldtime.org. They have a great list of tunes and be sure to check out the tunes packages page with tab and mp3s.

[Londy]

Yippie, I just learned my first song from start to finish, Golden Slippers! The good news is you can actually recognize the tune! Its a lot of fun to play I just need to keep practicing to make my notes clean.

[Ed Goist]

Londy, what key are you learning it in? (I think I've seen it in A, in D and in G!)
I'll work on the same song, in the same key, so that if/when our NE Ohio jam comes together we'll be ready to go on this one.

[Londy]

Londy, what key are you learning it in? (I think I've seen it in A, in D and in G!)
I'll work on the same song, in the same key, so that if/when our NE Ohio jam comes together we'll be ready to go on this one.

I learned it in G. Getting good at it too!

[JeffD]

Everything you learn makes everything else you learn a little easier to learn. Or so someone told me. But its true with fiddle tunes within a genre. You learn not only the tune, but the sensibility, several phrases, a handful of fingerings, all of which you don't have to re-learn as much on the next tune you tackle. After 8,475,098,345,945,098,345 tunes it takes no effort at all to learn the next one. Or so they told me.

[AlanN]

I learned it in G. Getting good at it too!

Now find a picker friend and do it in harmony!

[Ian Brown]

BGJunkie, thanks for the link to Nashville Oldtime's site. It's great to have the mp3 and sheet music in the same place.

[R. Kane]

Another good jam tune resource is the Pegram Fiddle Tune Chord Chart, published and updated often by the good folks from Pegram, TN. A free download, though they'd like you to sign in. No melodies or mp3s, but its useful to know the chord progressions on your way to learning the melodies.

[raulb]

One that should work in any part of Canada:
St. Anne's Reel

[JGWoods]

One that should work in any part of Canada:
St. Anne's Reel

There's a NEW Red Green Show?

Mando content- St Anne's Reel- great tune.

[Londy]

Now find a picker friend and do it in harmony!

Yeah, thats seems to be the hard part...finding a picker buddy. Who'd a thought?