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 how he sees it. Here's the full Tristan Scroggins interview if you want to hear it all (or have a listen again...
Jun 03, 2022•6 min•Ep. 202
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 might be interested. Helping spread the word helps me keep the podcast going, and also means I can carry on getting great gu...
May 31, 2022•2 min•Ep. 201
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 jam along! If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message ...
May 31, 2022•4 min•Ep. 200
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 chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bluegrass Jam ...
May 31, 2022•8 min•Ep. 199
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 just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't ...
May 31, 2022•5 min•Ep. 198
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 (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Do...
May 31, 2022•5 min•Ep. 197
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 Pastime from Bronwyn's website and get updates on what's going on via her Instagram Here's where you'll find Molly Tuttle tour dat...
May 18, 2022•44 min•Ep. 196
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 amazing instruments used in the sessions. As always it was great chatting to Jake - hope you enjoy this as much as I did. If y...
May 11, 2022•32 min•Ep. 195
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 past as they grapple with the hard realities of war and death, and the meaning of freedom". We also chat about his teaching...
May 03, 2022•53 min•Ep. 194
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 and Casey Campbell. We also talked about the book of transcriptions from Cascade , which is released today...
Apr 26, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 193
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 jam along! If you want a chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message ...
Apr 20, 2022•4 min•Ep. 192
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 chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bluegrass Jam ...
Apr 20, 2022•7 min•Ep. 191
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 just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't ...
Apr 20, 2022•4 min•Ep. 190
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 (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Do...
Apr 20, 2022•4 min•Ep. 189
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 00:37 Chord sheets are over at www.bluegrassjamalong.com Happy picking! Send a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't forget...
Apr 11, 2022•5 min•Ep. 188
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 00:34 Chord sheets are over at www.bluegrassjamalong.com Happy picking! Send a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't forget...
Apr 11, 2022•5 min•Ep. 187
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 00:37 Chord sheets are over at www.bluegrassjamalong.com Happy picking! Send a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't forget...
Apr 11, 2022•5 min•Ep. 186
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. This track is in B at 85 bpm - check out the other three too. I'm not trying to replicate a particular version, so th...
Apr 06, 2022•7 min•Ep. 185
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. This track is in A at 85 bpm - check out the other three too. I'm not trying to replicate a particular version, so th...
Apr 06, 2022•7 min•Ep. 184
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. This track is in A at 85 bpm - check out the other three too. I'm not trying to replicate a particular version, so th...
Apr 06, 2022•7 min•Ep. 183
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. This track is in G at 85 bpm - check out the other three too. I'm not trying to replicate a particular version, so th...
Apr 06, 2022•7 min•Ep. 182
This week we're jamming along to the classic tune Old Joe Clark. 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 chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bl...
Mar 30, 2022•4 min•Ep. 181
This week we're jamming along to Old Joe Clark 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 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 just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bluegrass Jam Along...
Mar 30, 2022•7 min•Ep. 180
This week we're jamming along to Old Joe Clark 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 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 chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't forge...
Mar 30, 2022•4 min•Ep. 179
This week we're jamming along to Old Joe Clark 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 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 chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Don't f...
Mar 30, 2022•4 min•Ep. 178
My guest this week is Bob Minner. Bob has been the acoustic guitarist for country icon Tim McGraw for almost 30 years now, and he's also a fantastic bluegrass picker. His latest project, 'From Sulphur Springs To Rising Fawn : The Songs of Norman Blake' is a wonderful tribute to the music of Norman and Nancy Blake, featuring duets with people from the worlds of country and bluegrass, including Tim Stafford, Ron Block, Vince Gill, Chris Eldridge and Dale Ann Bradley. We chat about Bob's love for N...
Mar 08, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 177
Hi everyone. Today marks a year from me uploading the very first episode of Bluegrass Jam Along, so I thought I'd celebrate with something a little different! Today we're jamming along to the very first tune I added to the podcast - Whiskey Before Breakfast, in D. Rather than the standard tracks though, I thought it would be fun to try something a bit more free flowing, where we're not just playing the same thing over and over. So, here goes! There's a short intro, with me just noodling a little...
Mar 04, 2022•7 min•Ep. 176
My guest this week is Jarrod Walker, best known to most of you as the mandolin player in Billy Strings' band. We chat about all sorts of stuff, including what Chris Thile taught him about learning fiddle tunes, how he almost ended up selling instruments for a living rather than playing them, the pros and cons of plugging in onstage and going from landscaping one day during the pandemic to playing a live streamed gig at Red Rocks the next. To connect with Jarrod and find out where you can catch a...
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 175
This week we're jamming along to the classic tune Red Wing 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 chord chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bluegras...
Feb 21, 2022•3 min•Ep. 174
This week we're jamming along to Red Wing 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 95 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 chart (or just want to find out more or get in touch), just head to bluegrassjamalong.com Send a message to Bluegrass Jam Along! (Do...
Feb 21, 2022•7 min•Ep. 173
