Bluegrass songs to have down before my first parking lot jam?

[twistgtr]

Is there a list of Bluegrass songs to have down before my first parking lot jam?

[jazzjune18]

Oh man. That will vary from jam to jam. I'll tell you, your first experience you will feel lost, and maybe even embarrassed or discouraged. But don't be. Everyone has to start somewhere. (Sorry I didn't really answer your question)
A few are
Will the Circle be unbroken
I saw the light
Dooley
You are my sunshine.

[slk]

If you can play "Man Of Constant Sorrow" you will win them over

[keithb]

If you can play along while watching a guitar player, you'll do fine.

[twistgtr]

Thank you guys. any specific version of Man Of Constant Sorrow?

[J Mangio]

Take a look at:


http://www.drbanjo.com/instructional...gfavorites.php

[bigskygirl]

If you are totally new to jamming I would learn the chords and easy breaks to Soldiers Joy, Red Haired Boy, Liberty, Old Joe Clark, Red Wing, Salt Creek, Angeline the Baker (be prepared to argue with people who call it Angelina Baker...) before I learned MOCS. Learn a few songs like I'll Fly Away, Go Tell it on the Mountain, Love of the Mountains, Katey Dailey...

Go to the first jam with 2-3 solid tunes, be prepared to be totally overwhelmed and lost, and take notes as to what's played so you can practice/learn for next time. And visit the recent thread of what to expect as a new jammer.

Most of all don't sweat it and have fun, after your first jam you'll be hooked.

[Zach Wilson]

Boil Them Cabbage Down
Library
Old Joe Clark
Salt Creek
Cripple Creek
Bag of Spuds
The Spotted Pony

These are (fairly) easy and come up often at all the jams I've been to. Also, as others have said, if you can follow a guitar player (chord hand) you're good.

Have fun!

[Zach Wilson]

Oh, I forgot!

Amazing Grace.

[Manfred Hacker]

For me, the Pete Wernick DVD/Homespun download "Bluegrass Jamming, A Guide For Newcomers and Closet Pickers" was a great way to prepare for my first jam. Most of the songs/tunes played on this DVD come up in jams (I go to) all the time:
Old Home Place, Blue Ridge Cabin Home, In the Pines, Footprints in the Snow, Salt Creek, How Mountain Girls Can Love, Soldier's Joy, New River Train, Sitting on Top of the World, Long Journey Home, Worried Man Blues, Hot Corn Cold Corn, Handsome Molly, Take Me Back to Tulsa, Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky, Blue Moon of Kentucky

Also, don't be afraid to bring a Jam Book. I know, some people will turn up their noses, but this is what these books were made for.

[Timbofood]

The most important thing to take to a jam is a good attitude! Be ready to be overwhelmed, most folks at jams are kind hearted but, there are always exceptions. I agree with having the ability to "read" a guitar players chord patterns and understand that with regard to key changes and the use of a capo. If you're the rookie, use every second to learn! It's supposed to be fun, as long as you don't make it too much work, you'll be fine!
Two ears, one mouth, listen twice as much as you talk. Someone told me that when I started playing, it's good advice. Ask questions but try not to ask thirty at a time, you will get frustrated.
Second important thing, try to stay relaxed, have a beverage of choice within the limits of the setting, you will perspire the first few jams, hydrate!
Pretty much all the tunes mentioned strike the right direction, bigskygirl likes filled tunes, I agree one hundred percent, fiddle tunes teach you basics, it's the roots that you need to develop. Once you understand that, you can jump in on most tunes,because to have a base to draw from.
Play music, work at work.

[Denny Gies]

Little Cabin On The Hill, Pike County Breakdown, Ragtime Annie, Little Girl Of Mine In Tennessee, I'll Just Stay Around, A Hundred Years From Now, Dream Of A Miner's Child, Bill Cheatham, I Wonder Where You Are Tonight, Red Haired Boy. Good Luck and remember, the main goal is to have fun.

[Mandoplumb]

[QUOTE=bigskygirl;1458409]If you are totally new to jamming I would learn the chords and easy breaks to Soldiers Joy, Red Haired Boy, Liberty, Old Joe Clark, Red Wing, Salt Creek, Angeline the Baker (be prepared to argue with people who call it Angelina Baker...) before I learned MOCS. Learn a few songs like I'll Fly Away, Go Tell it on the Mountain, Love of the Mountains, Katey Dailey...

Baker is her last name not her occupation have you ever heard the words?

[slk]

Watch the clip on youtube about "O Brother Where Art Thou" and Man of constant sorrow. That would be the version most people would relate to these days. Peter,Paul, and Mary did one back in the 60's that was totally different.

Steve

[ccravens]

If you are totally new to jamming I would learn the chords and easy breaks to Soldiers Joy, Red Haired Boy, Liberty, Old Joe Clark, Red Wing, Salt Creek, Angeline the Baker (be prepared to argue with people who call it Angelina Baker...) before I learned MOCS. Learn a few songs like I'll Fly Away, Go Tell it on the Mountain,

I've very rarely heard MOCS at a bluegrass jam, but all of the above tunes are standards that most everyone knows, and a great place to start!

That and zachwilly's suggestions should be more than enough to get you started, tune-wise, that is.

The other non-tune related suggestions above are important as well.

Have fun!

[Mark Wilson]

This list was useful getting started - every group has their local favorites

[ccravens]

Baker is her last name not her occupation have you ever heard the words?

Umm...people who know this song know it's not as cut-and-dried as you suggest.

Although, if you look in his post, the poster you called out did anticipate a response such as you gave!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelina_Baker

[SincereCorgi]

As you can probably tell from this thread, the 'list' is always really local. I suspect it's like the center of a Venn diagram of what songs a given set of people in a geographical area all know, and that core will expand slightly as people learn others' tunes, but not as much as one would hope. The upshot of that is to ask somebody at the jam who has a compulsive personality if you can see their tune list, as they certainly have one, and will take great satisfaction in being asked.

[Zach Wilson]

I like the list Mark Wilson (cool last name btw) shared. Thats a great resource for getting started. I forgot about Flop Eared Mule. Good tune.

[Mark Wilson]

Yeah Zach that first 24 would serve pretty well but tbh I've never heard "The Girl I left Behind" called. Gold Rush and Kitchen Girl are some of my favorites. Both scratch that itch for something driving.

[talladam]

Up here (Calgary, Alberta admittedly not the heart of bluegrass country) the jams I go to are dominated by vocal bluegrass and old country. There are players who call fiddle tunes, but usually only 2 or 3 people can play them and the rest of the group just strum chords. So in that setting you'd be a lot better to nail down a bunch of 3 or 4 chord vocal tunes. Popular ones here seem to be
Old Home Place
Nine pound Hammer
Long Black Veil

Some that I like for starting out and that people know (but for some reason don't get called as often):
Banks of the Ohio
Blue Ridge Cabin Home
New River train
Wayfaring Stranger
I'm on my way back to the old home

I love it when we play fiddle tunes, but it just doesn't always work out that well. I guess it depends who's coming to your jams.
Anyway, hope that helps!

[JeffD]

Is there a list of Bluegrass songs to have down before my first parking lot jam?

If you have a specific jam in mind - you might attend before you make your list. See if maybe they have put together a list of their favorites. Or ask them.