The death of jamming

[artsta]

Played in bands for decades. All I do now is jam. Its the most fun I can have playing - and its really satisfying. I just make up songs with a mate where we improvise and stretch out simple ideas for way longer than anyone else would bother doing. Then I put some footage over it for fun...and upload it on You Tube. I find its just a fun thing to do. It gets really fun when you improvise vocals and use loop pedals.

RIP Music

 

[artsta]

You do not have to be skilled at all to jam. All you need to do is find a player or group of players who are of similar standard, have a similar sense of taste, and like making the same sort of music you like. You can have great jams on just one chord. The trick is not to feel disappointed if no one cares, or no one is interested in listening to the music you make

 

[JIO]

You do not have to be skilled at all to jam. All you need to do is find a player or group of players who are of similar standard, have a similar sense of taste, and like making the same sort of music you like. You can have great jams on just one chord. The trick is not to feel disappointed if no one cares, or no one is interested in listening to the music you make

The more skills you have as a musician provide more options to express yourself - but the most important skill on every level is that of listening. Sometimes I find my skills can't fully express my attempt at saying something relevant within a jam but I'm not afraid to try, fail and learn from it. It's the stretching that opens to discovery. I've also found that (tactfully) playing with musicians of a higher level than yourself leads to growth. If your ears are open and you are humble you can bring what you are good at into the mix and be welcomed.

 

[BassLife77]

To jam or not to jam. That is the question

 

[AshokanKid]

...you may regret your request

Now THAT is some truly FUN jammin' there! Holy SMOKES.
This is the kind of stuff that I go out HOPING to see & hear (& happily pay for too).

I have a VERY HARD working pro musician buddy who never takes set breaks, saying that breaks are for wussies (not his exact term, but you can extrapolate with the P? ;-) ).
I might say that playing / covering someone else's songs for a "jam" is for wussies....

NOTE; For those unclear about a JAM (as opposed to scatting on already known songs). Listen to how each player is being patient, LISTENING, and leaving SPACE for the other musicians. (Harder to do when / if one is all tied up in a self-aggrandized personal wanking session.)
Note 2; Skill level is NOT necessarily critical or important. As another poster noted, as long as all musicians are of a similar mind, heart, focus, all is goooooood....

For any out there who feel or have felt intimidated with going out to a JAM, find a few players who you trust & just sit around sometime doing nothing but making your instrument speak and NOT trying to play or even create ANYTHING that sounds like a "song". Can be very freeing.
Give it a shot. May find it fun & at the very least, learn some stuff about yourself...

 

[Acoustic356]

That's fantastic you have a system that's working with these younger kids. I never had the benefit of any instruction being totally self taught when I was 12 or 13 years old. Now 55 yrs. later I think I could have improved significantly had I had a bunch of practical theory. I can see where retention rate would improve dramatically if they are picking up and learning at that kind of rate and most of all learning to depend on their ear and sight for charts. Good for you!! My hats off to you!! The beginning music world for kids needs more of this rather than the old stuffy learn your notes, charts, and scales over and over until they are so bored they go and learn on their own like I did or most of the time just lose interest and quit. Good luck in the future!!

Thanks! Regi Wooten (Victor Wooten's older brother) is a great teacher. Partially because he teaches you cool ways to learn songs from lesson #1. Then, as you progress, he explains the theory of why it works. The important thing is that you walk out the door knowing how to play something.

My lessons are based on the Nashville Number System, so at the end of the first lesson, we can pull up most songs on YouTube, simplify them and have them play along... at least with root notes. For many, that's the BIG thing.

So... the roadmaps that I put together, and the drills really are designed to help them navigate up/down the neck horizontally and vertically to make the simple things that they play more interesting with variety.

It's pretty cool.... if you think about it...

Of course getting them to listen to the music without the instrument in their hand is the hardest part!

 

[JIO]

Now THAT is some truly FUN jammin' there! Holy SMOKES.
This is the kind of stuff that I go out HOPING to see & hear (& happily pay for too).

I have a VERY HARD working pro musician buddy who never takes set breaks, saying that breaks are for wussies (not his exact term, but you can extrapolate with the P? ;-) ).
I might say that playing / covering someone else's songs for a "jam" is for wussies....

NOTE; For those unclear about a JAM (as opposed to scatting on already known songs). Listen to how each player is being patient, LISTENING, and leaving SPACE for the other musicians. (Harder to do when / if one is all tied up in a self-aggrandized personal wanking session.)
Note 2; Skill level is NOT necessarily critical or important. As another poster noted, as long as all musicians are of a similar mind, heart, focus, all is goooooood....

For any out there who feel or have felt intimidated with going out to a JAM, find a few players who you trust & just sit around sometime doing nothing but making your instrument speak and NOT trying to play or even create ANYTHING that sounds like a "song". Can be very freeing.
Give it a shot. May find it fun & at the very least, learn some stuff about yourself...

Thanks for your kind words! It is a long jam. Luckily the people I play with don't get macho about taking breaks - everyone has different limits and should be respected. On occasions I would just drop out of a jam in progress (if nature called) and when I return I'll listen at the door before coming back in. Other times one of the guitarists would take my bass and I'll just take a break and listen. Luckily most of the time the guitarists don't play bass but when they do I enjoy hearing how they play and respond to a jam. Being a bass player only, I can hear how they are approaching bass as a guitarists and it shows me different avenues of input. I've played with a couple of bass playing drummers, one who was proficient on both equally. But one night a guitarist who played drums was the drummer and I had an impossible time connecting with him. If the drummer rocks - I rock... it's a direct connection.

 

[jetgraphics]

Back in my waisted yute, I began playing in jams, and especially enjoyed the extended improvisations of the 1960s-70s prevalent in LPs. And when friends gathered, we'd start off with a lick or key and go "off". I wish I had recorded all those wondrous jams. (Po' folk couldn't afford blank tape)
Hopefully, it's all embedded in the Akasha.

 

[artsta]

It's the stretching that opens to discovery.

The stretching is what keeps you coming back for more. There is no rush in acquiring the skills you need. Leaning to express yourself a little more each time gives you those "surprise" moments in jamming that make it all worth while.

And totally agree...Listening is the most important skill.

 

[JIO]

The stretching is what keeps you coming back for more. There is no rush in acquiring the skills you need. Leaning to express yourself a little more each time gives you those "surprise" moments in jamming that make it all worth while.

And totally agree...Listening is the most important skill.

Another critical element is being a part of jam sessions on as regular a basis as possible. The more you do it, the more you will relax and hear. When I first started playing with seasoned improv players, I was so focused on underplaying that I wasn't diving in the pool. It was intimidating and I was afraid to overplay. I jammed with Steve Macay (sax) who played with Iggie Pop (Fun House) twice and the first time I was frozen by his presence and underplayed. The second time I relaxed and was able to respond naturally to the present and had a much more flowing, abet short, session. (both times live and only bass, sax and keys) As bass players, we are expected to lock with the drummer. (rhythm section) and play roots, but as a part of a jam session, we have the opportunity to do much more. Holding it down is always good, but how you do that becomes a creative part of the mix.

 

[Pelagic]

THIS~!

"The other really important ingredient of a jam session is knowing when to not play.
Sometimes only a couple players are playing and it sounds perfect like that."

WAY too many times there are players who are not FEELING the music and simply go off on their own private little wanking session. That's not jamming, nor is it LISTENING, which is what Real Creativity / Co-Creation of Music with others is all about.
Jamming IS all about SHARING the music, and it really can be a BLAST.

This is SO true! Open your ears, then your mind and soul. Play to become part of the whole and support it, don't try to be a small piece supported by the organic beast you've ALL created.

 

[guestOU812]

I have another (humorous) thread going about jam bands. On a more serious note, I've been running jams for years, and probably always will. I'm saddened that so many people have lost the spirit of true jamming- Improvisation, and spontaneity.
Every week I end up with a bunch of GREAT players who just want to play songs. Maybe add a second (third...fourth) guitar solo, but the jamming aspect is all but gone.
I try to push my guests boundries, and a FEW of them get it. Go to double time feel, or a modulation, or switch up a groove- reggae Zeppelin, or metal Peaches and Herb.
I try to keep it interesting, and push peoples boundries.
I often just hit a brick wall. If it ain't on the record, they don't want to try it.
Too many automatons, not enough free spirits.
Another Pride and Joy.......in the same key as the record.....
Rant over.

I love jamming. If I’m not writing new tunes with a band I am totally jamming. I loath playing cover tunes. I spent my teens learning Getty, Bruce, Jaco, Harris, Roger Waters (I love Roger), Entwistle (sp?), McCartney, Phil Lesh and more. A jam to me is an exploration of personalities, a way to see if we can get along and come up with new stuff by throwing stuff up against the wall to see what will stick. It doesn’t always stick but it’s a lot of fun.

I wish there were more bars offering open jam nights. I host jams in my Brooklyn apartment and they are always fun. I love figuring out songs by myself and using licks at jams.

Jam an!!!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Some musicians don't really know how to "jam" or "improvise" or make it up on the fly ...

They only can repeat a memorized pattern over and over.

Then there are bands like the Grateful Dead that don't know when to stop jamming.

Not everyone needs to stop!

 

[Miles_ONeal]

She’s not a bro.

These days, "bro" and "dude" are not gender-specific.

 

[Boom762]

I am on both sides of the fence with Jamming.

1. For Jamming.
I do enjoy the magic that happens when everyone finally syncs up perfectly and I also enjoy hearing the creative riffs that can come out of it. If they are Jazz players, I see a perfect way to play for hours for paying restaurant gigs. I also enjoy being pushed by the music and being forced to come up with different progressions and combinations to keep it from sounding dull. It makes me a better bassist.

2. I am a by the numbers player for gigs. I practice the songs I need to as far in advance as possible and keep on until I have it to muscle memory. I tend to get very upset when people change stuff last minute. "Oh this song is too high for her. She didn't try singing this song until an hour ago on the way to the gig so, we all of the sudden need to drop the key 2 1/2 steps." I hate that. Imagine a bass player coming in and saying they need to change the tempo or the key of the song because they cant play the way the song is written. Yuck. I also don't appreciate last minute changes to the order of the song. Someone will think it sounds cooler to cut the bridge in half or to add 2 measures of nothingness to the end of each chorus. I hate it. Stop messing with the art. You don't repaint Mona Lisa's smile or nose because you changed your mind. Play the song the way it was intended to be played or re-write it completely/make a new song. The more last minute changes people make, the higher chance I have of hitting a sour note. I HATE messing up in a song. I feel like a complete failure when I hit a stray note or forget to come in at a certain part. I'm a perfectionist on stage and I'm really taken out of the experience when I have to readjust, keep myself calm, and focus harder on what I'm playing.

I'm for jamming in certain situations or if it is announced that we are jamming, but I'm against it being used in a professional set when the audience doesn't know that's what is going to happen.

 

[Ric5]

Not everyone needs to stop!

Ya ... well ... Grateful Dead goes on too long for my taste ...

 

[larryshaw48]

I have another (humorous) thread going about jam bands. On a more serious note, I've been running jams for years, and probably always will. I'm saddened that so many people have lost the spirit of true jamming- Improvisation, and spontaneity.
Every week I end up with a bunch of GREAT players who just want to play songs. Maybe add a second (third...fourth) guitar solo, but the jamming aspect is all but gone.
I try to push my guests boundries, and a FEW of them get it. Go to double time feel, or a modulation, or switch up a groove- reggae Zeppelin, or metal Peaches and Herb.
I try to keep it interesting, and push peoples boundries.
I often just hit a brick wall. If it ain't on the record, they don't want to try it.
Too many automatons, not enough free spirits.
Another Pride and Joy.......in the same key as the record.....
Rant over.

It's all about enjoying your Music, your instrument and friends... Sharing your pleasure with the audience and enhancing their evening out or general pleasure. Off the cuff playing, finding a groove and pushing each other for ideas......

 

[larryshaw48]

I agree. I have never and will never go to an open jam. I guess it's because I've gone to friend's houses and jammed with people I don't know and never enjoyed it. Everybody standing around trying to figure out what to play, loud drawn out guitar solos, etc. No thanks.

If the Jam is run on a sensible basis, such as three numbers per 'act' before someone else comes on and does their spot. If anyone gets stupid doing their own little ego trips, a close amiable audience will give them the signs and reign them in...

 

[bassexplorer]

Jamming is like making love, can work or not, depends on who you are with, on where, on the cicumstances, name it.
I used to jam in a pop rock trio, the guitar player was such a creative guy on lyrics, we 3 got along superbly. But jamming was just for fun, mostly to create new songs, in rehearsal, taped.
In concert, rarely, but it happened, That was before the time everything began to be filmed by smartphones. We kept no trace whatsoever of those great moments we had together. We were young, full of energy and dreams of glamour. We would play anything with the right amount of beer and hormones.

I suppose jamming is some holy graal in rock music, it is part of the good old sex drug R&roll : you are young, beautifull, a talented genius (of course), a chick magnet (laughs) and music flow through your fingers like gold. Yeap!
But lets face it, nothing great comes without work, and preparation.
The young generation knows that.
And maybe because there is always someone filming you now, nobody wants to be imortalized in a bad jam anymore.

 

[Myzee]

Years ago I used to "jam" with some local guys. Even though we'd get drunk and have a good time, the next jam was the same as the last one. Same songs, same guys...blah blah blah. It was fun but frustrating at the same time. Every song is like southern rock or just different ways of playing a song like blues. I'd try to push some Scorpions, Judas Priest, Saxon, or some other old school metal but the jams always turned out the same. Drove me nuts after awhile and I just quick hanging out with them as I moved on in my music "career" .

Flash forward 25 years......I got invited to go a jam. A couple of the guys were the same guys as previously mentioned.
Nothing changed......same old Lynyrd Skynyrd, Fabulous Thunderbirds......etc, etc......Same old thing, smoke your brains out and play the same old stuff. I left after two hours.

I realize jamming means different things to different people. If thats what they like then thats fine but some of us like to get out of that safety zone and try to mix it up, improvise etc.

Might have to host a big "jam session" of my own soon after reading what I just posted! LOL