In the January NWBN the question was implied "How does a player get to know when a chord is about to change, and what it's going to change to?" The suggestion was that without these skills a novice would have difficulty joining in jam sessions, especially in taking breaks in numbers he doesn't know. Steve Read offers his solution.

One way to learn about chord changes in songs is to start your own songbook. In it you write down the words to every song you want to learn to play. For the first verse and chorus use double spaced lines, then write in the chords above the words where the chord changes occur. As a beginner you may have to ask for help from a friendly musician.

The next step is to practise humming the song, or better still singing it, whilst strumming it on a suitable instrument. You need to develop your ear until you can hear how the sound of the melody matches the chord you are playing. It is easier to strum and hear chord changes on a guitar than on any other bluegrass instrument, so it's best to do your singing and chord practice with a guitar. If you don't already play guitar why not get one and learn the few chords you need? After a year or two of strumming and singing you will begin to understand chord changes and, more importantly, you will begin to anticipate them, which is necessary for picking in jam sessions.

It might sound revolutionary - heretical even - to a banjo picker, but bear in mind that bluegrass is primarily a vocal music with instrumental accompaniment, not the other way around. This means that if you make no attempt to sing then you are only partially involved in the music. I do not necessarily mean singing in public; singing in private is quite legal and adequate for your first ten years. You may then be tempted to try it in public as your voice improves. Singing is the best way to get melodies into your head and to anticipate chord changes. However, following chord changes in instrumental pieces (tunes) is generally more difficult than in songs.

The chords that are likely to be used in the simpler pieces are fairly predictable, so consulting a table like this can be useful when you are learning. Another way to show chord changes is with chord charts. The easiest system that I have seen comes from Pete Ainsworth (banjo picker and leader of Stained Glass Bluegrass). I have included two examples below - Cripple Creek and Soggy Mountain Breakdown. Tunes and songs often fit into eight musical bars, so we can draw the bars and mark the chord changes within them. This gives the eye a framework for the music, allowing one to see at a glance where the chord changes come. Start a book of chord charts as well as a song book (a beginner will have to find someone to fill in the charts).

Other tips:

• Learn to recognise guitar chord fingering and sit where you can see the guitar player.
• Listen for the bluesey sound of the seventh note between the 1st and 4th chords.
• Remember that it is just as important to learn the chord sequence of a piece as it is to learn to pick out the melody.

Steve Read, Millersdale

Updated 23rd Jan 1999