Learn to play Cape Breton tunes

Reel Slooow Jams

Ottawa Cape Breton Session slow jams occur on the second and/or fourth Sunday of each month. The slow jam usually has players of varying levels, we aim to play at a level somewhere in the middle of the overall level of the group. This means it could  be  different each time, depending on who attends. It is aimed at those who are new to fiddling and want to play with others, at those who play but struggle with learning new tunes, or are new to the rhythms and tunes of Cape Breton music .  It's also good practice for those who want to be able to play without relying on the sheet music. 

Slow jams usually focus on one tune at a time, occasionally putting more tunes together into a set. At a session each participant is asked choose a tune from the RSJ list on the Tunes page. At the bottom of the table you will see tabs for slow jam sets, as well as a tab for the regular jam sets. Mostly we focus on the slow jam tunes, but you may also choose a tune from one of the sets on the other tab. There are mp3 and midi files to help you learn the tunes. Bring your music and a stand to read along, or you may choose to play by ear. Generally we play each tune three times or four times, the first and second time quite slowly, then faster for the rest of the repetitions (but still slower than you would hear at a pub session). We generally stick to tunes in the easier keys of A, D and G, and play more than just slow airs - jigs, strathspeys, marches and reels are all important too!

To get the most out of the session you should be able to play at least three or four tunes at a slow pace reasonably smoothly, either with or without the music.