Bluegrass Jam Along

Yesterday was June 8th 2022 and would have been Tony Rice's birthday.  As a tribute to Tony I've put together a compilation of some of the conversations I've had  for this podcast where the guests mentioned Tony. I wanted to wait till today to release it as yesterday, Tony's actual birthday, I was speaking to Happy Traum of Homespun, who was a good friend of Tony's and wor...

This week we're jamming along to Shove the Pig's Foot a Little Further Into the Fire 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 00:36 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you&a...

This week we're jamming along to Shove the Pig's Foot a Little Further Into the Fire 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 00:30 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you'...

This week we're jamming along to Shove the Pig's Foot a Little Further Into the Fire 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 G at 85 bpm. backing track starts at 00:29 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes...

This  week we're jamming along to the classic tune Shove the Pig's Foot a Little Further Into the Fire. 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 thr...

Hi. We haven't had a Food For Thought episode for a while, but I've had something in my head all week based on a few Facebook posts I saw. The general theme was whether something can be called bluegrass if it has a  non-traditionally bluegrass instrument in it (e.g. pedal steel or accordion). In the episode I play a clip of my interview with Tristan Scroggins where he discusses genre and...

I've just released the 200th episode of Bluegrass Jam Along! I can't believe it's come around after just 14 months! Thanks to all of you, whether you've been listening a few days or since the start. I'd really love it if you head to wherever you get your podcasts and leave a review. It would also be great if you could share this podcast with anyone, and everyone, you think...

This week we're jamming along to Cattle in the Cane 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 A at 75 bpm. backing track starts at 00:27 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord chart...

This week we're jamming along to Cattle in the Cane 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 A at 75 bpm. backing track starts at 00:28 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord chart (or...

This week we're jamming along to Cattle in the Cane 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 A at 75 bpm. backing track starts at 00:47 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 Cattle in the Cane. 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 current IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year Bronwyn Keith-Hynes. We chatted about her fantastic record Fiddler's Pastime , which features guest performances from Sierra Hull, Tim O'Brien and Sarah Jarosz. Check it out - it's great! We also talked about Bronwyn's current gig as fiddle player for Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway. You can order Fiddler's Pasti...

My guest (again) this week is Jake Eddy. Jake was my first ever guest on Bluegrass Jam Along. If you want to check out that episode it's here Jake came back to chat to me about his latest project, 'Nor' Easter', a new collaboration with mandolin legend Andy Statman. Jake explains how the project came about (very quickly!), what the process was and talks about some of the amazin...

My guest this week is Tony Trischka, who the New York Times called 'the father of modern bluegrass'.  Tony has been at the forefront of the folk and bluegrass worlds since the 1960s. Our conversation focusses on his 2021 album Shall We Hope , described on Tony's website as "a dramatized listening experience. It invites its audience into the lives of characters from America’s pa...

My guest this week is Wes Corbett. Wes is the current banjo player in the Sam Bush Band and has previously played with Molly Tuttle, Joy Kills Sorrow, The Bee Eaters and hammered dulcimer virtuoso Simon Chrisman. I chatted to Wes about his recent instrumental record Cascade ,  co-produced by Punch Brothers' Chris Eldridge and featuring Sierra Hull, Paul Kowert, Simon Chrisman, Alex Hargraves...

This week we're jamming along to Blackberry Blossom 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 chart (or...

This week we're jamming along to Blackberry Blossom 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 G at 85 bpm. backing track starts at 00:25 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 Blackberry Blossom. 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...

This week we're jamming along to Blackberry Blossom 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 00:27 Don't forget to check out the other three episodes when you're done. If you want a chord chart...

I've got another song for you his week - How Mountain Girls Can Love, in the key of G at 85 bpm. Hopefully that's a good, steady tempo for working on breaks. We kick off with a chorus, then it's verse, chorus four times through. There are two other track this week in A and Bb so you've got a choice of the keys you'll most commonly hear this one in at a jam. Track starts at...

I've got another song for you his week - How Mountain Girls Can Love, in the key of A at 85 bpm. Hopefully that's a good, steady tempo for working on breaks. We kick off with a chorus, then it's verse, chorus four times through. There are two other track this week in G and Bb so you've got a choice of the keys you'll most commonly hear this one in at a jam. Track starts at...

I've got another song for you his week - How Mountain Girls Can Love, in the key of Bb at 85 bpm. Hopefully that's a good, steady tempo for working on breaks. We kick off with a chorus, then it's verse, chorus four times through. There are two other track this week in G and A so you've got a choice of the keys you'll most commonly hear this one in at a jam. Track starts at...

I've got something new for you on the podcast this week.  I know a lot of you, alongside working on fiddle tunes, are also working on breaks for vocal songs. So I'm adding some songs to the podcast too, starting with Old Home Place. I know these songs often get played in different keys depending on who sings them, so I'm giving you a set of four different tracks in different keys. T...

I've got something new for you on the podcast this week.  I know a lot of you, alongside working on fiddle tunes, are also working on breaks for vocal songs. So I'm adding some songs to the podcast too, starting with Old Home Place. I know these songs often get played in different keys depending on who sings them, so I'm giving you a set of four different tracks in different keys. T...

I've got something new for you on the podcast this week.  I know a lot of you, alongside working on fiddle tunes, are also working on breaks for vocal songs. So I'm adding some songs to the podcast too, starting with Old Home Place. I know these songs often get played in different keys depending on who sings them, so I'm giving you a set of four different tracks in different keys. T...