Hosting a Blues Jam

[Tazziedevil]

I'd definitely see if you could find a drummer for next time...pay someone if you have to. Ask everyone that shows to kick in a little for the drummer. It's so much better that way.


Good on you for the success the first go!!!

I had a drummer who said he was going to come, even the morning of. Messaged me just before and said something came up. Hopefully turns up next time

 

[MrLenny1]

Good luck with it.

 

[Oddly]

While a drummer would be nice, make sure you've got one who knows he or she is there very much in a support role.
I'd be worried that some might see it as a free chance to get on a kit (given that many don't have ready access to one), and won't care what the rest of you are trying to play.
Maybe consider just cajon?
Of course, if it's the heavy blues-rock direction you're aiming, that would benefit from a full kit.

 

[Tazziedevil]

While a drummer would be nice, make sure you've got one who knows he or she is there very much in a support role.
I'd be worried that some might see it as a free chance to get on a kit (given that many don't have ready access to one), and won't care what the rest of you are trying to play.
Maybe consider just cajon?
Of course, if it's the heavy blues-rock direction you're aiming, that would benefit from a full kit.

The space actually has a lot of percussion equipment, namely to electronic kits that are hooked into the PA. I have some very rudimentary drum kit skills, enough to hold a basic blues beat, but I didn’t get the chance to because I was on base the whole time. Hopefully if more people turn out next time and we don’t get a drummer happy to be there then I’ll do a couple songs on the bass and then hop on the kit for a bit.

 

[Feral Feline]

Glad to hear it went well and you'll be continuing it monthly. Open it up to audience members, too, me-thinks.

The monthly acoustic blues jam here hardly ever had a drummer. Wasn't needed, but we always welcomed anybody that brought any percussive element. Had a friend who was a great trumpet player, but at acoustic jams would bust out a pizza box and brushes! Better than most snares...

Celtic band, string band ... hardly ever got to play with drummers before, so I always enjoy having a drummer in the mix.

Recently I've played with a punk drummer who self-admittedly had no clue about the blues, which alas is a large portion of the set list in the band I'm currently in... Great guy, good hang, but no blues feel — he also had a tendency to speed up.

Got a blues jam (blues, but other stuff always creeps in) this coming Saturday.