A Fiddle Player's Guide To Jamming

Carl Yaffey · John Sherman

Jan 2011 · Mel Bay Publications

About this ebook

This book presents everything a beginning or intermediate fiddler player needs to know to participate in a jam session. There are sections that describe the anatomy of a jam session, jam session etiquette, chords and keys for jamming, and vamping. Includes access to a play-along online audio recording containing 9 typical bluegrass jam tunes. The tunes are played twice: once with the tune played on the left channel and a verbal description on the right channel, and once in stereo.

About the author

Carl Yaffey, a multi-instrumentalist (banjo, guitar, bass,

mandolin, Dobro􀀁), has been playing music on and off

since 1962 (the “folkie” days). Way back then in Norfolk,

VA, he played banjo and guitar in several Kingston Trio

“clone” groups. After moving to Columbus, OH in 1966 to

accept a job as a programmer with Bell Laboratories, he

played bass in a country band and several Rock and Roll

“oldies” bands. In between, Carl has played old-time and

bluegrass banjo and bass with several different groups. Carl

now teaches music, plays with Grassahol, and the Timbre

Wolves, and he jams whenever he can.

 

John Sherman is a Columbus, OH - based multi-instrumentalist who has been

active in playing American folk, old-time and Celtic music for the past 25

years. He is an internationally recognized player and arranger of Scottish and

Irish music for fingerstyle guitar, and had a book/CD of these arrangements

released by Mel Bay Publications in 1998. In addition to playing with The

Timbre Wolves, John currently divides his time between teaching, producing,

solo performance and playing in the Celtic group Silver Arm. John also occasionally

serves as side-guitarist to folk songwriting legend Tom Paxton, and

has performed with and opened for numerous touring folk and Celtic acts

nationally.