Fake Book – Luegra

Bluegrass Festival Jamming Preparation

I will be heading to the Charlotte Bluegrass Festival in a few weeks, and this time, I plan to do some jamming after the shows. Besides getting a good supply of energy drinks so I can stay up past my normal bedtime, there are a few other things that I am either taking or preparing for.

Before packing, I need to check to make sure the guitar is ready as well. I will most likely be taking the Martin D-28 “Hazel” with me, as my Cirrus acoustic is at the Cirrus Guitar shop getting a modification. At the last jam session there this past Thursday, I asked Mike Franks to install the 1946 penny into the back of the headstock (https://luegra.design.blog/2026/04/19/the-1946-penny/). I haven’t picked it up in a while, so the strings may need changing, and I will want to stretch them out a bit before the jamming weekend.

A few other things that I will be taking along:

An extra set (or two) of strings. It is insurance just in case I do break a string, as well as being neighborly and offering a replacement to someone else that breaks one.
A fake book. Since I have been writing my own material over the past few years, I have slacked off on knowing many of the bluegrass standards by heart. Until the Charlotte weekend comes, I plan to spend every available minute thumbing through my fake books and re-familiarizing myself with them. I blogged about fake books a while back (https://luegra.design.blog/2020/07/17/a-brief-look-at-bluegrass-fake-books/), and while I don’t plan on playing just old bluegrass standards, It is nice to know that I have references.
Tool kit. I am not sure if I mentioned this item before in a previous blog, but I have been finding that if I go to a jam session or even a bluegrass show, I take along one of these. It is a case about the size of a ladies wallet, and consists of tools that one may need in emergency repair situations, such as string winder, string cutter, truss rod hex key, screwdriver, and other maintenance items. You can get one of these for about $20.00 through wish.com or Temu. They are not the most quality tools, but they work in that emergency. I usually throw in additional items in my kit, including the Roadie Rench-like multi-tool (available from D-Addario) and a feeler gauge.
Recording device. It is possible to record with my phone, but I have a pocket digital recorder used by some people to record notes instead of writing them down on a small pad or sticky note. I temporarily lost my good one, so I picked up another one, then found my original buried under some books. These recorders are small, about the size of a large pack of gum, and are very easy to use. The second one I have charges via USB for power, and both have proven to be worth keeping around at all times to record a lyric thought or a guitar riff for later use. I purchased my second one from Temu for less than $15.00, so I recommend snagging one.
Calling cards. You never know who you will be talking to at one of these bluegrass festivals. I hand these out a lot over the weekend, most notably to artists when I am trying to push some of my songs, but also other fans and players for future jamming and correspondence.

This year’s festival looks fantastic as far as a lineup. Along with my favorite band the David Mayfield Parade, the legendary Del McCoury is scheduled to perform, along with the Travelin’ McCourys, Larry Sparks, and the Dan Tyminski Band. Considering the Billy Strings played last year, this festival is proving to be a go-to for national bluegrass acts of A-list stature. I am so looking forward to these three days.

Chew on it and comment.

A Brief Look at Bluegrass Fake Books

Today, internet connection is as common in life as the toilet. You can get any information that you seek (whether it is reliable or not) with a few keystrokes and the power of Google. However, a bit more than a decade ago, people still relied on old-fashioned books. Yes, there are still old fogies like me that like to read from the paper pages instead of the computer screen.

Beginner bluegrass musicians appreciate any help that they can get to comfortably jam with others at a festival or other get-together. That means if he/she doesn’t have a mentor readily available to explain chord changes, one had to secure a fake book. If you don’t know what a fake book is, well, it is a book that contains a large number of songs, usually appearing in musical notation as well as lyrics and chord changes. There are still a lot of these out there and available in print. I still have my copy called, appropriately, Bluegrass Fakebook by Bert Casey (available from www.cvls.com), which is one of the most popular. It shows its age, with pages falling out and the cover worn to almost nothing. While I consider myself to have a good ear and able to predict chord changes confidently, I still love having the book around for reference to lyrics and those songs that I am not too familiar with.

These days, you can find the words, chord charts, musical notation, and even lists of artists that recorded the songs with a quick search online. If you have a printer, you can create your own fake book. I’ve seen some people store all of the songs on iPads and take the device to the jam sessions. Hey, whatever works!

While I recommend everyone having some form of fake book, especially beginners, the problem that I always had with the ones published were the choice of songs contained within. While about half of the songs are pretty standard, the other half in the books seem to be personal choices of the author(s). This can vary from modern bluegrass songs, country songs that sound familiar, or even pop and rock songs that someone thought would make a great bluegrass song (and after one performance, they don’t!). One also has to be observant of the key that the music notation and tablature is presented. I have found a number of instances where a popular bluegrass song that was recorded by Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, or any other well-known artist in a common key of G, A, Bb or C, is presented in the book in the key of Eb or F. Why?

The best way to learn dozens of bluegrass songs is playing along with them. Whether you are working with a recording or sitting in on a jam, your ear will give you the best instruction. Getting familiar with common chord progressions and knowing where to put a capo in the case of a key change are essential to working well in a jam or even performing in a band on a regular basis. While you may start working on original material with a band, bluegrass music is one of those genres that knowing and jamming on old standards is a part of normal life. Whether you buy one or create your own, have a fake book in your arsenal and give it a regular workout. While I am one that promotes original music, there’s nothing wrong with sitting down and jamming on “Wabash Cannonball” or “High On a Mountain” with some fellow musicians when the chance arises.

Chew on it and comment.