As our primary fundraising activity this year, SWBMAI is conducting a Wisconsin Class A raffle for valuable prizes generously donated by area businesses and private individuals. Raffle tickets are available in different colors for a chance to win specific prizes:

Blue Tickets – Fiddle ($525 value, with bow and case) donated by Lane Venden (www.laneslutherie.com) plus two violin lessons with Wisconsin State Fiddle Champion, Shauncey Ali.

Yellow Tickets – Paul Woolson Guitar (www.WoolsonSoundCraft.com) – $3000 value, solid Koa body, spruce top with case – plus four guitar lessons by Bob Westphal.

Green Tickets – Your choice of: Hand-sewn quilts donated by Sharon Manion & Mary Jo Brechtl; Digital video recorder ($150 value) donated by Bruce Brechtl; Hand-braided leather mandolin strap ($100 value) donated by Debra Amesqua; or Two mandolin lessons with Simms Delaney-Pottoff. First green ticket drawn wins choice of prizes, second green ticket gets choice of remaining prizes, etc.

Raffle tickets – $5 each or five for $20 (in any combination of ticket colors) – may be purchased from members of the SWBMAI Board of Directors and key volunteers at area jams and festivals. Tickets are also available at Lane’s Lutherie (4269 W. Beltline Hwy) in Madison. The drawing will be held at 8:00 P.M. on December 6, 2010, at the Dry Bean Saloon (5264 Verona Road) in Madison during the Monday Night Jam and Open Mic. Thanks for your support and good luck in the SWBMAI Raffle!

You need not be present to win. Raffle winnings are taxable income and subject to reporting as required by law. Purchase of raffle tickets is not tax-deductible.

By Jon Peik

Here’s the info for this month’s first-Tuesday facilitated Beginner Bluegrass Jam.

Tuesday, 7/6/10 from 7:30-9:00pm at the Germania parlor area (youth friendly) of The Up North Bar, 514 E Wilson St. Madison, near the Essen Haus at the corner of Blair and Wilson streets. Plenty of free parking behind the Essen Haus.

Formal instruction and facilitation will run from approximately 7:30-8:30pm (as soon as I get there after my lessons at Spruce Tree Music)

The Jam is sponsored by the Southern Wisconsin Bluegrass Music Association. A $5 donation is requested, but not required.

This month we will start with the following songs and then go around the circle with song suggestions from you. So bring a song to sing or suggest.

She’ll Be Comin Round the Mountain, Key of G (3 chords, G, C, & D)

You Are My Sunshine, Key of G (3 chords, G, C, & D)

By Jon Peik

February’s first-Tuesday facilitated Beginner Bluegrass Jam will meet Tuesday, 2/2/10 from 7:30-9:00pm at the Germania parlor area (youth friendly) of The Up North Bar, 514 E Wilson St. Madison, near the Essen Haus at the corner of Blair and Wilson streets. There’s plenty of free parking behind the Essen Haus. Formal instruction and facilitation will run from approximately 7:30-8:30pm (as soon as I get there after my lessons at Spruce Tree Music)

This month we will start with the following songs. If we have time we will also go around the circle with song suggestions from you.

Take Me Back to Tulsa, key of G, (2 chords, G, D); My Home’s Across the Blue Ridge Mts, key of G, (2 chords, G, D); Crawdad Song, key of G (3 chords, G, C, D); Long Journey Home, Key of G, (3 chords G, C, D); Nine lb Hammer, Key of G, (3 chords, G, C, D); Cripple Creek, key of A, instrumental (3 chords, A, D, E); Sitting Alone in the Moonlight -key of G, waltz time (4 chords, G, C, D, & Gb).

Tune into 89.9FM WORT to hear an interview with Jim Hurst by John Fabke Tuesday, 1/19 at 11:00 a.m. on John’s show Pastures of Plenty. Then tune in again on Friday, 1/29 at 11:00 a.m. for a live studio appearance by Jim on Chris Powers’ Mud Acres Bluegrass Show.

Don’t miss Jim Hurst’s concert January 30, at 8 pm at Mother Fools Coffee House, 1101 Williamson St., Madison, Wisconsin. And if you’re a flat-picker who needs a little fine-tuning, take advantage of the best flat-picker in bluegrass today at Jim’s guitar workshop on the 30^th from 1 pm – 4 pm at the Wil-Mar Center, 953 Jenifer St., Madison, WI. Contact Julie Cherney at cherney@uwalumni.com or 608-244-2184 for more information and a registration form.

Once again this Tuesday Jon Peik will be leading his popular Beginners Jam at the Germania parlor area (kid friendly) of The Up North Bar, 514 E Wilson St. Madison, near the Essen Haus at the corner of Blair and Wilson streets. Formal instruction and facilitation will run from approximately 7:30-8:30pm.

Jon writes: “This month we will go around the circle with song suggestions from you-so please bring a song to suggest and share. Remember if you sing it, you get to pick the key.  Instrumentals are also welcome.”

By Jon Peik

Next Tuesday (12/1/09) will be our annual Christmas and holiday song Beginner Bluegrass Jam Class. We will meet Tuesday from 7:30-9:00pm at:

The Germania parlor area (kid friendly) of The Up North Bar, 514 E Wilson St. Madison, near the Essen Haus at the corner of Blair and Wilson streets. There’s plenty of free parking behind the Essen Haus.

Formal instruction and facilitation will run from approximately 7:30-8:30pm (as soon as I get there after my lessons at Spruce Tree Music)

This month we will play primarily from the following list:

Christmas Time’s a Comin-key of G (3 chords G, C & D)
Silent Night (waltz time)-key of G (3 chords G, C & D)
Jingle Bells-key of G (4 chords G, C, D & A)
Silver Bells-key of D or G (3 chords D, G, & A  OR G, C, & D)
Auld Lang Syne-key of G (3 chords G, C & D)
Away in a Manger (waltz time)-key of D (3 chords D, G, & A)
We Wish You a Merry Christmas-key of G (6 chords, G, C, D, A, B, Em)

And. . . don’t worry if you don’t already know these songs, part of the fun is learning how to play along even if only one person knows the song.

The jam exists to encourage beginning bluegrass players and to help each other learn.  The goal is to enjoy playing music together.

Hope to see you Tuesday!

By Dave Nance

The 3rd Tuesday Beginner’s Bluegrass Jam, sponsored by SWBMAI (Southern Wisconsin Bluegrass Music Association), and hosted by yours truly, Dave Nance, will be held this Tuesday evening, November 17, 2009, at the Up North Bar at 514 E. Wilson St.

I’ll be there by 7:30 P.M.;  we’ll start the jam by 8.

Anybody have any ideas for songs they’d like to try out, work on, and/or play for fun this week? Here are mine, w. some links to versions on youtube to remind you how they go:

Blue Ridge Mountain Blues   4/4 time,  Key of G (G, C, D)
(here’s a nice rockin’ version by John Fogerty: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHuBr8nGktk )

Cripple Creek    4/4 time,  Key of A (A, D, E)
(here’s Flatt & Scrugg’s version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4sqishGuYw )

Green Pastures   3/4 time,  Key of A (A, D, E) (we did it last month, but I like it a lot so I’m suggesting it again!)
(here’s a nice version by Allison Krauss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwQD-rCJMYw)

I’ll Fly Away   4/4 time,  Key of G (G, C, D)

Late Last Night   4/4 time,  Key of D (D, G, A)

Reuben’s Train   4/4 time,  Key of D (D, A)
(here’s a nice version highlighting banjo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eugbMWhU26I)

I hope you’ll each bring an idea for a song you’d like to try

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

By Chirps Smith

World-Class multi-instrumentalist from Finland, Arto Järvelä, is coming to the Kettle Moraine State Forest!  He plays fiddle, mandolin, mandola, guitar, kantele, etc and plays with several groups including JPP, and the Helsinki Mandoliners.  He will be teaching workshops in the afternoon- one for fiddle and one mandolin (other string instruments are welcome too- main focus is mandolin).  The workshops will be followed by a concert in an intimate setting.  Here is your chance to see and learn from a master musician.  For more info about Arto Järvelä and music samples see his MySpace page:  http://www.myspace.com/artojarvela

Reservations (it would be nice to have an idea how many folks might show up), more info, directions: send email to:   LPFConcerts@gmail.com

We are located in the Town of LaGrange, WI, 1.4 miles north of the intersection of US Highway 12 and County Road H on the west side of County Road H.  We are immediately south of the entrances to the Nordic Ski & John Muir Mountain Bike Trails.

Buy a raffle ticket at Saturday’s SWBMAI Bluegrass Jamboree and you could take home one of scores of prizes donated by local businesses and music instructors. SWBMAI will be raffling off over $2,000 in prizes throughout the Jamboree tomorrow (see the article below for details).

Included in the prizes are free music lessons, valuable gift certificates, bluegrass CDs, and much much more! Raffle tickets start at just $1, so you could win big!

Plus, the Jamboree is featuring three silent auctions — two gorgeous hand-quilted wall hangings donated by local artist (and SWBMAI board member) Sharon Manion, and a stunning  ”drum style” gourd banjo donated by Junior’s Banjo Farm.

All that, plus eight hours of some of the best Bluegrass entertainment  you’ll find anywhere. So what are you waiting for? We’ll see you at the Jamboree tomorrow!

Frog On A Lily Pad in the key of C (standard G tuning). The chords are C, F & G. It’s a great tune and a good exercise in closed position licks. To hear Bill Monroe’s version click here.

Visit www.seanray.com for more great banjo and guitar videos!