Ithaca Festival Acoustic Music Jam Tent ALL DAY Sunday June 5th 2011 at Stewart Park - Come join in!! MAP to find JAM TENT; DETAILS; UPDATES http://canaaninstitute.org/mikesmusic/viewtopic.php?p=3971#3971

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Ithaca Festival Jam Tent 2011 - sponsored by Ithaca Guitar Works and Ludgate Farm and Market.

Sunday June 5th 2011 from 11:30 am until 9:00 pm
at Stewart Park at the Jam Tent (near the entrance and family fun
tent). We have 6 jams again this year. These are all jams loosely
related to jam sessions and sings that happen in and around the Ithaca
area on a regular basis. Time slots and band leaders subject to change
at the last minute. See this music forum thread for updates http://canaaninstitute.org/mikesmusic/viewtopic.php?p=3971#3971

11:30 am - 1:00 pm – CAJUN JAM
(Traditional Cajun maybe a little Zydeco) — The origins of Cajun music
started in the north when the Acadians were forced to migrate from Nova
Scotia to Louisiana in the late 1700’s. This is a rich and unique
American music style. This will be an open acoustic only instrumental
jam as are all the others in the Ithaca Festival Jam Tent listed below.
Contact person: Greg Grodem rjgreg@lightlink.com

1:00 PM - 2:30 pm – SINGING JAM
(Folk Songs) — This is a sing-a-long, where anyone can lead. Songs your
parents sang when you were little, songs you sang at camp, songs that
mean a lot to you right now. Instruments are welcome for back up, but
the focus for this jam is on voices. Bring a song to share, chime in on a
chorus or just listen, everyone is welcome! Contacts: Jim Harper jharper@jimharpermusic.com or Richie Holtz richard_holtz@verizon.net

2:30 pm - 4:00 pm – OLD-TIME JAM
(Appalachian Fiddle Tunes) — Southern old-time music was born when
African rhythms and syncopation began to influence the fiddle dance tune
tradition. Old-time jams often include guitar, clawhammer banjo,
fiddle, mandolin, dulcimer, voices, and tapping feet to keep the rhythm.
Tunes are usually passed along by oral tradition, but chord charts are
available for many of the tunes, and musicians of any level are welcome.
The emphasis is on getting into a groove for each tune. Contact: Laura
Taylor lbt1@cornell.edu

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm – BLUEGRASS JAM
(Traditional Bluegrass) — Bluegrass is American roots music comprising
a rich fusion of traditions from the British Isles, jazz, blues, and
country. This jam features fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar, dobro,
upright bass, and vocals, and each instrument has the opportunity to
improvise around the melody in wildly creative ways. All skill levels
are welcome! Contact: Philip Robinson philip.robinson@cornell.edu

5:30 pm -7:00 pm – FIDDLE TUNE JAM
(New England, Contra and Assorted Fiddle Tunes) — We will be playing
“fiddle tunes” suitable for contra or square dancing. These tunes
originate from New England, Canada, British Isles and parts of Europe .
This is an open instrumental jam where typical instruments are fiddle,
guitar, mandolin, banjo (4 or 5 string), accordion, acoustic bass and
occasional woodwinds such as flute or clarinet. This group typically
works from the Ithaca “YFN tuneset”. But any fiddle tunes are
approrriate if someone can lead it! All skill levels welcome, come join
us! Contact person: Michael Ludgate michael.ludgate@gmail.com

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm – IRISH SESSION
(Traditional Irish) — This session will be run in traditional Irish
session style, which is generally full speed ahead and often stringing 2
or 3 tunes together at a time. All skill levels welcome: the tunes are
fast, but the only way to “get the feel” is to jump in and try! Contact
persons: Ed McGowan, Scott Whitham or Mark Bickford scott.whitham@gmail.com

Ithaca Festival Jam Tent 2010 - sponsored by Ithaca Guitar Works and Ludgate Farms.
http://www.guitarworks.com/ and http://www.ludgatefarms.com/

More info on the forum http://canaaninstitute.org/mikesmusic/viewtopic.php?p=3322#3322

Sunday June 6th 2010 from 11:30 am until 9:00 pm at Stewart Park at the Jam Tent (near the entrance and family fun tent). We have 6 jams again this year. These are all jams loosely related to sessions and sings that happen in and around the Ithaca area on a regular basis. Time slots and band leaders subject to change at the last minute. See this music forum thread for updates http://canaaninstitute.org/mikesmusic/viewtopic.php?p=3322#3322

11:30 am - 1:00 pm – CAJUN JAM (Traditional Cajun maybe a little Zydeco) — The origins of Cajun music started in the north when the Acadians were forced to migrate from Nova Scotia to Louisiana in the late 1700’s. This is a rich and unique American music style. This will be an open acoustic only instrumental jam as are all the others in the Ithaca Festival Jam Tent listed below. Contact person: Greg Grodem rjgreg@lightlink.com

1:00 PM - 2:30 pm –SINGING JAM (Folk Songs) — This is a sing-a-long, where anyone can lead. Songs your parents sang when you were little, songs you sang at camp, songs that mean a lot to you right now. Instruments are welcome for back up, but the focus for this jam is on voices. Bring a song to share, chime in on a chorus or just listen, everyone is welcome! Contacts: Jim Harper jimh@jhdesigns.com or Richie Holtz richard_holtz@verizon.net

2:30 pm - 4:00 pm — OLD-TIME JAM (Appalachian Fiddle Tunes) — Southern old-time music was born when African rhythms and syncopation began to influence the fiddle dance tune tradition. Old-time jams often include guitar, clawhammer banjo, fiddle, mandolin, dulcimer, voices, and tapping feet to keep the rhythm. Tunes are usually passed along by oral tradition, but chord charts are available for many of the tunes, and musicians of any level are welcome. The emphasis is on getting into a groove for each tune, allowing each musician room to improvise within the structure of the tune. Contact: Laura Taylor lbt1@cornell.edu

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm – BLUEGRASS JAM (Traditional Bluegrass) — Bluegrass is American roots music comprising a rich fusion of traditions from the British Isles, jazz, blues, and country. This jam features fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar, dobro, upright bass, and vocals, and each instrument has the opportunity to improvise around the melody in wildly creative ways. All skill levels are welcome! Contact: Philip Robinson philip.robinson@cornell.edu

5:30 pm -7:00 pm – CONTRA TUNE JAM (New England Fiddle Dance Tunes) — We will be playing “fiddle tunes” suitable for contra or square dancing. These tunes originate from New England, Canada, British Isles and parts of Europe . This is an open instrumental jam where typical instruments are fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo (4 or 5 string), accordion, acoustic bass and occasional woodwinds such as flute or clarinet. This group typically works from the Ithaca “YFN tuneset”. All skill levels welcome, come join us! Contact person: Michael Ludgate michael.ludgate@gmail.com

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm — IRISH SESSION (Traditional Irish) — This session will be run in traditional Irish session style, which is generally full speed ahead and often stringing 2 or 3 tunes together at a time. All skill levels welcome: the tunes are fast, but the only way to “get the feel” is to jump in and try! Contact persons: Ed McGowan, Scott Whitham or Mark Bickford scott.whitham@gmail.com

I came across this list of jam etiquette guidelines adapted from here http://www.reinerfamilyband.com/fiddlehellmassac.html - a website for a small fiddle festival. Note the author’s comments on the different styles of jams. Many of these details could apply to jams in the Ithaca and surrounding areas. Of course these are just friendly suggestions, but most of them make sense for making it more fun for everyone. -Mike

“Most of you are here to join in on the jam sessions.  It’s a great way to meet new friends and create spontaneous music together.  Here are some rough guidelines from experience to help you out.

0. Put your instrument cases out of other folks way. Popular jams can often get fairly crowded and there is nothing tougher than arriving late only to discover that every available horizontal surface is filled with giant wide open instrument cases. So … the polite thing to do is get out your instrument, latch your case closed and get it of of harm’s way, with as small a ‘footprint’ as possible, then other folks after you have space to get around and do the same! :-)

1. There are two fundamentally different types of jams, usually (but not always!) depending on the style.  It’s a good idea to observe which type is happening before you jump in:

- All players play together just about every time through: Southern Oldtime, Irish, New England ["contra"], Scottish styles
- Players take turns playing instrumental breaks: Bluegrass, Swing, Texas, Blues, Rock styles

2. Some jams have a leader (either appointed or de facto).  Leaders call or coordinate the selection of tunes, including medleys, and may call out arrangements on the fly. Other jams have no fixed leader, in which case the tunes are often selected and led by the players in some order, such as going clockwise around the circle.

3. Some coherency in jam style is expected. An Irish jam shouldn’t suddenly change into a Southern Oldtime jam, or a bluegrass jam into a Scottish jam.  On the other hand, some players play multiple styles, and their jams may wander among styles (which may be fine, or may cause problems).

4. Jams may vary in their choice of tempos, usually depending on the level of the players.  Some jams are rather speedy!  Occasionally, jams are designated as “half-speed” or “slow.”  Beginner jams are also slower.  It’s good manners to let the person calling a tune start it at his/her tempo, Sometimes a group may agree to play a tune slowly at first, and then speed it up.  If tunes are falling apart rhythmically, it’s better to slow them down.  Good taste is better than raw speed any day!  Keep the beat.

5. Sometimes you may be invited to join an ongoing jam.  If not, it’s polite to ask to join in.  But it’s generally fine to stand or sit on the periphery (“outer circle”) of a jam, playing along quietly (perhaps learning the tune!) and not getting in the way.  Be conscious of the level of a jam before jumping in at full blast.  And tune up before joining in.

6. Listen to the other players! Watch them, too.  Support singers or soloists; don’t play over them or back them up disruptively.  For jams where many players are playing together, such as oldtime, the goal is to converge and lock in on a common version, getting tighter as the tune is repeated.

7. Tend towards choosing tunes that are common or at least easy to follow. A large jam with multiple levels of players isn’t the time to trot out a complex, obscure tune.  That being said, advanced players like to challenge themselves, and may throw anything out.  Or a player may really want to teach everyone a new tune. Whatever the level, it’s a common practice to mention any strange chords, crooked parts, or other structural oddities before starting a tune.  Oldtime sessions with clawhammer banjo players usually stay in a chosen key for quite a while.

8. Be kind to beginners and new jammers. It takes courage to join in and play along, and many players don’t have much jamming experience.  Ask what tunes they know, keep tempos down, and help them out where you can.

9. At jams with breaks, such as bluegrass jams, the lead singer or the person who started the tune calls the breaks by nodding at players or raising an eyebrow, or shouting out a name or instrument.  Indicate your willingness to take a break by smiling, nodding, or stepping forward.  Indicate that you’d rather pass this time by shaking your head no, or avoiding eye contact in the first place.

10. It never hurts to play melody on a break. Don’t throw in every lick you know! If you screw up part of a break, keep going if you can.  You may find your touch again.  If not, nod to another player to step in and finish the break.

11. Whoever starts a tune determines when it’s over. It’s common to raise a foot (or yell “out”) to indicate the last time through.

12. Minimize noodling around between tunes. This isn’t the time to show your virtuosity, practice tunes you don’t know, or raise the noise level in general.  If you want to suggest the next tune, say it, don’t start noodling on it.

13. Step aside to tune [your instrument] or converse at length.

14. If you don’t want to continue with a jam for any reason, split off and start your own.  Or just listen for a while.

15. Seek out jams at the right level and in a style you can play.  Your jamming skills will improve over time.”