‘The Golden Standard’ is a collection of the best or most commonly called Bluegrass songs at jams around the Golden state of California at the time of this writing, March, 2025. Written by California Bluegrass Association Los Angeles Regional Director Ryan Schindler, this book aims to preserve and spread the great spirit of Bluegrass music.

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Do you remember the first time you picked up your instrument? That sense of wonder, when every note felt magical, even if it wasn’t “perfect?” That excitement to play again, to explore, to create? Do you still feel that way when you pick up your instrument today? Or has it become a source of stress?

This book is our guide back to the love for music, connection, and what got us started in the first place. This book was written for first-time grassers as well as professional or working musicians who need a reliable transcription of common material (oftentimes in bluegrass there are minimal or no rehearsals).

While in no way intended to be an all-inclusive songbook, this is a toolkit for surviving your first (or thousandth) jam or band. If you’ve heard a great bluegrass song but couldn’t remember the name, my mission is for it to be somewhere in these pages waiting for you.