Join Matt C Bruno as he hosts the Machine House Brewery Jam in Seattle’s Hillman City neighborhood every Wednesday from 7pm – 9:30pm. Check this page weekly for the new Song of the Week and other updates.
The Machine House Brewery Jam is an all levels jam sponsored by Outlanders Progressive Bluegrass Social Club (a 501c3 non-profit). Aside from having a good time, the purpose of this jam is for everyone (beginners to advanced players) to learn new songs and become better bluegrass musicians. This page is dedicated to helping promote those goals.
If you’re new to Bluegrass Jamming, check out this the Intro to Bluegrass Jamming guide here.
If you have any questions about the jam, check out the Bluegrass Jam FAQ. If you are new to bluegrass jam, please make sure you read the Bluegrass Jam Etiquette page before coming. We don’t have many rules, but these really help keep it a fun and educational environment!
Top Songs and Tunes Called
Below is a list of all the songs we’ve played at the jam in order of the most commonly played songs. The list includes the most common key a song/tune is played in, all the keys a song/tune has been played in, as well as the frequency. You can search the list by song name, song type (fiddle tune or vocal song), most common key, and by major or minor. If you’re new to bluegrass jamming and are going to join us, start by learning the top 3 – 5 vocal songs and fiddle tunes from this list. It’s almost a 100% guarantee that those songs will be played. In the list below, you can click on the names of some songs / tunes to download a chord chart
| Song Name | Most Frequent Key | Major or Minor | Song Type | Frequency Called | A | Bb | B | C | Db | D | Eb | E | F | Gb | G | Ab |
|---|
Set Lists
This table shows individual sets from past jams. The songs / tunes highlighted in yellow were played for the first time at the jam on that night.
Total Songs: 0 Total Vocal Songs: 0 Total Fiddle Tunes: 0 0 New songs/tunes played: 0
| Song Name | Song Key | Major or Minor | Song Type |
|---|
Spotify Playlist
Below is a playlist comprised of the songs we’ve played at the jam. It’s not all inclusive, but it’s a good start if you’re looking for some examples to listen to.
Song of the Week
In my opinion, jams should be focused on things like community, fun, and education. Community and fun usually just happen when good people get together. Education however requires an active intent to learn. Generally this will mean learning and playing new songs at the jam but that’s easier said than done often. For one, not everyone has time to learn new songs / tunes and of course jamnesia (amnesia at a jam) exists – so even if you have a great song/tune to bring, you may forget!
So, let’s learn learn new songs together!
Song of the Week
The Song of the Week is a song that we haven’t played before that I “pre-call” about a week in advance. I’m striving to have the Song of the Week be a mix of challenging melodies and some standards to help us all grow.
I’ll post up the name of the song, a brief blurb about it (especially if there’s something weird with it), chord charts with lyrics, and recordings for you to review before getting to the jam. I ask everyone attending the jam to give the selected song your best shot. Whether you decide to take a solo or not is up to you but everyone should be playing the rhythm together. The more we learn together, the better the jam gets! If you have any questions baout the song of the week or want to suggest a song of the week feel free to shoot me a message.
Artist of the Month
New for 2026, we’re going to add an Artist of the Month. I’ll call a specific artist a month in advance. For that month, I’ll be calling at least 1 song or tune written or played by that artist. Some of these will be Songs of the Week but not all. All jammers are encouraged to call songs / tunes written by or performed by the artist as well but it won’t be a requirement. The purpose of this update is to help us all dive a bit more into a specific style of individuals that we may not listen to otherwise.
I’ll be posting the tentative list for the year soon. It’s subject to change whenever I feel so inclined.
If you’re new to bluegrass jams, review the Jam Etiquette page here before coming to the jam. If you have questions on the basic structure of the Machine House Brewery jam, check out the Jam FAQ here or just message me directly.
Week 102 – January 7, 2026
Sadly I won’t be able to attend the first jam of 2026 – but ideally we’ll have a guest host. If you’re interested in hosting (aka calling a Song of the Week and recording the songs called etc), LMK!.
Week 101 – December 17, 2026 – Tennessee
We’re going to do two songs of the week this week. One is a song that we’ve played before but I feel needs more love and the other is the true Song of the Week.
The song we’ve done before is Blue Ridge Cabin Home. Since this is a pretty straight forward song, the challenge I’ll throw out is to work up a harmony to this song. I’m going to call this in the key of A as written.
The true Song of the Week is Jimmy Martin song Tennessee. This is a pretty classic Jimmy style bluegrass song – it’s got a major 2 chord, it’s a little crooked but a lot of fun. When the vocals are being sung, the verse has 5 measures per line and the chorus has an extra measure at the end. That said, solos will be on the Verse primarily and there will be no extra measures. I broke this down in the Strum Machine chart too.
Charts
- Blue Ridge Cabin Home – Basic Chord Chart
- Blue Ridge Cabin Home – Strum Machine
- Tennessee – Basic Chord Chart
- Tennessee – Strum Machine
Recordings
Week 97 – November 19, 2025 – Dear John
It’s been a busy few weeks with travel and whatnot, so I missed a few weeks for the Song of the Week. But, we’ll get back on track with that! This week, we’ll be doing one of my more recent favorites Dear John by Adam Steffey. This is what I’d call a “deceptively hard” song. It’s not really complicated (only two chords the whole time) and at first listen it seems super easy but it’s the simplicity that makes it hard. It’s really easy to get lost – especially while soloing. It’s really important that you can hear the melody while we’re soloing. I suggest that you memorize at least one verse and sing it silently in your head while we’re soloing.
- The song just hangs on the 1 chord for most of the song with just one measure of the 5 chord before repeating
- There’s an extra measure at the end of each turn. This is mostly to help setup the next turn / verse, but it’s important.
I look at this song as an 8 measure verse of the root chord (C as played) and a 5 measure chorus. The “chorus” has some gang vocals that we’ll all have to call out – just “Dear John” every time just before the 5 chord.
Chord Chart
Recording
Week 92 – October 15, 2025 – Mountain
We have a jammer submission this week From Dan Zanko with the Kitchen Dwellers’ song Mountain. This is a new one for me, but it’s pretty fun. The progression is relatively simple with two main parts – a verse / break section and a chorus. The Chorus has some stops on it (the diamonds in the Strum Machine Chart) so just watch out for that part!
I’m including two different Strum Machine charts too. One is the full chart that you can play through, the other is a streamlined chart that just has the main parts for easy “at a glance” use.
Charts
Recordings
Week 91 – October 8, 2025 – Best Buy
This week we’re doing one of my favorite Sierra Hull songs from her 2011 Daybreak album Best Buy. It’s a bit jazzy – but the progression is fairly straight forward. The song is an AABA format with the first two A parts being slightly different from each other.
The intro to the song is just the end of the second A part which is a IV #iv7b5 I VI II V I progression. It’s essentially just an longer 1 6 2 5 1 progression (A, F#, B, E, A) which is pretty similar to Salty Dog Blues and a few other standards – and a bunch of jazz standards). Here, the D#ø (or D#m7b5) is a passing chord that leads you from the D (4 chord) to the A (Root chord) before going to the 6 2 5 1.
We’ll be doing the solos the same as the recording – so one person we’ll play the first A part, the next will play the second A part.
Charts
Recording
Week 90 – October 1, 2025 – I’m Gonna Sleep with One Eye Open
This week we’re going to play a real fun song I’m Gonna Sleep With One Eye Open by Lester Flatt. I can’t quiet recall if I heard his version or the Thile / Daves version first – but they are both worth a listen. Also the Dolly version is really nice for you ladies out there 😉
The Flatt & Scruggs version is pretty crooked. The first part of each verse line has an extra measure and the chorus has an extra measure on the third line. I put together a strum machine version for that. However, the Thile / Daves version is straight – meaning now extra measure. For the sake of ease, we’re going to use that version as our base. I will be singing this in E most likely.
Charts
Recordings
- Thile / Daves
- Dolly Parton
- Flatt & Scruggs – watch out for the extra measures!!
Week 89 – September 24, 2025 – Panama Red
Continuing with my “Jam Buster Jam Hour” prep for South State, this week we’re gonna cover another song written by Peter Rowan and performed originally by Old and in the Way – Panama Red. The Chorus is the only real tricky part as it has a lot of chord changes – the good news is they aren’t too far fetched!
- The first half of the Chorus is 6 minor, 5, 4, 2, 5. While this is weird, if you think about this it’s just a descending chord line to start (6 minor, 5, 4) followed by a 2 5 change.
- The second half of the Chorus is 3, 4, 5, 1 – just a straight ascending line from 3, 4, 5 before resolving back to 1.
- The verse is just 1 4 5 1 – nothing crazy there!
Charts
Recordings
Week 88 – September17, 2025 – Midnight Moonlight
I’m gearing up for the next festival I’ll be attending, South State 48 in Carlsbad, CA (11/6 – 11/9). At that festival, I’ll be hosting the Jam Buster Jam Hour (if you’re planning to go, LMK!). So, the help me prep, we’re going back to potential jam buster songs this week with Midnight Moonlight. This song isn’t necessarily the hardest song, but there’s a few things to pay attention to:
- First, there’s a lot of chords for the verse. Feel free to bring a chart if needed.
- Second, the solos are not over the verse or chorus. Instead, the solo section migrates to playing in C major (chords are C and A). This section is technically open ended as there’s no “end” to it, but for the sake of the jam I’ll handle calling out the next instrument for breaks.
Charts
Recordings
Week 84 – August 20, 2025 – It’s Mighty Dark to Travel
I’m sort of surprised that we haven’t played this song yet. While it’s not a very popular jam song in the Seattle circles, it’s definitely a great standard. Next week
Charts
Recordings
Week 83 – August 13, 2025 – Hobo Song
I remember jamming this song my first year at Greyfox bluegrass. It was the big jam song around the site that year. Being new to mandolin at the time, I remember stumbling a lot on the chorus, but having a ton of fun jamming on the song with friends.
On the solos, we’ll split the parts – so one person will take the Verse and the next will take the Chorus etc.
Charts
Recordings
Week 82 – August 6, 2025 – No Song of the Week
Week 81 – July 30, 2025 – Ida Red
This week we’re going to play a favorite of mine that Bob Wills played a bunch – Ida Red. There’s a few variations of this song but we’re going to stick with Bob Wills’ version. It’s a pretty easy song overall but a bit quick. We’ll have fun with it!
Charts
Recordings
Week 80 – July 23, 2025 – Ophelia
It’s almost my birthday, so I’m stepping slightly out of the bluegrass genre to The Band. While this is not “bluegrass” really – many bluegrass bands have covered this song including the Punch Brothers, the Gibson Brothers and Bill Emerson. So, being my birthday jam, we’re playing it!
While there’s a lot of chords to this song, it’s relatively straight forward so don’t get too scared.
- The Verses are 1 3 6 2 4 5 1 (all major) which may sound complex, but it’s similar to Salty Dog Blues (which is 1 6 2 5 1) with two added chords
- After the first verse and after solos, there’s a straight 6 2 5 1 turnaround
- All other verses just hang on the C before going to the chorus
- The Chorus is real straight forward – 4 1 5 1
So, for my birthday, please learn this song and let’s have fun!
Charts
Recordings
Week 78 – July 2, 2025 to Week 79 – July 16, 2025
No Song of the Week – too much planning for Darrington Bluegrass and the House Concert with Seth Mulder!!
Week 77 – June 25, 2025 – With a Vamp in the Middle
I’ll be out of town for this jam but John Padgett will be hosting. He’s selected the really fun John Hartford song With a Vamp in the Middle as the Song of the Week. He’s going to do it more like the Newgrass Revival (note the intro is slightly different) and also will be keeping the solos to a straight AABB format rather than the slightly crooked way the song goes normally.
Charts
Recordings
Week 76 – June 18, 2025 – Who’s That Knocking On My Door
This week’s song is a great one from The Dreadful Snakes – one of Bela Fleck’s bluegrass bands from a while back. The song is pretty straight forward – just 2 chords and the truth!!
Charts
Recordings
Week 75 – June 11, 2025 – Heartbreak Express
I’ve been listening to the new Seth Mulder and Midnight Run album Coming on Strong getting ready for his July shows in Seattle (Bluegrass in the Forest, House Concert, and Darrington Bluegrass). I figured it’d be great to do one of his songs. So, for the 75th(!?) jam at the new Machine House, we’re going to play Heartbreak Express by Seth Mulder.
This is a pretty straight forward song but the ends of the verse and chorus are a little different. Give it a listen!
Charts
- Basic Chart
- Strum Machine
Recording
Week 74 – June 4, 2025 – Wayfaring Stranger
Continuing on the minor key kick – we’ll be doing Wayfaring Stranger! In my opinion this is a really under called song at jams so I’m looking forward to playing it here.
I’m also starting the Fiddle Tune of the Month for June. This will be a fiddle tune that we haven’t played before that I call 4 weeks out so you have time. The Fiddle Tune of the Month will be Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom. I will be calling this tune on June 25th. Note, I haven’t vetted the Guitar / Banjo charts for this fiddle tune – so check the source 🙂
Charts
- Wayfaring Stranger – Basic Chart
- Wayfaring Stranger – Strum Machine
- Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom – Basic Chart Mandolin
- Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom – Basic Chart Guitar
- Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom – Basic Chart Banjo
- Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom – Strum Machine
Recordings
- Wayfaring Stranger
- Garfield’s Blackberry Blossom
Week 73 – May 28, 2025 – There Is a Time
The Dillards are great. I honestly didn’t really know much about them until I started hosting the Machine House jam and running the Song of the Week. They wrote so many great songs! There Is A Time is a great and relatively simple minor key vocal song
Chord Charts
Recordings
Week 65 – April 2, 2025 – There is a Time
I don’t think I’ve heard There is a Time called at any jam in Seattle, but I used to play it a bunch back in San Diego. I figure it’s a good time to bring it north!
There is a Time is a great minor key vocal song by the Dillards. Nothing too crazy about it, but worth a listen before the jam! We’ll probably play it closer to the Nitty Gritty Dirt band version.
Chord Charts
Recordings
Week 64 – March 26, 2025 – No Song of the Week
Life got a bit busy and I forgot. Sorry!
Week 63 – March 19, 2025 – This Land is Your Land
For whatever reason I’ve been listening to Woody Guthrie a bunch more lately. I saw that Flatt & Scruggs did This Land is Your Land and figured that’d be a great Song of the Week sing-along! Not too much to this song, but it’s a great group song – so it’d be fun to have everyone sing on this. One note, I’m a fan of the walk down to the minor
Charts
Recordings
Week 62 – March 12, 2025 – My Walking Shoes
My Walking Shoes is a great jam song that I’m surprised we haven’t called before! This was a staple of the Hoedown on the Hill in San Diego for years. It’s a pretty straight forward song without too much going on – though the Stash version of this is pretty nuts!
Charts
Recordings
Week 61 – March 5, 2025 – Blue Virginia Blues
Well we missed a few weeks but we’re doing the Song of the Week again! This week will be playing Blue Virginia Blues written by Bill Emerson & Pete Goble and made popular by Larry Sparks. This song is a real fun one to play but is a little bit tricky if you’re not paying attention.
Charts
Recordings
Week 47 – November 27, 2024 – Fireball Mail
Neil Sowinski is guest hosting this week and has called the first Tune for the Song of the Week. He’s calling Fireball Mail which is a pretty straight forward fiddle tune. I’m borrowing from the Idaho Bluegrass Association for the charts as well – so big thanks to them!
Charts
Recordings
Week 46 – November 20, 2024
No song of the week. I was out this week and couldn’t find a guest host.
Week 45 – November 13, 2024
No song of the week. Just got too busy with getting stuff together for my trip and couldn’t call one.
Week 44 – November 6, 2024 – Bound to Ride
Back in San Diego my buddy Chris Clarke used to play this song all the time with his band Plow. I used to see his band play just about every Sunday when they played the bluegrass brunch near my house. I haven’t heard it much since moving up to Seattle so I figured it’d be a good time pick it – especially since it was his birthday recently (11/1).
This is pretty straight forward, but the little vocal break can be a little tough to follow.
Chord Charts
Recordings
Week 43 – October 30, 2024 – Down Home Dispensary
Last time Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway came through Seattle they played this song. I really love this song – it’s playful, sort of complicated but not over the top, and just real fun to sing.
This song has a diminished chord in it. If you’re not familiar with diminished chords, don’t worry, it’s easy. In this song, it goes from the 4 chord (C) to the 5b diminished chord (C#dim). So, you’ll play the 4 major like normal, then just raise the root (C) one fret (to C#) leaving your other fingers in place. If all else fails, you can sub out the C#dim for an A7 chord (ideally without the A note) and it’ll sound okay.
Also, solos are over the choruses 🙂
Chord Charts
Recording
Week 42 – October 23, 2024 – Don’t Let Your Sweet Love Die
I have to admit that I don’t know tons of Jimmy Martin songs – which is mostly why the end up being songs of the week! This one is a pretty fun one that reminds me a lot of Bob Wills style of singing with the added commentary.
The song is pretty basic. The Ricky Skaggs version is worth noting, but we’ll be covering the Jimmy Martin. In Jimmy’s version, there’s no chorus and there’s no key change. I may choose to add a chorus in to help the jam move along – the chorus would be the first verse basically. Either way, the chord progression is the same.
Charts
Recordings
Week 41 – October 16, 2024 – Back to the Carolinas
It’s rare that I call two songs by the same artist back to back for the Song of the Week – but I really got to liking the Seth Mulder & Midnight Run album. So, week two for them!
Back to the Carolinas is a pretty basic song in C that starts on the 4 chord (like White Freightliner). My favorite part of this is Seth’s solo around the 1:40 mark – triplets galore!
Charts
Recordings
Week 40 – October 9, 2024 – My, My, My
Finding new artists to listen to has always been the most enjoyable thing about playing music to me. With that in mind, this week we’re gonna play My, My, My by Seth Mulder & Midnight Run. I was introduced to this band recently by a friend of mine and have enjoyed their album In Dreams I Go Back – so I figured I’d introduce you all too!
My, My, My is a pretty straight forward song that’s perfect for a jam. There’s no real chorus here – we all just sing My My My after each verse basically. The song also includes the “Jimmy Martin 2” – at least that’s what I call it!! Take a listen:
Charts
Recordings
Week 39 – October 2, 2024 – Tennessee Waltz
I recently got to see one of my favorite mandolinists Frank Solivan play Tennessee Waltz and it reminded me how great that song is! Frank uses a slight variation on the chord progression from what I’ve heard before – but I really like it! Unfortunately I couldn’t find a good recording using that progression, so definitely check out the Strum Machine and Basic Charts!! Also, I can’t hit those high notes, so we’ll be doing this in G.
Charts
Recordings
Week 37 – September 18, 2024 – Streets of Baltimore
I heard this song for the first time a couple of weeks ago and really like it. There’s nothing too fancy about it and Baltimore is a pretty nice place, so I figured it’d be a great song of the week. I really just love Ronnie McCoury’s mandolin intro and wanted an excuse to learn it 😉
This is what Chris Jones would call a “story song with a non-repeating chorus” in that there’s a chorus, but the words don’t repeat. And now you know 😉
Chord Charts
Recordings
Week 36 – September 11, 2024 – Y’all Come
Phew it’s been a whirlwind of travel for me lately and I completely forgot to setup a song of the week. So, we’re keeping it easy with Y’all Come. I suspect most of you know this song already. This is a great jam song which is called pretty often – though it hasn’t been called at our jam yet!
I love the Jim and Jesse version of this with Jesse’s cross picking on the mandolin!
Chord Charts
Recordings
Week 45 – September 4, 2024 – OFF
I’m out this week and couldn’t get a sub. No Song of the Week this week.
Week 44 – August 28, 2024 – My Little Georgia Rose
I’m gearing up for my first time visit to the Monroe Mandolin Camp in September, so I figured we’ll do Bill Monroe classic – My Little Georgia Rose. One fun non-musical thing about this song is it may be about a daughter Bill had with Bessie Lee Mauldin born out of wedlock. While not something that is proven, many point to this verse to prove it’s about an unplanned child:
Her mother left her with another
A carefree life she had planned
The baby now she is a lady
The one her mother couldn’t stand
Either way, it’s a fun song to sing now!
Charts
Recordings
Week 43 – August 21, 2024 – Highway 40 Blues
Highway 40 Blues is normally a jam buster – but the point of the song of the week is to get better with new songs and stretch your abilities. So, it’s fair game for the SOW!
While there’s a lot of chords in the song, it’s relatively straight forward. We’ll be playing in the key of E just like the recording. Note that the Strum Machine chart is close, but it’s hard to get 100% accurate especially at the end of the song. I did my best 😉
Charts
Recordings
Week 42 – August 14, 2024 – My Dear Old Southern Home
This is a favorite of mine mainly because of the Doc and Grisman version. The fact that Grisman wanted to re-record it just says a lot to me. It’s easy to get down on yourself and focus on the problems in our playing. But in most cases, we’re just being our own worse critic. When you’re having fun with friends – most people don’t even hear those mistakes. Just have fun and enjoy the time you have with friends.
Not sure if we’ll play the yodel part yet – most likely we’ll skip it, but not positive.
Charts
Recordings
Week 41 – August 7, 2024 – Train 45 (Heading South)
I’ll be out of town this week but Neil Sowinski will be stepping in as a guest host once again. Neil’s Song of the Week is Train 45 (Heading South) by Del McCoury. This one is pretty straight ahead – but I’m not really 100% on the lyrics! So definitely give it a listen.
Charts
Recordings
Week 40 – July 31, 2024 – Teardrops in my eyes
I first heard this song at the Conor Bryne jam Monday nights and side they are reopening I figured it’d be a great song of the week!
Charts
Recording
Week 39 – July 24, 2024 – Man of Constant Sorrow
Man of Constant Sorrow has been around since 1913 but really became main stream with the release of the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack.
Charts
Recordings
Week 38 – July 17, 2024 – Gotta Travel On
Back to basics with Monroe classic Gotta Travel On. This is a pretty straight ahead song, so should be pretty easy for everyone. I’m actually a little shocked it hasn’t been called yet!
Charts
Recordings
Week 37 – July 10, 2024 – Day to Day
Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen was one of the first bands I heard when I started playing bluegrass. I recently had the good fortune to speak with Frank and was reminded how much I really liked this song. So, it’s the Song of the Week for 7/10!
The song is fairly straight forward but has a few curves in it. The verse includes both the minor 2 (Cm) and minor 6 (Gm) chords. In addition, similar to Never More Will Roam and Old Home Place, this song includes a 3 chord (D) in the chorus. Note, we’ll play this like the recording so in Bb and for breaks one person plays over the verse, then next over the chorus etc.
Give it (and the rest of the album) a listen – it’s a great tune and real fun to play!
Charts
Recordings
- Frank Solivan II from I Am a Rambler album
- Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen from On the Edge (newer release)
Week 36 – July 3, 2024 – Time Changes Everything
One of my favorite Bill Monroe tunes, I figure it’s time we included it in the song of the week. That said, I like to sing it in F. Since Bill does it in C, I’m including the Bob Wills version which is in F. No real tricks to this song – it’s pretty straight forward!
Charts
Recordings
Week 35 – June 26, 2024 – Matterhorn
Back to basics with The Country Gentlemen’s Matterhorn this week. The Country Gentlemen recorded this in Eb which is a fine key, but I’d rather sing in E – so we’re going to be using the Ronnie Bowman version as a template.
This is a great tune that’s different from most standards. One big difference is the structure – notice that the each line of the verse / chorus have 5 measures (rather than 4). Just follow the vocals and you’ll be alright for the most part – but you’ll need to count during the solo breaks!
Charts
Recordings
Week 34 – June 19, 2024 – OFF
Unfortunately I was out this week and did not find a sub. No Song of the Week
Week 33 – June 12, 2024 – Dust in a Baggie
Sticking with the newer grass theme, we’re diving in to Bill Strings this week with Dust in a Baggie.
This song is slight crooked in both the verse and the chorus. See the below graphic for reference. While most crooked songs are just sung crooked but breaks usually play straight, Dust in a Baggie is crooked throughout – so the breaks will have the extra beats too.
Charts
Recordings
Week 32 – June 5, 2024 – Never More Will Roam
This week we’re going to focus on a newer song, Never More Will Roam by Joe K Walsh. I love this tune – it’s a lot of fun to play and is one of a few rare bluegrass songs in G minor. For those that aren’t familiar with Joe K Walsh – he’s played with Mr. Sun (Darol Anger’s band) for a while and is a Berkley School of Music grad. Really smart player and great teacher
The song isn’t overly complicated, but there are some unique chord changes – so definitely take your time with this.
Charts
Recording
Week 31 – May 29, 2024 – Toy Heart
A Bill Monroe staple, the Song of the Week is Toy Heart. This is pretty straight forward so should be an easy one!
Charts
Recording
Week 30 – May 22, 2024 – Who’s That Knocking At My Door
One of my good friends in San Diego, Jason Weiss, used to play this song a bunch – but I never really hear it at jams these days. This was written by Pat Enright when he was with the Dreadful Snakes – a great super group you should check out!! This is one of their easier songs – just two chords!
Charts
Recordings
Week 29 – May 15, 2024 – Hit Parade of Love
We’re diving into another Jimmy Martin classic this week with Hit Parade of Love. We’re going to start the song with a melodic intro over the verse, then immediately to the vocal chorus before going into the first vocal verse.
Two things to note:
- Just like many Jimmy Martin songs, there’s a 2 in this song during the Chorus.
- Also, it’s a little crooked. Check out the Strum Machine backing track to see what I mean – or just listen to the recording and count! The Verse has 20 measures, the Chorus has 19 measures, and the solos are 16 measures.
Charts
Recordings
Week 28 – May 8, 2024 – Cluck Old Hen
Cluck Old Hen is a great old standard song. Sometimes this is played as a fiddle tune, but I really love the vocal lines! There are two main versions of this song – one where the verse and chorus are in major, and the other where the verse is major but the chorus is minor. We’ll be playing the chorus as a minor key.
Also, there’s a TON of different variations on this song – some more traditional, some that just get weird. This makes this song a bit more valuable to learn IMO. You can hear it done with drums, as an instrumental, in a major key throughout etc.
Charts
Recordings
Week 27 – May 1, 2024 – I Can’t Go On This Way
This week we’re back to some newer bluegrass songs with I Can’t Go On This Way by the Po’ Rambling Boys.
There’s a few quirks to this song. The verse goes from the 1 (B) to the minor 6 (Gm) and the chorus goes to the major 2 (C). To help, I included the Nashville Numbering chart too.
Charts
- Basic Charts
- Nashville Numbering Chart
- Strum Machine (if you don’t have Strum Machine, use this link to get it)
Recording
Week 26 – April 24, 2024 – Handsome Molly
Handsome Molly is a tune I’ve heard a few times but never really learned (or played in a jam at all!!). So this week we’re gonna change that. This is a real simple tune – just 1 and 5. Should be pretty easy to add to your song lists 🙂
Since we’ve been on a bit of a Doc Watson kick, I figure we’ll do the Ralph Stanley version of this tune. They are pretty similar but Ralph’s is a bit crooked and there’s a chorus whereas the Doc version is more just straight verses.
Charts
- Basic Chart
- Strum Machine (if you don’t have Strum Machine, use this link to get it)
Recordings
- Ralph Stanley
- Sam Bush and Ronnie McCoury – similar to the version we’re doing, lyrics spaced different
Week 25 – April 17, 2024 – Ruben’s Train
I’m out of town this week, so Neil Sowinski will be helping out again and guest hosting. Neil’s choice is Ruben’s Train. I love this song and I’m a little upset to miss it as the Song of the Week.
There’s two main versions I would listen to. The Doc Watson version has lyrics which of course is a requirement for the Song of the Week. The Flatt & Scruggs version though has some some great banjo lines! Give both a listen. Neil will be playing this in D.
Charts
- Basic Chart
- Strum Machine chart (if you don’t have Strum Machine, use this link to get it)
Recordings
Week 24 – April 10, 2024 – Down along the Dixie Line
Getting back to some almost jam busters! Down along the Dixie Line is a Gillian Welch song that has made it’s way into the bluegrass cannon thanks to covers like the Punch Brothers and AJ Lee & Blue Summit. We’re going to be playing this in the style Punch Brothers.
Charts
- Basic Chord Chart
- Strum Machine (if you don’t have Strum Machine, use this link to get it)
Recording
Week 23 – April 3, 2024 – Not Gonna Cry Over You
AJ Lee & Blue Summit are a fantastic group. I still think of them as a “newer” group, but they’ve been around since 2015 – so almost 10 years (congrats!). If you haven’t heard them before, I highly recommend checking them out. The band line up is pretty amazing and includes one of my favorite musicians Scott Gates on guitar (though he’s a beast on mandolin too!) They’ll be playing in Seattle, WA at the Tractor Tavern on May 4th.
Not Gonna Cry Over You is a great bluegrass tune. The verse is very reminiscent of “Lay Me A Pallet On Your Floor” IMO. Just watch out for the major III in the verse! We’ll be playing it in the key of C like the recording.
Chart
- Basic Chord Chart
- Strum Machine Chart (if you don’t have Strum Machine, use this link to get it)
Recording
Week 22 – March 27, 2024 – Jimmy Brown the Newsboy
The Song of the Week for March 27, 2024 is Jimmy Brown the Newsboy by Mac Wiseman. This song was one of the first bluegrass songs I heard at Greyfox in 2005 performed by Dry Branch Fire Squad.
Most of the song is just 1 to 5, but the end of each verse is a 6 minor, 4, 1 turn around (or Em, C, G) which is a little quirky. The last verse is also different – it’s a normal verse without the tag, then half a verse with the tag. Listen through the song to make sure you get that part.
Chart
- Basic Chord Chart
- Strum Machine Chart (if you don’t have Strum Machine, use this link to get it)
- Video explanation from Matt C Bruno
Recording
Week 21 – March 20, 2024 – Blackjack County Chains
This week I’m continuing my Del McCoury kick with the great song Blackjack County Chains. This may border a bit more on the Marty Stuart side of country western bluegrass, but it’s a great song!
The song is pretty straight forward – just one pattern throughout! It does include a flat 7 (the D) but the timing is straight ahead. Note that Del’s version is in Fm. We’re going to play it in Em which is how the charts are written. If you wanted to play along to Del’s recording, I would suggest getting the Amazing Slower Downer and pitch shifting the song.
Charts
- Basic Chart
- Strum Machine Chart (if you don’t have Strum Machine, use this link to get it)
- Video of Matt playing through the song
Recording
Week 20 – March 13, 2024 – 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
I’m back in town and excited to a tune that is was made popular by one of my favorite bluegrass singers Del McCoury. This week, it’s 1952 Vincent Black Lightning by Richard Thompson. I believe I heard this tune for the first time at Greyfox Bluegrass in 2005 or so when I first saw Del. I really enjoyed the song then and still listen to it a bunch now – but I’ve never called it at a jam. So, this week, we’re calling it!
There are a couple of quirks to this song to keep in mind. I did my best to capture these quirks in the Strum Machine chart below.
First, even though this is one of those “no chorus” songs in that there’s nothing that really repeats, there’s still an “A part” and “B part”. The A Part is just C and F (or I and IV) repeated twice. The B part could be broken up further to B part 1 G F C (V IV I) played twice followed by B part 2 Dm F | F C (or VI IV |IV I) played twice. In my chart, I spaced this out a bit – see below for clarification.
The second quirk is the A part is a bit crooked. The C (or I) and F (or IV) are both held for 5 measures and there’s 2 measures of C at the end for a tag. This follows the vocals pretty well but may throw you off a bit.
The last quirk is that the last section repeats “B Part 1” 4 times instead of just 2 like in the other verses.
Depending on how many people are at the jam, we’re likely going to SPLIT BREAKS on this – which means the first soloist gets the A part and the next soloist gets the B part (both “B1” and “B2”).
Chord Chart
- Basic Chord Chart
- Strum Machine (if you don’t have Strum Machine, click here to sign up)
Recording
- Del McCoury Band – version for the jam
- Richard Thompson
Week 19 – March 6, 2024 – Lonesome Road Blues
This week we’ll have Neil Sowinski as the special guest host while I’m out of town! His Song of the Week is Lonesome Road Blues – a great Bill Monroe song that has been covered many times. He’ll be using the Flatt and Scruggs version of it in G.
Chord Chart
- Basic Chord Chart
- Strum Machine (if you don’t have Strum Machine use this link)
Recording
Week 18 – February 28, 2024 – Sophronie
Another Jimmy Martin classic! Sophronie is a fun quick tune that I first heard covered by Chris Thile. It’s a lot of fun to play – and even just to say haha. Something to note, the Verses have an extra measure while the Choruses are straight ahead. Essentially the song hangs on the 5 chord for an extra measure before resolving to the 1 and the end of each Verse. The Choruses are all straight ahead though.
Chart
Recordings
Week 17 – February 21, 2024 – Dig a Hole / Darlin Corey
Continuing my trend of calling songs that I haven’t called at a jam before, this week I’m calling Darlin’ Corey as the Song of the Week. This song can get a tricky at a jam – not because it’s necessarily a hard song, but because there’s so many versions of it! I’m going to call the Watson Family version. I included the Strum Machine chart as well. If you don’t have Strum Machine, use the link I provide to get it – I’ll get a $5 credit and you pay the same 😉
Watch out for the b7 in the second half of the verse!
Chart
- Basic Chart
- Strum Machine Chart (don’t have Strum Machine? Use this link to get it)
Recording
Week 16 – February 14, 2024 – Good Woman’s Love
Since it’s valentine’s day, the Song of the Week will be playing a rare bluegrass love song where no one dies. We’ll do the Newgrass Revival version of Good Woman’s Love. This song is pretty easy – just a couple of verses and the chorus. We’ll play breaks just on the verses though.
Charts
Recordings
Week 15 – February 7, 2024 – Hold Whatcha Got (or Hold What You Got)
Another great Jimmy Martin song, Hold Whatcha Got aka Hold What You Got (both names were used by Jimmy, so they’re both right haha). This song used to get called a lot when I first moved to Seattle in 2022, but lately it’s gone missing! I figured it’d make a fine Song of the Week!
Chart
Recording
Week 14 – January 31, 2024 – Blue Moon of Kentucky
For the Song of the Week this week, we’re going back to the basics with Blue Moon of Kentucky by the father of bluegrass himself.
This song starts slow then has a kick to about double time and I love the melodic intro played slow! If there’s not a lot of jammers, or if everyone is in to it, we’ll play the song twice around. That means everyone will get one slow break and one faster break. However, if there’s a lot of jammers this week, we’ll probably just play the faster version throughout to save time. Either way, I’d suggest practicing it to the recording to make sure you have both ways down.
Charts
- Basic Chart
- Strum Machine (don’t forget to use my link to sign up if you don’t have SM yet!)
Recording
Week 13 – January 24, 2024 – We’d Go To Town
This week’s Song of the Week is sticking with the new song focus AND going local. We’re going to be play Nick Dumas’ song We’d go to Town. This a big hit in 2023 for bluegrass music (number 23 on Spotify’s top 50 for 2023) and written by a local Washington player- but it’s not one I’ve ever heard called at a jam. It’s a pretty simple but very enjoyable song to play! Since it’s a newer tune, the good news is there’s just one version for everyone to learn!
Charts
Recordings
Week 12 – January 17, 2024 – Dig a Little Deeper in the Well
This week we’re running on the theme of calling songs you haven’t called at jams before. That doesn’t mean you’ve never played it – just that you’ve never called it. So for this week, I’m going with Dig a Little Deeper in the Well by the Oakridge Boys. More recently this was covered by Billy Strings and, at least in my opinion, is more bluegrassy than the Oakridge Boys version. For that reason, I’m using Billy’s version for the charts.
The song essentially is made of up of two parts with the only difference being the the first part goes to the 2 chord and the second part goes to the 5 chord. Since this progression is essentially the “Jimmy Martin” progression, it seems fitting as the Song of the Week this week.
Charts
Recordings
- Oakridge Boys
- Billy Strings (I used this for the base of the Chart)
- Eric Bibb
- Richard Plank & Alan Ward
Week 11 – January 10, 2024 – Homerun Man
It’s about time we did a Jimmy Martin tune for the Song of the Week! If Bill Monroe is the father of bluegrass, well then Jimmy’s the King! At least that’s what the album says. We’ll be playing this song in the key of B. This is certainly an under called song at jams in my opinion – but big thanks to Seattle banjo favorite Bob Catlin for introducing this song to me.
Charts
Recordings
Week 10 – January 3, 2024 – Bound to Ride
A great song about saltine crackers and catching trains! We’re starting the new year off with something a bit easier than normal 😉
Charts
Recordings
Week 9 – December 27, 2023 – Big Spike Hammer
Big Spike Hammer is a great song written by the Osborne Brothers in 1965 off their Up This Hill and Down album. This song has become somewhat popular at some of the Outlander’s Progressive Bluegrass Society Jams lately for good reason. It’s a lot of fun to play and is the song that inspired the name for Della Mae (check them out if you don’t know them already!). Below are a few charts for the tune along with some recordings.
Charts
Recordings
December 20, 2023 – Off week but Jingle Bell Rock
No song of the week as I’m out of town for the holidays! Last week we doubled up on Jingle Bell Rock though, so I’d encourage that as the song of the week!!
Week 8 – December 13, 2023 – Goodbye Old Pal & Jingle Bell Rock
Since it’s the holidays and I’ll be out of town on 12/20, I figured we’ll do two songs this week. One bluegrass, one holiday song.
On the bluegrass side, we’re going back to some Bill Monroe tunes! Goodbye Old Pal is a classic tune that I only really hear called at festivals. So I figured we’d bring it in to the Seattle Bluegrass Jams! It’s hard to beat songs with a little yodel in them!
Note that the vocals have some extra measures in them that are not in the solo breaks.
- Charts
- Recordings
On the holiday song side, Jingle Bell Rock. Given this songs complexity, we may or may not actually get to play it at the jam. If we do, this may be a vocal only (no solo break) tune. However, I did have some requests for this tune, so I figured I’d share.
- Charts
- Basic Chord Chart
- Mandolin Chart
- Guitar Chart
- Banjo Chart – Note this is in G, but we will play in C
- Recordings
Week 7 – December 6, 2023 – The Girl I Left Behind Me
One of my favorite under called songs! Like most older traditional tunes, you can play this either as a lyrical song or a fiddle tune. For this jam, we’ll be doing the lyrical song version – but I’m including sheet music for the melody as well.
This tune originates from the roughly 1790’s as an Irish tune called Brighton Camp (which was also played as both a fiddle tune and a lyrical song). Sometime in the 1800’s the song came to the US during the war of 1812 and the lyrics changed a bit – though it was still played frequently as a fiddle tune without lyrics. Eventually Bob Wills brought the song to Western Swing style and it changed yet again.
For the jam, I’m using the older lyrics because I like them a bit better. Note, the form for this song is Verse Verse Chorus (or AAB). Solos / breaks are just over the verses and everyone gets 2 verses.
- Charts
- Basic Chord Chart
- Nashville Chart (numbers only)
- Standard Notation with Mandolin Tabs
- Standard Notation with Guitar Tabs
- Banjo Tabs (I didn’t write these, so no idea how accurate they are)
- Recordings
- Bob Wills
- Asleep at the Wheel
- Noam Pikelny & David Grisman instrumental – this is a set, our song starts around 2:50
- Tim Stafford instrumental
Week 6 – November 29, 2023 – Nellie Kane
Nellie Kane is a great song written by Tim O’Brien. The tricky part of this song is that the verse has an extra measure compared to “standard” bluegrass tunes. Basically, the verse is 5 measures for this song.
- Charts
- Recordings
- Hot Rize
- Hot Buttered Rum
- Billy Strings (video)
- Hot Rize at Greyfox (video) – I was at this show!
Week 5 – November 22, 2023 – Don’t This Road Look Rough and Rocky
Week 4 – November 15, 2023 – Soldier’s Joy
- Nashville Numbering chart
- Sheet music
- Mandolin Tab
- Guitar Tab – keep in mind, I’m mostly a mandolin player these days 😉
- Banjo Tab – I have not vetted this as I don’t play banjo
- Recordings
- Grisman / Doc Watson (video of Grisman / Doc)
- Rice Brothers
Week 3 – November 8, 2023 – Mean Mother Blues
- Chord Chart
- Recordings
- Chris Eldridge and Julian Lage (YouTube)
- Seldom Scene
Week 2 – November 1, 2023 – Steam Powered Aereo Plane by John Hartford
Week 1 – October 25, 2023 – Girl at the Crossroads Bar by Larry Sparks
Jam FAQ
- I’m a new / beginner bluegrass player, can I join?
- Yes! Provided you can play rhythm chords for basic songs on your instrument, you can most likely participate just fine. We don’t have many rules, but please review the Jam Etiquette page before the jam as you’ll be expected to follow these. Also, it’s a good idea to know the Nashville Numbering System as many tunes are called by number (i.e. 1 4 5 in G).
- Are non-bluegrass songs allowed?
- Yes and no. This is a bluegrass jam, so all songs must be played in a bluegrass way. Songs from other genres are allowed but they must be played like a bluegrass song and not be a jam buster. As awesome as bluegrass Steely Dan is, this isn’t the right venue for playing those songs. The host may veto non-bluegrass songs at their discretion. Please don’t be upset if your non-bluegrass tune gets vetoed. It’s not anything personal – just trying to keep the jam bluegrass.
- Can I play an original song?
- If your original is a bluegrass song that is easy to follow, yes – however this is not an open mic night and the host may veto originals. Best to ask before you start.
- Is there a cost for the jam?
- Nope. Free to all, but please remember to support the venue. That means buying beer, tipping the bartender etc. Also, buying the host a beer is considered proper etiquette 🙂
- I’m not comfortable leading songs, can I still join?
- Of course! You don’t have to lead if you’re not comfortable yet – but it’s always encouraged! If you’re looking for tunes to learn, check out my chart page.
- Can I use sheet music or chord charts?
- Sure you can! Check out my list here! If you do bring charts, make sure they aren’t in the way of others (i.e. music stands are not ideal). That said, it’s always a good idea to be able to play without charts when possible – so I’d encourage you to memorize instead.
- Are dogs allowed?
- Yes! Feel free to bring your pup! Quoia the Bluegrass Wonder Dog is often at the jam!
- I don’t drink, can I still come?
- Of course – just means more for me! I’d encourage you to still provide a tip for the bartender (and, maybe get a beer for the host too!)
- Can under 21 folks come?
- Yes! This is an all ages jam.
- What if I hate the song of the week (or just didn’t learn it)?
- You’re not required to play on any tune – so if you don’t like it, just sit out or get a beer. No hard feelings.
- Does Machine House Brewery have food?
- No but you can bring your own. If there’s enough interest, we’ll try to book a food truck too. Let the host know if you want food there.
Questions / Comments?
If you have a question or comment on the jam, just reach out to me here.
If you’re interested in learning more about mandolin, jamming, and music theory, you can reach me for Personal Coaching here and subscribe to be notified when I post new free lessons and song breakdowns below.
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The Machine House bluegrass jam is a great gathering of bluegrass-interested musicians of all instruments and levels. Matt does a really fantastic job of facilitating and encouraging everyone.
The Machine House jam is super comfortably low key. As a beginner, these folks welcome me and encourage me to play along in the background till I’m ready to take a solo. GREAT group of people. And this website is amazing value for learning!