Way down along the Harpeth River...

What is the jam about? How did it get started?

The Pegram Jam began when a group of folks (mostly fiddle students) started playing Old Time/String Band music together in Pegram, Tennessee, just west of Nashville, back in December 2001. We were told by our teachers that we needed to practice with other musicians. Kirk decided to offer a room in his home to hold a weekly jam. Folks have just kept coming every Tuesday since, much to our complete amazement. We played practically every week until Deceber 2007, when the jam was discontinued.

Was this jam only for fiddle players?

We played a variety of fiddles, mandolins, clawhammer banjos and acoustic guitars at every session. You'd find mostly intermediate to advanced players in our group, and one or two exceptional ones. There was a lot of learning going on -- some folks were learning a second instrument. Our players could always be counted on to bring new tunes to share. We had the great pleasure of keeping regular company with Julia Mavity-Hudson, a first-class whistle player/flautist who has a special talent for brightening up the music. It was not uncommon for someone to walk in with an exotic item, like Dave Sebring's small ten-stringed mandolin-like instrument called a tipple (pronounced teeple) or Lisa Horngren's magnificent nyckelharpa . Nashville attracts a lot of fine musicians. Lucky for us, some of them like Old Time music.

Why the website?

PegramJam.com is an audio tune reference. Besides making practice tunes available for our jam members, we felt it would be in the spirit of Old Time Music to open this collection up to acoustic music teachers and students everywhere. This website could be considered a modern delivery method of an ancient and respected tradition... the passing on of tunes from one musician to another.

Who would you consider to be the jam's greatest musical influences?

Well, now, that's a mighty big list. Jim Wood was a strong influence, as many Pegram Jam "charter members" were students of Jim. The music of James Bryan and Norman Blake have had a large impact, as has Doc Watson. The books Kentucky Fiddle Tunes by Jeff Titon, The Fiddler's Fakebook by David Brody, and The Bradford Collection, Portland Collections and Tractor Tavern books. Other influential artists include Alan Jabbour and Ken Perlman, The Bing Brothers, John Hartford, Art Stamper, Reyna Gellert, Jerry Douglas, Tony Rice, Stuart Duncan, Mike Compton, and Tim O'Brien all record Old Time tunes. And a couple of our regulars bring a lot of Celtic into the mix.

Who came to the jam?

Though we have many folks who keep coming back throughout the years, the people we've seen most often are Eddy Hudson (fiddle and bodhran) and Julia Mavity-Hudson (clawhammer banjo, pennywhistle, flute, guitar, vocals), Tim Roberts (tenor guitar, guitar, bodhran), Ed Gregory (fiddle, mandolin, guitar, vocals), Ron Ault (fiddle, mandolin, clawhammer banjo, tenor banjo, guitar), Gretchen Priest-May (fiddle, mandolin, tenor banjo), Kurt Anderson (fiddle, mandolin, guitar), Alan O'Bryant (mandolin, banjo, bass), Nell Levin (fiddle, piano) and Michael August (guitar), Phil Sparks (fiddle, clawhammer banjo), Chuck Hearn (guitar), Larry Vito (mandolin), Anne Williams (fiddle), Lilly Hsu (fiddle), Michael Fox (fiddle), Ron Whitlow (mandolin, bass), Chris Spiegl (guitar), and hosts Kirk Pickering (fiddle, mandolin, bass, guitar) and Susie Coleman (guitar, clawhammer banjo, vocals).

We have many more friends that stop by to pick with us when they can, including Roland White, Carl Jones, Nancy Blake, Chris Henry, Tim May and Gretchen Priest-May, Stephen Seifert , James Bryan, Adam Olmstead, Dave Sebring, John Hedgecoth, Martin Cerjan, Rebekah Weiler, Mary Alice Wood, Lisa Horngren, Dave Cannon, Drew Fedak, Art Malmin, Patty Mitchell and David Lege, and a score of others who come by from time to time.

Did people sing at your jams?

Not much. Vocal tunes are somewhat rare at our jam, though if you listen carefully, you can hear Julie on Cluck Old Hen and a few other good 'uns. Every now and then Ed or Susie sings an old folk song. When Drew Fedak comes, we'll beg him to sing, 'cause he always does the coolest Old Time tunes. But for the most part, we just like playing fiddle tunes the best. One time we had a guy stop by who could whistle tunes really well -- does that count?

Were there"rules" for attending your jam?

Well, the jam has been discontinued, so there are no rules. There never were any rules, but we did ask for good manners. And since some folks have different ideas about what constitutes good musical manners for ensemble-style music, Susie and I made a list of Pegram Jam Etiquette suggestions. Perhaps this information will be useful to others hosting or attending old time jams.

Do you ever perform these tunes in public?

Every now and then, we hold a public jam at a regional historical site such as Donelson's Buchannan House or the Cumberland Furnace Iron Museum. We've also held a Tuesday night jam at the NashCamp site for the last two years to demonstrate to all those bluegrass pickers just exactly where their favorite music came from. The jam used to perform for area Contra dances but the group simply got to be too large. In 2005, several of us formed the Small Time String Band, made up of jam members who represent the overall group in public. The personnel varies a little depending on who's available and how many pieces are needed for a gig. We're always looking for opportunities to remind the world of this great music, in either a large or small setting..

How can I listen to your recordings?

Our jam recordings are all in .mp3 format. In general, you will click on the name of a tune to have the tune play in a new, small window; you would right-click on the same link to download the tune to your desktop or download folder. You will need a user name and password to download files.

How do I use your online scores?

Written scores of our standard arrangements are available for a growing number of songs. The scores are readable in Sibelius Scorch format. These scores will play on most web browsers with the Scorch plug-in. (Most browsers will install this plug-in automatically for you when you click on a score's song title the first time.) Once the plug-in is installed, you may view a score by clicking on its title. The scores can be played right in your browser window and/or printed; Scorch also lets you transpose keys and change the tempo if desired. Best of all it's free and will install itself on either a Mac or PC.

Why do you do this?

I have personally invested hundreds of hours in this project, from recording the tunes and creating the Chord Chart Book to simply learning tunes. Creating scores and charts has taught me how fiddle tune progressions are put together. Susie and I have both learned a surprising number of tunes by ear. I've developed the ability to hear chord changes quickly, and to communicate the changes to other players. Making this effort has made me a better musician. That said, we mostly do this because we love playing these tunes and we think you will too.

Can I attend when I'm in the Nashville area?

The Pegram Jam was discontinued in December 2007. After six straight years of hosting weekly jams in our home, we needed a break. Stay tuned for more info on new jams starting in the Pegram area during spring and summer of 2008 at the new Pegram "Fiddle and Pick."

Can I help out somehow?

Yes, indeed, thank you for asking. As you can imagine, we've invested countless hours of personal time in creating this set of educational tools for Old Time musicians. It took many additional hours to create a website to deliver these tools to you. We are not wealthy folks, just generous-hearted. If you are also generous-hearted and wish to express your appreciation for our work with a small monetary gift, your donation will be welcomed with our sincerest gratitude. THIS WAY TO THE TIP JAR >>>