Jam Camp Orientation

Here’s everything you need to know about our upcoming camp. Send questions to: howdy@waywardstrings.com

When and Where

  • St. Martin’s Episcopal Church – website
    1333 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg VA 23185
    Google Map

  • April 11-13
    • Friday 2-6pm
    • Saturday 10am-5pm
    • Sunday 12:30-4pm

What’s Provided

  • Wernick Method Student Preparation Guide (sent as a PDF via email when you registered for camp; look for the email with the subject line of “Welcome to Leslie Dare & Susan West’s Jam Class: Williamsburg, VA, starting 11 Apr 2025”.

  • JAM Songbook
    • PDF – sent via email; look for the email with the subject line of “JAM Songbook for your Wernick Method Class”
    • Hardcopy – we will provide on Friday to first-time Wernick Method students

  • Light snacks, both salty and sweet; feel free to bring your own snacks as well. We’ll also provide drinks and chips to supplement your Saturday lunch (bring your own lunch).

  • A fun weekend of bluegrass jamming! 

What to Bring – Music-wise

  • Any bluegrass instrument that you may want to play during the camp. This is a great opportunity to try out a new instrument or just mix things up.

  • Instrument stand – we will be taking breaks, moving around the facility, and so on. Aside from your instrument case, the safest place for your instrument is in an instrument stand, and not propped up against a chair or otherwise out where it could be in harm’s way.

  • Instrument strap – this will allow you to stand and play (if you are physically able) which can be a great change of pace from sitting. It’s also a little different to play your instrument in a standing position, so it’s a good opportunity to try that out.

  • Picks, capo (guitars, banjos, dobros), and digital tuner
    • Banjos in particular: make sure you have spikes or some other way to capo the 5th string. One option is the Deering Suspender Capo.

  • Fresh strings – if it’s been a LONG time since you’ve restrung your instrument, or if it seems to be harder to tune or keep in tune than usual, it may be time to get new strings. If you decide to restring your instrument, now is a good time to do so. On the flip side, don’t wait until the last minute – you don’t want to deal with stretchy strings during class. Anytime up to the day before camp is good.

  • Spare instrument strings – always good to carry a set so that your class experience isn’t derailed by a wayward string or two!

  • Songs – it’s great to have some songs available (in paper books, binders, tablets, etc) so you will at least have a list of songs, and lyrics, for ones you might want to do. At the first class, you will receive a copy of the JAM Songbook. If you already have a copy of the Songbook from a previous class, please bring your copy with you.

  • Music stands are NOT needed. We will provide music stands that will be shared when we break into jam groups. A stand can be used by the person leading a song who may need the song in front them, but otherwise we have a “no music stands” rule because we want folks to learn to play by ear.

  • Any special chair or stool you may prefer instead of the chairs available at our venues. We want you to be comfortable!

  • Recording device. The voice memo app on your smartphone is a good option. There will be several opportunities that you may want to capture for future reference – a great song, some jamming instruction, harmony parts, and the list goes on.

What to Bring – Otherwise

  • Any remaining tuition due – we’ll send each person a reminder of what is owed. Payment can be made with cash, check, or Venmo (no credit cards).

  • Saturday lunch — please bring whatever you’d like to eat during our Saturday lunch break. There aren’t any close-by restaurants, so there’s not going to be enough time to venture out, which is why we recommend making a plan to pack your lunch. We’ll provide some beverages and chips to supplement.

  • Your own beverage bottle if you like.

  • Extra clothing layers to accommodate changing temperatures.

Meals

Saturday lunch is provided, and otherwise meals are on your own. There are several good local restaurants in the area, plus a number of chain restaurants in the vicinity. Here are some options to consider.

Lodging

There are several reasonably priced options in the area.

What to Expect

  • Our goal – at the end of the class, you will have:
    • More confidence in playing bluegrass music with others
    • Experience in playing lots of classic bluegrass songs
    • The building blocks needed to successfully lead a song in a jam

  • The class will cover:
    • The role of each instrument in a bluegrass jam
    • How to anticipate chord changes
    • How to lead a song
    • How to follow songs you’ve not heard before
    • How to “fake” a solo
    • Harmony singing
    • Jam etiquette
    • …and more

  • We will play LOTS of songs! But we’re not sending a specific list of songs to practice. That’s because this class is all about jamming – playing for fun with others – and not performing. It can be fun to perform, but learning how to be a good jammer is an important first step. And good jamming means learning to play by ear! This is a key concept.

How to Prepare

  • Make a list of everything you intend to bring, based on the information provided above.

  • Practice the basic chords – G, C, D, and A – and changing between them on your instrument (or for fiddle and bass, the main notes that go with those chords).

  • Start becoming familiar guitar chord shapes; this is a very useful jamming skill for everyone on all instruments. See this guitar chord shape chart.

  • Check out the location and make sure you know how to get there.

  • Identify at least one song (or two!) that you feel comfortable singing and leading. If you don’t have any idea what this means, or if you’ve not done this before at all or in front of others, no worries! We will coach you through it — that’s what it’s all about!
    • Please stick to bluegrass standards (see the Wernick Method YouTube and Spotify “Bluegrass Jamming Favorites” playlists for ideas).
    • Please make sure these are singing songs, and not fiddle tunes (instrumentals). We know you may play fiddle tunes at jams (and they can be fun to play), but we will only be focusing on singing songs; we’ll explain in more detail at the camp. If you are considering songs from the blue JAM Songbook (you were sent a PDF of this book, and we’ll give you a hard copy as well), the ones to avoid are Angeline the Baker, Cripple Creek, Old Joe Clark, and Soldier’s Joy — these are actually fiddle tunes to which lyrics have been added, and they can be challenging to lead and follow.