Jam Class

Course: Old Time Jam (mus144) The Spring 2015 class was cancelled.

Location: Frederick Community College, main campus, building F, room F118.

Instructors: Rebecca Kavage-Adams and Jason Miller from the Main Line Gravy Soppers.

Meetings: Four consecutive Wednesdays, from Feb 11 to Mar 4, in 2015 at 6pm-7:30pm, 2015.

Weather contingency: sign up for FCC weather alert.

Course Description: "Do you envy those people that can jump into any jam session? Then join us for these advanced beginner jam sessions.  We will play at least four tunes in the keys of G, D, and A from the old time string band genre. There are three levels of participation available:  Learning to hear song structure and play chord changes, learning to play chord changes and sing, and learning to play chords, sing, and play melody.  All levels of participation are welcome. Banjos and fiddles are welcome. Other instruments by permission."

Topics to be covered: Define jamming and jam etiquette. Define old time music. Compare old time jams to other styles. Particularly for the fiddle, banjo, and guitar, explain the role of each instrument as it relates to the rhythm and melody. Compare clawhammer (frailing) banjo to three-finger picking. Listen for the AABB structure common to most old time tunes. Listen for the ending common to both parts. Pick out the key. Pick out the most important notes. Two-chord tunes and three-chord tunes. Two part tunes and three-part tunes. Hearing the chord changes. The standard I/IV/V chord progression and tunes containing the IV chord (relative minor) and tunes containing the VII chord (modal tunes). Square tunes and crooked tunes. Leading your first tune at a jam. Playing along in a fast jam. When to back off. Chucking along for accompaniment. Hearing the basic tune through fancy flourishes. Standard 4/4 time and 3/4 (waltz) tempo. Tunes that change key. 

Notes from the 2014 class

(We use different tunes each year.)

First class:  Thanks for showing up despite the impending snow!  Too bad Jason was sick but I think we managed.  We played Angelina Baker in D and listened to Going to the Free State in A (see mp3's attached below).  We listened to versions of both tunes by Glen Smith, and Dwight Diller's version of Angelina Baker.  Dwight Diller has an entire instructional banjo book available free on his website that you may be interested in.  For homework, listen to Going to the Free State and see if you can figure out a bit of the melody or the chord changes.  Also try Chattanooga and Going Down to Georgia (links above).  We'll play them next week.

Second class:  Check out your playing on Going to the Free State (mp3 below).  It sounds great!  And listen to Jason's slow version as well.  Banjo players, go to Going to the Free State and you'll find two new banjo versions of the tune - one by Jason and one by our friend Martin Metz.  Extra bonus for the fiddle players:  mp3 and transcription of Going down to Georgia O.  We'll work on this tune next week.

Third class:  We played our older tunes at faster pace: Angelina Baker and Going to the Free State. Your Angeline has improved!  Listen the recording added below - I doubt Angeline would like being called third class, but you get it. We learned Going Down to Georgia O by ear as you would in a jam. There is a version of Jason playing it slowly now up on the Going to Georgia-O page so check it out. We discussed playing Free State for Rosanne Cash at FCC.  I've added my own banjo version to the Going to the Free State page.

Fourth class:  We will review the tunes learned so far: Angelina Baker, Going to the Free State, and Going Down to Georgia O. We will learn this tune by request: Sandy Boys in A. Follow links on that web page for good recordings for learning.

Jams in your neighborhood: 

See also: Old Time Frederick (OTF) schedule, the OTF tune book, and OTF musical instruction.