JOIN THE JAM! A METHOD FOR JAMMING OF TRADITIONAL STRING PLAYERS
JOIN THE JAM! A METHOD FOR JAMMING OF TRADITIONAL STRING PLAYERS
BY ANNIE SAVAGE.
This new book by Savage dissects what part the fiddle plays in bluegrass. It breaks down songs and tunes, using licks and passing tones to dress up simple melodies. She uses the term “Tech Check” for each lesson presented. There is online audio available for each lesson.
The book goes through some well-known songs like “Gold Watch And Chain,” “Paradise,” and “Nine Pound Hammer,” plus several more where she introduces passing tones and an assortment of licks to dress up your arrangements. She covers “chopped double-stops” and blues scales, major and minor arpeggios. She then looks at tunes that reveal how arpeggios work in melodies and in twin fiddling. She goes into “Chording On Your String Instrument,” which is actually a list of double-stops that can be used in eight different keys. She uses the old chestnut “Ragtime Annie” as an example of playing the “Georgia Shuffle” while twin fiddling. The last piece covered in the book is an orchestral arrangement of “Angeline The Baker” for two violins, viola, cello, and bass.
The layout is clean and easy to read, and the spiral binding is a real advantage. For the reading student of the fiddle trying to get an idea on how to take breaks and do backup, this book has some good information. There is a good amount of worthwhile material in this rather slim book. The scope of this book is as a tool to help those who read to get off of the printed page and into the world of fiddle music. To that end, this is a good springboard.RCB
