Welcome to the Northern Bluegrass Circle Music Society Website
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Weekly Jams
Every
Wednesday evening we host an Acoustic jam session at Pleasantview Community
Hall (10860 - 57 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta). The doors open at 6:30 p.m.
On the
first and third Wednesday of each month we host a Slow Pitch jam starting at
6:45 p.m. The Slow Pitch jam may be moved downstairs at the hosts’ discretion; leaving
the upstairs open for regular jamming at the same time. After the Slow Pitch
both the basement and upstairs are open for jamming. Please take advantage of
the available jamming space this will help keep the jamming circles smaller and
feel free to move from one jam to the other.
Spectators are welcome - we set up tables and chairs in addition to the chairs
in the circle. A donation of $2.00 per person for NBCMS Members and $4.00 per
person for Non-Members is requested. The club provides free coffee.
Guests and newcomers are always welcome, so please come out and have some fun!
ABOUT THE JAM
Our jams are totally acoustic in the spirit of traditional bluegrass music. We
provide microphones for sound reinforcement until 10:00 p.m. You may stay and
jam acoustically after that. The focus of our jam is bluegrass. Acoustic stringed instruments only please. If you play
accordion, harmonica or percussion (or some other instrument not usually
associated with bluegrass), check out our Resources page for a list of other
jams in the Edmonton area.
ENTERING THE CIRCLE Participants of the jam sit it in a circle in the centre of the hall.
Before entering the circle make sure you are in tune to concert pitch. The best
way to achieve this is with an electronic tuner. If you do not have one,
someone would be glad to lend you one. Or there is a tuner available at the
front table.
Take a seat in the circle, if you are a novice at jamming you may want to sit
next to a more experienced player playing the same instrument. If you wish to
just play back-up or quietly in the background, that is quite all right.
The dos and don'ts of jam etiquette are merely suggestions; there are no hard
and fast rules and each situation is a little different.
We generally proceed in a clockwise pattern around the circle. Participants are
allowed to sing a song or play one song of their choice when it comes to their
turn. If you do not wish to pick a song when it comes to your turn, simply pass
on to the next person in the circle.
WHEN IT IS YOUR TURN
You may want to bring a list of a few songs to the jam that you want to play so
you are ready when it is your turn. It is usually best to pick a
familiar tune or one with not too many changes that is easy to learn by ear.
Call out the name of the tune, the key and any unusual changes before starting.
Request harmony back-up on the chorus if you want it. For the benefit of all
players, try not start a tune at too fast a tempo.
Instrumental breaks should also follow a clockwise pattern. Keep eye contact
with others around the circle. Encourage those who wish to take a break, but do
not intimidate those who do not want to do so.
PLAYING ALONG WITH OTHERS
Remember to give the feature performer their turn. We often have lots of
instruments playing at once, so be careful how loud you play along. If you
cannot hear the vocalist or the lead instrument, please play softer. If someone
motions for you to take a break and you do not feel up to the task, just shake
your head or offer the break to the next picker or instrumentalist in the
circle.
When taking a break, increase your volume and position instrument close to a
microphone. Try not to speed up during your break. If you add harmony, make
sure you are in harmony and that you do not overpower the lead singer.
"SLOW PITCH" JAM FOR BEGINNERS
On the first and third Wednesday of each month, we are presenting our
"slow pitch" jam catering to beginner players. Here's a great
chance to come out and practice in a group setting and get your feet wet in a
friendly environment. We keep the speed slow and there are always more
experienced players to help out. The "Slow Pitch" jam (may be
moved downstairs at the hosts’ discretion; leaving the upstairs open for
regular jamming at the same time) starts
at 6:45 p.m. and goes to 7:30 p.m.
LAST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH
On the last Wednesday of every month we have a band scramble or an open stage.
Performances will take place on the stage between 9:00 - 10:00 p.m. We use an
omni-directional microphone.
BAND SCRAMBLE or OPEN STAGE
We take registrations or have a sign up sheet as you enter the hall for our
Wednesday night jam. At 8:15 p.m. we randomly draw the bands from the entries
received. If you prefer to do the open stage you may sign up your own group or
put together a group. Of course we will keep it Bluegrass.
At 8:30 p.m. we adjourn the jam and separate into our groups to practice. The
open stage groups will be dispersed among the band scramble groups. Time
restrictions may limit the number of entries each group will perform a maximum
of two numbers. At 9:00 p.m. the performances begin. We resume the jam
immediately after.
Remember both of these activities are meant to be fun and provide you with a
learning experience. 1) Belonging to and performing with a band 2) using a
microphone and 3) entertaining fellow Bluegrassers.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED If you are interested in helping with the
concerts or with our other club events, please contact any of the
members of the board on our Contact Us page.
The
NBCMS is a registered non-profit corporation based in Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada. Our mission is to promote, preserve, and present
Bluegrass music for its members and the general public. Please come back often for the latest on the Alberta Bluegrass scene!
We all have skills and knowledge to contribute to the club and what better way to do that than to sit on the board which meets monthly for about one to two hours on a circle night. It's a small commitment to show your support. Contact any of the board members for more information on how you may become involved.
