Bluegrass Jam Along

This week we're jamming along to Wildwood Flower and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the jam along track where I play backup, followed by the melody then we keep swapping.  It's four times through in the key of C at 75 bpm. backing track starts at 1:15 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord...

This  week we're jamming along to the classic tune Wildwood Flower. This is a performance track, rather than a backing track. It's me playing both tune and backup so you've got a reference to listen to if you're new to the tune, or just want to be able to listen a few times to the whole thing. Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done and jam...

My guest this week is Kristina R. Gaddy, who joins us to discuss her fascinating new book “Well of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History”. We chat about how she came to write the book and some of the key discoveries she made along the way, in particular the banjo’s unknown history as an instrument of ritual and rebellion. Kristina’s research in diaries, letters, archives, and art, trac...

My guest this week is three time IBMA Guitar Player of the Year nominee Trey Hensley. We talk about Trey's early start in the music business, including his first appearance on the Opry, just 9 months after starting to play the guitar. We also chat about some of his heroes and influences, ranging from Earl Scruggs and Tony Rice, to Miles Davis and Van Halen, as well as his long standing collab...

My guest this week is Paul Kowert, bassist with Punch Brothers and Hawktail. Paul joins me to chat about Hawktail's wonderful new record 'Place of Growth', how the band came together, why they decided to record an album designed to be listened to in one sitting and some of the music and musicians that had a profound effect on him, including Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Väsen and his Pun...

Hi everyone. I've had a couple of weeks off the podcast to have a holiday, but I've been mulling over something Dan Tyminski said in the interview I did with him a couple of weeks ago and wanted to share it. It's about the idea of reacting in music, rather than just playing. Dan talked about how Tony Rice did that and also how he does, and it got me thinking. The idea of music as a...

My guest this week is bluegrass legend Dan Tyminski. We chat about Dan's new EP 'One More Time Before You Go : A Tribute to Tony Rice.' We talk song selection, what Tony's music means to Dan and some of the great musicians he plays with on the record, including Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Josh Williams, Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle. We also chat about Dan's new record of bl...

This week we've got another mini jam episode. This time we're stepping things up to 85 bpm and playing 3 tunes back to back.  This week's tunes are Cherokee Shuffle in A (starts at 1:03) Blackberry Blossom in G (starts at 8:08) Big Sciota in G (starts at 14:34) We're doing all three at 85bpm and each tune follows our regular 'jam along' format. That means I play backu...

My guest this week is Chris Pandolfi, banjo player with The Infamous Stringdusters and also the host of my favourite podcast, Inside the Musician's Brain. We chat about the podcast and the lessons Chris  learned from it, as well as how the lessons we learn through music can be applied to life (and vice versa). There's so much in here, from talking about music as a journey and how the pla...

My guest on the podcast this week is guitarist and Peghead Nation founder Scott Nygaard. We chat about playing with Chris Thile and Tim O'Brien, including how Scott got the gig with Tim after a chance meeting. We also talk about how Peghead Nation was founded, the IBMA Distinguished Achievement Award they're receiving next month and how the site has developed over the years. We also cove...

My guest this week is Cameron Knowler. Cameron is a multi-instrumentalist who specialises in bluegrass, old time and jazz. I was first introduced to Cameron by Bob Minner, who I interviewed back in March 2022 (episode #177). Cameron also writes regularly for Acoustic Guitar magazine and has written a fascinating book called 'Guitars Have Feelings Too - A Method for Rural Guitarists', whi...

This week we've got something I haven't done in a while - a mini jam episode. That means we're playing 3 tunes back to back instead of focussing on just one. The idea is it feels a bit more like playing at a jam session. I know some of you use these tracks to work up to attending a jam so hopefully this will help with that! I've gone for the 3 most popular tunes from the first...

Hi everyone. This is another Food For Thought episode and it centres around the idea of perfection.  Chris Eldridge said something recently that made me think about letting go of the idea of playing perfectly - I had an experience at a jam this week that really made me understand what he meant. Have a listen and feel free to head over to Bluegrass Jamalong's Instagram or Facebook and tell us...

This week we're jamming along to the classic tune Big Sciota and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play rhythm track where I play the melody so you can work on backup.  It's four times through in the key of G at 85 bpm.  backing track starts at 00:31 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a c...

This week we're jamming along to the classic tune Big Sciota and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play lead track where I play backup so you can work on the tune.  It's four times through in the key of G at 85 bpm.  backing track starts at 00:29 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord...

This week we're jamming along to the classic tune Big Sciota and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the jam along track where I play backup, then the tune and we swap over.  It's four times through in the key of G at 85 bpm. backing track starts at 00:32 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord...

This week we're jamming along to Big Sciota. This is a performance track, rather than a backing track. It's me playing both tune and backup so you've got a reference to listen to if you're new to the tune, or just want to be able to listen a few times to the whole thing. Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done and jam along! If you want a c...

My guest this week is Steve Nall, better known as Nully, head of production at Collings guitars. I didn't realise till we sat down to chat that it was exactly five years to the day since Bill Collings passed. We talked about Bill, his approach to guitar making (and life in general), as well as how the business has developed, with and without him and how Nully got into guitar building in the f...

My guest this week is Marcel Ardans, from the Lessons With Marcel YouTube channel. Marcel has spent hours (probably weeks) transcribing the playing of bluegrass players. In this episode he picks four of his favourites and we chat about their styles, influences and what makes them unique. First up is Billy Strings, followed by Trey Hensley, Molly Tuttle and Tony Rice. Check out Marcel's fantas...

This week we're jamming along to Fiddler's Dram and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play rhythm track where I play the melody so you can work on backup.  It's four times through in the key of D at 75 bpm. backing track starts at 00:34 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord char...

This week we're jamming along to Fiddler's Dram and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the you play lead track where I play backup so you can work on the tune.  It's four times through in the key of D at 75 bpm. backing track starts at 00:24 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord chart (o...

This week we're jamming along to Fiddler's Dram and I've got  three brand new backing track episodes for you. This is the jam along track where I play backup, followed by the melody then we keep swapping.  It's four times through in the key of D at 75 bpm. backing track starts at 00:48 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a...

This  week we're jamming along to the classic tune Fiddler's Dram. This is a performance track, rather than a backing track. It's me playing both tune and backup so you've got a reference to listen to if you're new to the tune, or just want to be able to listen a few times to the whole thing. Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done and...

My guest this week is Emma John, author of the wonderful book 'Wayfaring Stranger - A Musical Journey in the American South'. We chat about what made a British journalist and cricket fan want to travel to North Carolina and write a book about bluegrass, the key lesson Emma learned from the Kruger Brothers  and so much more. I loved this one - it feels as much a conversation about life an...

My guest on Bluegrass Jam Along this week is Happy Traum. Happy founded Homespun with his wife, Jane, in 1967. In the 55 years that followed, Homespun has helped hundreds of thousands of people learn to play music and has worked with some of the all-time bluegrass greats, including Tony Rice, Norman Blake, Bill Monroe, John Hartford, Sam Bush and many, many more. Happy share the story of how Homes...