Hi there -
not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I couldn't find a better place.
Here we go: I am looking for book (paper or online) with a collection of the melodies (and verses) of "typical folks songs" played at jam sessions.
I was not born in the US, and as such I am not familiar with many those songs. I have been playing banjo now for about 2 years and I want to broaden my repertoire. Banjo tabs are good to see how others have interpreted a song, but in order to really learn and see what is going on knowing the melody would be very useful.
Does anybody know of such a collection (free or to buy) or any resource that would be helpful? Is there perhaps a "fiddle book" that would fit?
It does not matter what key those songs are written in, I can easily transpose them (I originally come from classical music)
Thanks a lot!
"Folk Songs of North America," by Alan Lomax might be just what you want.
For Christmas, my wife gave me a book called "Bluegrass Fakebook", by Bert Casey. It has 150 songs that are popular in Bluegrass jam sessions. It includes lyrics, chords and standard musical notation for the melody line. For each song, it also includes a reference to a well known artist and the album upon which their performance can be found. I suspect that nearly all those performances can be found on YouTube.
The Banjo Player's Songbook, by Tim Jumper
I’ve had a copy of “Rise Up Singing” for several decades. The arrangements are rudimentary with just lyrics and chords but it’s an exhaustive collection and has I’ve used it at many campfire singalongs. It’s not unusual for several people to have a copy with them.
The Bert Casey book is good. Another good addition to your library would be the Real Bluegrass Book.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0634049216/ref=cm_sw_r_em_api_glc_fabc_FzycGbB0RQ1N0
Edited by - jdeluke137 on 01/21/2021 05:53:11
If think it would be wise to talk to individuals who play in local jams, and find out what tunes are played on a regular basis. Every jam can have its own "favorites". And, the number and complexity of tunes varies from jam to jam.
Thanks all! I'll check out those books!
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