If you come on out to the Saturday Bluegrass Casual, odds are good you’ll encounter some of these tunes.
Below you’ll find a few examples of recordings of those tunes along with some backing tracks to practice rhythm playing, kickoffs, solos and/or vocals with slow-to-medium-fast tempos.
There are plenty of transcriptions out there, but try using your ears first to figure them out. It’ll really help you out over time. This is especially true of “vocal tunes” where the key may change up from versions you’re used to depending on the singer’s vocal range and preference.
You can find backing tracks for a wide range of tunes in various tempos from nice n’ slow to pretty darn fast on the BBT Bluegrass Backing Tracks YouTube channel.
Instrumentals
Salt Creek (Key of A)
Backing tracks:
Red Haired Boy (Key of A)
Tony Rice, Same Bush, Bela Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Mark Schatz – Red Haired Boy
Backing tracks:
Gold Rush (Key of A)
Backing tracks:
Big Sciota (Key of G)
Big Sciota (a peppier version)
Backing tracks:
Vocal Tunes
Keys will vary – it’s always the singer’s choice when it comes the key the tune will be played in.
Blue Ridge Cabin Home
The Bluegrass Album Band – Blue Ridge Cabin Home (Key of Bb)
Backing tracks:
Eight More Miles to Louisville
Eight More Miles to Louisville – Grandpa Jones (the original classic version)
Eight More Miles to Louisville – Sam Bush
Backing tracks:
Long Journey Home (a.k.a. “Two Dollar Bill”)
Long Journey Home – J.D. Crowe
Long Journey Home – Billy Strings
Some “Modern” Classics
These tunes aren’t that old – “Rebecca” was written by the late, great Hershel Sizemore and despite being written by a mandolin player because a favourite of many banjo players. “Salt Spring” was written by John Reischman, who’s still very much with us! These two tunes find themselves in regular rotation at this jam for sure.
Rebecca (Key of B)
Backing tracks:
Salt Spring (Key of A)
John Reischman and the Jaybirds – Salt Spring
John Reischman (feat. Alex Hargreaves, Molly Tuttle, Max Schwartz & Allison De Groot) – Salt Spring
Backing tracks: