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Jam Sessions
Jam sessions are an important part of all Upper Potomac events, since they give students the opportunity to play with others in a comfortable learning environment. This is one of the best learning experiences for developing skills and we hope students will take advantage of this opportunity.
Many of our weekends have posted a jam session tune list to help students focus on some common jam tunes that are likely to be played during the weekend. Over time, these lists vary from year to year and location to location as tunes come into or out of popularity, but for someone coming to a weekend for the first time, it's nice to know some of the standard tunes.
In general… we hold our SLOW Jams in less public places, where it is less likely to be stumbled upon by "audiences" since our newer players tend to be shyer about their abilities and play things at a much slower tempo than regular sessions. We usually also try to assign teachers to serve as hosts/leaders to guide the session and keep it accessible to the players attending. The hosts will help select the tunes that are played… to set the tempo, and to call out keys or chord changes to help newer players find their way around if they are not sure of the tune.
For players who feel more comfortable following printed music, this slow jam is a better jam as most jams are not usually "group reading sessions" but musical conversations which help develop ear training. Try to wean yourself from the printed page, and play chords and back up some, and not hog the melody part. If you don't know a tune, play quietly until you are sure of your part.
The Hammered Dulcimer Jam list on of Fall Fest site was compiled by UPDF student, Ellie Holsopple. It indicates some of the easier tunes in bold type for newer students and * indicates tunes useful on a shorter list to prepare for those starting out. Ellie was instrumental in putting together the Northern Virginia Hammered Dulcimer jam which meets monthly at the Dolly Madison Library in McLean, Virginia. She has a web newsletter on her website which is very useful for Washington DC area players Another good list for learning tunes is the top 40 (more like 100) tunes for Hammered Dulcimer that Randy Marchany has compiled for the Official Hammered Dulcimer site. It tells where to find those tunes on recordings too.
Our Irish Music Weekends and Fiddle Retreat also have some good lists on their pages as well. Many of these are compiled by teachers or leaders of local sessions that post these tunes for sharing. Weekends with special themes may have their own lists. When teachers or students suggest a list, we try to post it on our site. If there is demand for a specialized jam, we can find a room to accommodate it during any of our programs.
Our regular speed jam is aimed at experienced players, it usually has a lower level of supervision and can almost run itself. Players at this session are expected to be able to play tunes up to speed and need less coaxing or encouragement to join in.
So grow a little… learn some tunes, share them.
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