Jam Standards

What are the ten most common fiddle tunes played at your local jams?

Around here I'd say that these get the most consistent play with some cycling in and out. Alternately, I find that most pickers have a vastly larger repetoire, but alot of tunes just don't get called very often.

Salt Creek
Blackberry Blossom
Bill Cheathem
Cherokee Shuffle
Gold Rush
Big Sciota
Jerusalem Ridge
Clinch Mountain Breakdown
Lonesome Moonlight Waltz
Temperance Reel

Being a mandolin player myself, I guess I'm going to have to start calling some of the Monroe instrumental tunes that I love to pick.

That's a good list!

I used to loathe Blackberry Blossom. Because it has so many chords, it's very hard to improvise over... and then I discovered the delights of playing it over pretty much one chord in the A section (you do seem to need the V). What chords people play under 'standards' has always fascinated me... ever tried introducing a IV chord to the B part of Clinch, David Grier style?

Andy

That's a good fiddle list, but i think it depends on what part of the country you're in - i'm guessing that list is out of jams from down south up in the northeast it'd be something more like this:

St. Annes Reel
Maidens Prayer
Ragtime Annie
Blackberry Blossom
Soldiers Joy
Beaumont Rag
Fire On The Mountain
Old Joe Clark
Devils Dream

What i'd ask is what are the most common Bluegrass tunes played at jams? (tunes with vocals, not instrumentals)

This is a great topic, as it gives a real insight into what tunes you might like to find on the site.

I'm wondering if it depends on what instruments you commonly pick with. I go to a session with a great Dobro player, so we often play Fireball and Fireball Mail which are big dobro favourites, and Reuben's Train.

Keep those lists coming...

Andy

I'm a fiddle player myself I like the part BC wrote out to Big Mon with the double stops .It is very similer to how Scouty Stonemen sounded on his recording of Old Joe Clark with the Kentucky Coloners when you take it at a faster speed it all starts to make sense.The double stops I love to play when in tune. Grinesh

Not sure if we are only talking instrumental, but here is my “Top Ten”

Salt Creek
Red-Haired Boy
Little Cabin Home on the Hill
Love Please Come Home
Nine Pound Hammer
Bill Cheatham
Can’t You Hear Me Calling
Mighty Dark to Travel
I Am A Pilgrim
John Hardy
Little Maggie
Blue Ridge Cabin Home
Old Home Place

…sorry I could not stop at 10…..maybe we need to get one of those online voting sites going....

heck I forgot all about

Clinch Mountain Backstep -- Ralph's Banjo Special

Big Mon
The Gold Rush

Angeline the Baker seems to be cropping up at every session I go to at the moment ..