Cumming Music Jam
Weekly Article
Americana Jam
What is Americana Music? Let’s check Wikipedia first...
Americana (also known as American roots music) is an amalgam of American music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the musical ethos of the United States of America, with particular emphasis on music historically developed in the American South.
To us at the Cumming Music Jam, it is an Acoustic Jam that uses the Bluegrass style logistics. It has very few rules beyond that. It allows each participant to call a song they want. Be it from Blues, Bluegrass, NewGrass, JamGrass, Folk, Folk-Rock, Blues-Rock, Alt-Rock, Old Country, Alt-Country, Outlaw Country, Roots, Old Time, Swing, Jazz, heck even New Country if you want.
Personally, I feel it is more inclusive than, “Particular emphasis on music historically developed in the American South.” I consider artists such as James Taylor, Jeffrey Foucault, Neil Young, Crosby Stills and Nash, Woody Guthrie, Jimmy Rogers, Peter, Paul and Mary, John Denver, Don McLean and many others from all over to be part of Americana music as well. I think you can get the idea.
Electric Bass is welcome, but all other instruments need/should be Acoustic. Cajon, Hand Percussion, etc and Melodica are welcome!
Genres are better thought of as Oceans and not boxes. Where the bump into each other is where beauty happens.
If you want to introduce a new song to the group, please bring 10-15 copies of your song to hand out if slightly more complex chord changes. Originals are also welcome! But remember it must be a song structure folks can easily pick up on and solo over.
For those that don't know, there is ton of history of overlap between Jam Bands and Bluegrass. Both the Grateful Dead and Phish played bluegrass songs at their concerts. These songs may be slightly more complex, but jump in and learn them with the group.