Got on stage for the first time for a blues jam Sunday.

[lopxtc]

Well this is kind of a follow-up to a posting I did two weeks ago asking for pointers prior to going to a blues jam. At that time I got intimidated and backed down from going on stage. This time around though I finally got on stage and got three songs ...

Let me tell you I wish I could say that I played three songs and brought the house down, but nervousness got me good that evening.

My rhythm and timing was spot on ... and was one of the things that everyone told after it was over was actually quite good and they could tell that I could feel the music and swing to the shuffles and other songs.

Where I blew it was the chord changes ... Im used to typical four bar pattern (I,I,I,I,IV,IV,I,I,V,V,I,V .. repeat) so when they called a shuffle in A I was totally ready. What I didnt plan on and what threw me was that at this place a typical shuffle is actually a quick IV shuffle, with a IV chord in the 2 bar ...

I should have been able to catch that as I practice this with a metronome all the time, but I think nerves just cause me to mess up.

The good news is that everyone there knew I was a beginner and this was my first time on stage (only started two years ago), and they said that my timing was great and that I just need to;

A) Get up there more and get used to the stage.
B) Get used to hearing the changes.

And that I would be doing great ....

Aaron

[Jake of Bass]

Man, well done for getting up there!

Don't worry about the mistakes, these are merely things to learn from. Remember that in order to become a great player you will have made more mistakes than most people, learnt from them, push on, make some more and ultimately have it all sussed out. That's why they want you back up there - they've made more mistakes playing music than you've had hot dinners, they know how you feel, they also know you can overcome them and do better

Nerves are something that take a while to learn to handle, and after hundreds of gigs I still get nervous, especially at the bigger ones, but you learn to channel it into the gig itself and not make you fly apart or lose control - it's like the difference between adrenalin and tensing up.

Just relax, have fun, focus and do your best. If it's too fast, make it as simple as possible till you know your place in the music and find the groove. You'll get much better with more experience, and knowing this can be motivation and a confidence booster in itself.

[Ric5]

I used to do that a lot ... it is fun to get out and be put in a pressure situation and come through ...

[sevenyearsdown]

I'm 30, been playing out for more than 10 years, and I still get very nervous - especially if I'm not familiar with the place I'm playing. In general, I don't relax until we get a least a song or two into the first set.

So, nice job - jamming in front of a crowd like that is going to be more nerve racking than playing rehearsed material. If you got the guts to go up there, then you are well on your way to putting the nerves behind you.

[Jim Powers]

Originally Posted by sevenyearsdown

So, nice job - jamming in front of a crowd like that is going to be more nerve racking than playing rehearsed material. If you got the guts to go up there, then you are well on your way to putting the nerves behind you.

+1 Good Job

[LowDown Hal]

CONGRATULATIONS !!

Personally I didn't know that calling a "Shuffle" implied a Quick Change.

I thought the would have called a Shuffle in A with a Quick Change?

[fishtx]

Originally Posted by LowDown Hal

CONGRATULATIONS !!

Personally I didn't know that calling a "Shuffle" implied a Quick Change.

I thought the would have called a Shuffle in A with a Quick Change?

Nice job...don't let messing up the changes get you down...it happens...

A little quick advise is start practicing the major scale and "singing along with it"...then start jumping between intervals...like go I to VI...II to V, etc...and singing along...start to develop your ear so you can hear the changes as they come...also listen to songs on the radio and CD etc, and try to figure out what the changes are in your head...you will be surprised at how fast you will pick thinsg up, and how you will start to recognize the patterns that most songs are written in...

Good Luck!

[bluewine]

Thats awesome, good job.

The worse thing to happen would to be so nervous you fell of the stage.LOL

[lopxtc]

Originally Posted by LowDown Hal

Personally I didn't know that calling a "Shuffle" implied a Quick Change.

I thought the would have called a Shuffle in A with a Quick Change?

Yeah I am used to the typical 12 bar pattern of;

I / I / I / I
IV / IV / I / I
V / V / I / V (repeat)

This place in order to kind of spice it up and keep things interesting does a quick IV on the two bar so;

I / IV / I / I
IV / IV / I / I
V / V / I / V (repeat)

Which is an alternate pattern that I am familiar with, but I made the assumption that when they said standard shuffle what they meant was pattern 1 above. And we played a fast shuffle pace that once I realized I was in the wrong chord correcting myself made me off key again lol ...

Its amazing how playing on stage you can hear as clear as day that you are in the wrong key ... and being nervous I panicked lost my place.

The saving grace to the night was that everyone said my rhythm was spot on and that they could tell I could feel the timing and keep it, even when off in the wrong key. For me this was huge, because last year I had the worse time with keeping time and the feel of the song.

Aaron

[jsingles]

all of a sudden, one day, you will get up on stage, (and this won't take too long, IME) and you will realize, WOW I am completely comfortable...
it happens very suddenly

[nortonrider]

Originally Posted by lopxtc

I / IV / I / I
IV / IV / I / I
V / V / I / V (repeat)

This is just not clicking in my brain (but that's not really saying much).
Can anyone give an example of a song with this pattern in it?

[lopxtc]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

This is just not clicking in my brain (but that's not really saying much).
Can anyone give an example of a song with this pattern in it?

"Lonesome Whistle Blues" by Freddie King.

Aaron

[nortonrider]

^^^ Thanks!
I would have missed locking in on that one too! I have never heard that song before.

Without trying to be derogatory, I have to say that it is one dragging , droaning, depressing tune. (I youtubed it for a listen)

Why was is called out to play at the jam? Harmonica Player?

[lopxtc]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

Why was is called out to play at the jam? Harmonica Player?

Sorry it wasnt called out, I was just giving you an example of a song that does the IV chord in the two bar ....

It was the only one off the top of my head that I could think of LOL.

Aaron

[Versatek6]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

This is just not clicking in my brain (but that's not really saying much).
Can anyone give an example of a song with this pattern in it?

It is kind of like the Basie Blues Progression. I would assume Basie charts would be a good place to look, but I don't have specifics.

I have always liked the cadence shown there: I/IV/ii7/V7/I. Really adds a nice bit of flair!

[chicago_mike]

Ahh....blues changes. Theres countless.

Im sure you already practice to freddie king, albert, Carey bell, Kenny Neal, etc...etc...

just dont stop going on stage and playing..theres nothing else like it.

[lopxtc]

Originally Posted by chicago_mike

Ahh....blues changes. Theres countless.

Yeap I just know next time to make sure I know the change and to keep working on my ear LOL.

It was a blast and I look forward to go back ... next time though Im going to be armed with a couple songs I know and will make sure to request them. Being a newbie they were more than receptive to me requesting to play a song/songs.

Aaron

[dave_p]

yo, what up?
never seem to bump into you here, still at it i see.

i remember going out to my local haunt one night, and lo and behold, my teachers band was playing that night. he wanted me to sit in for a few, because i had commented on how bad i wanted to play on that particular stage (nice venue). i had played gigs before, but never this place.

anyway, he let me play his bass (a very nice pedulla) and do a couple of songs with his band. he told them to just pick any blues because i could easily slide right into whatever.

they called 'born under a bad sign'

i completely blew the changes for the first 2 verses. i was embarassed as all hell, and didnt even want to show up for my next lesson.

i just took out my automag yesterday, i think i may actually go play soon. its been years.

open mics are an excellent way of building skills/chops. we dont have any around here any more. i actually wound up getting work from a couple of jams that started at open mics. after a few nights at the same place, you start to notice a rotation of songs that get played regularly.
stormy monday, red house, little wing, stuff like that always turns up. those are all good blues tunes to learn because the changes are a little more interesting than the typical I IV V.

[dlb1001]

Good job! That's cool that the other players were willing to coach you along...just keep going.
To further prepare yourself for the next jam, get a book that explains what a "Mojo" groove is, what a "Tramp" groove is, etc.
One piece of advice that my teacher gave me was, "don't stop playing when you make a mistake...fix it the next time around." Also, watch the song leader for hand signals because you have watch for breaks or any other type of change in the song.

[MNAirHead]

Way to go..

You'll always have some mistakes.. it happens to everyone.

Tim