Common Jam Session Tunes in Missouri and Beyond

Musicians play fiddle, cello and guitar at the Hallsville jam session

Fiddlers, cello and guitar players gather at the Hallsville Jam Session. Tim Murray photo.

We’ve tried to assemble a few tune lists to help you get in training for that fiddle jam session near you! You don’t have to know every tune on the list to have fun at a jam session. However, it’s helpful to find common ground in a shared repertoire, so knowing several of these tunes should make your first visit to a new jam session a success.

Common Tunes

You might hear these tunes in an old-time jam session anywhere.

  • Tennesee Waltz (D)
  • Soldier’s Joy (D)
  • Arkansas Traveler (D)
  • Liberty (D)
  • Snow Deer (G)
  • Golden Slippers (G)
  • Peek-a-boo Waltz (D)
  • Put Your Little Foot Waltz (G)
  • Red Wing (G)
  • Eighth of January (D)
  • Boil Them Cabbages Down (A)

Missouri Favorites

These tunes are played often in jams all around Missouri.

  • My Love Is But a Lassie-O (D)
  • Mississippi Sawyer (D)
  • Mockingbird Hill (G)
  • Rachel (D)
  • Missouri Mud (D)
  • Johnny Don’t Come Home Drunk (D)
  • Marmaduke’s Hornpipe (D)
  • Ragtime Annie (D)
  • Seamus O’Brien (G or Bb)
  • Bill Cheatem (A)
  • Grey Eagle (A)
  • Granny Will Your Dog Bite? (A)
  • Tie-Hacker Hoedown (C)
  • Five Miles Out of Town (D)
  • Old Melinda (C)

Hallsville Jam Session Favorites

  • John White’s Dry and Dusty (D)
  • Old Indiana (G)
  • Red Fox Waltz (D)
  • Ms. McLeod’s Reel/Uncle Joe (G)
  • Heel and Toe Polka/Jenny Lind Polka (D)

Other Tunes

These get played in Missouri pretty often, too.

  • Rickett’s Hornpipe (D)
  • St Anne’s Reel (D)
  • Rose Waltz (C)
  • Old Gray Bonnet (Bb)
  • Flop-Eared Mule (D/A)
  • Caton’s Reel/Old Jefferson City (G)
  • Old Spinning Wheel (Bb)
  • Endearing Young Charms (F)