OLD TIME TRADITIONAL MUSIC JAMS
We have been gathering around the Valley sharing tunes and songs for over 20 years. We play a mix of traditional fiddle tunes, Appalachian Mountain music, Canadian, Irish & Scottish tunes (jigs, polkas, reels, waltzes, hornpipes) and more.
Click here to see some of these tunes.
All are welcome
Please join us for our open Old-Time Jam Sessions. Players of all ages and ability come together in the time-honored tradition of gathering and playing music.
We encourage acoustical instruments to share in these traditional tunes. Fiddles, dulcimers, banjos, guitars, harps, accordions, mandolins, dobros, zithers, upright bass, Irish whistles, flutes, bodhrans, rhythm bones, spoons, and more.
Pictures from
THE GLENDALE FOLK & HERITAGE FESTIVAL JAM
Saturday, March 1st
Another great turn-out of musicians (and spectators) at the Glendale Folk & Heritage Festival.
Thank you to Ellen O'Hare for sharing these pictures.
<Click on Slide Show to enlarge>
FEATURED HIGHLIGHT | Make Music Day in the West Valley June 21, 2025
Our Old Time Music Jam at the Glendale Foothills Library was selected as one of the premier events for this year's "Make Music in the West Valley"
About Make Music Day:
Originally started in France in 1982, Make Music Day is a celebration of music around the world, now held on the same day in more than 1,000 cities in 120 countries. Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music is open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — pours onto streets, parks, plazas, and porches to share their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public.
For more info:
https://makemusicday.org/westvalley/
UPCOMING JAMS
OCT
18
Glendale
Foothills
Library
NOV
1
Glendale
Foothills
Library
NOV
4
Glendale
Foothills
Library
NOV
8
North
Mountain
Visitors
Center
First and Third Saturday of Each Month:
Glendale Foothills Library
19055 N. 57th Ave, Glendale, AZ 85308
10:30am - 12:30pm
(Pre-jam set-up and tuning from 10-10:30am)
Second Saturday of Each Month:
North Mountain Visitors Center
12950 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85022
(7th Street, just south of Thunderbird
10:00am - 12:
(Pre-jam set-up and tuning from 9:30-10 am)
CHECK OUT THE 2ND ANNUAL BARN JAM VIDEOS
OLD TIME VS BLUEGRASS | ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
Musicians in an Old-Time Jam Session play together from start to finish, without any solos. In a typical Bluegrass Jam Session, each musician performs a solo during the tune, also referred to as "taking a break". Additionally, Bluegrass music is played much faster.
Our sessions are played at a moderate tempo, allowing for each musician to practice and improve their skills. Each player has an opportunity to choose (and/or lead) a song, ideally from our tune book so that everyone can participate.
WHAT IS THAT INSTRUMENT?
A Shruti Box (Sruti Box, Shrutibox, Srutibox or Surpeti) is a musical instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, that traditionally works on a system of bellows. It is similar to a harmonium and is used to provide a drone in a practice session or concert of Indian classical music. It is used as an accompaniment to other instruments and notably the flute. The shruti box is also used in classical singing. In classical singing, the shruti box is used to help tune the voice. The use of the shruti box has widened with the cross-cultural influences of world music and new-age music to provide a drone for many other instruments as well as vocalists and mantra singing.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shruti_box
To hear the Shruti Box played, click on the picture.
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