jam session etiquette

mitch251

Really bad etiquette on my part but they were ruining a magical moment (perhaps unwittingly). Since then, I've toned it down.

I have to say I dont blame you for getting pissed. I guess we are trying to figure a way to take care of this in a positive way
( not always my first inclanation either) but I have toned it down as well.
I also have gotten a little more careful not to put myself in situations where the wanker problem arises so much. And if I do I'll go into it with different expectations. Also If its really important to me and people i want to play with we position ourselves so its not quite as inviting to some one who is not invited. When approaching a big jam I ask myself,
1 does this jam sound good?
2. can I add somthing to it ?
3. can i learn somthing ?
4 . can I deal with the volume level?

Actually I would be curios to here other folks motivations and expectations
about playing music in non gig situations.

Too Much Coffee
Best
Tom

mitch251

When approaching a big jam I ask myself,
1 does this jam sound good?
2. can I add somthing to it ?
3. can i learn somthing ?
4. can I deal with the volume level?

Dang I forgot the most important Question!

5. Am I welcome?

Ok Thats it
Tom

George Brock

It is always better to be cordial than to piss people off but quite frankly I am at a point in my life if it ain't fun I don't do it.

=={=}

George

Ned Boynton

Hi

I just got back from NAMM. Played a bunch down at the Dell Arte Booth with **** and his partner in the Hot Club of SD, Patrick. Also Bob Wilson sat in and so did Rory HAmmond - a blind kid who is a just great. At one point this crazy Chapman Stick player came and sat in. I had done a concert the night before where he came in and stunk up the joint, so I knew what to expect. We simply played one tune that he knew and then picked a tune and tempo that somehow we all knew he wouldn't be able to hang with and he was gracious and stopped playing.

Also played a set with Raul Reynoso and Paul Shelasky. Both great players.

djangology

Here is a hacked up version of jam etiquette that came from the Yahoo group. Feel free to add a rule, remove a rule, or edit a rule:



Jam Session Rules and Etiquette

1. First, assume certain unsaid and unwritten rules about jam etiquette.

2. See who is taking the lead in a jam or during a song. Don't tell the leader what to do. It's their turn to run the jam, not yours. You can always get your own jam someday.

3. Don't be a solo hog. Say what you have to say in as few choruses as possible. Observe the direction that solos are traveling around the circle. Some jams go around one time and you take the time that you need to make your statement. Other jams go around the circle 2 or more times and you should take only one chorus each time. FOLLOW the pattern that everyone else is taking.

4. DO NOT cut another soloist off by jumping in! Remember THE SOLO ORDER so when your turn comes up everyone will know.

5. If you don't know the tune, don't solo. Nobody wants to hear a person who hasn't paid their dues on their horn make a complete fool of himself by trying to make every one think he knows how to play. If you don't know the tune, then quietly work to memorize the chords and join in when you have learned them.

6. If you have never jammed with the players then I personally think it's best to wait till the song is over and ask to join, if you haven't already been invited. If you see someone standing around and you are already in the jam then you could also invite them.

7. Know when to play. Know when to sit down and chill out and enjoy the other players. Beating the hell out of the chords to 'Dark Eyes' will never learn a thing from the soloist (who might be Robin Nolan, Archtop Eddy, Neil Anderson...who knows?) If you know the chords to the song, play rhythm but for your own good LISTEN!. Don't hesitate to drop out for the duration of someone's break to get a free guitar lesson.

8. Have respect for the other soloists ideas by not doodling' around on your ax when they are playing.

9. If the other players start to riff behind the soloist, then go ahead and join in, but remember the balance, DON'T cover the soloist up. The soloist is the most important person, not you.

10. Never be critical of another person on the bandstand. If you have something to say to someone about their pitch, tone, sense of time, or what ever, wait until the break.

11. Learn some tunes that only you love, and do them, but don't bring them to public jams unless they are popular gypsy jazz standards, and in that case bring chord charts for everyone.

12. Don't judge other people's tunes. If you hate the song Daphne, instead of complaining about it, go sit down and take a break.

13. Be Mature. A jam is supposed to be about mutual respect for all the players regardless of ability, and not just a cutting contest. There is no room for "higher, louder, faster" types of players who want to show off. Of course, gypsy jazz is ALL about showing off and so there are some exceptions to the rule.

14. One big mistake I see made by newer and older guys alike is what I call 'ostriching.' That's where you bury your head and whack at that rhythm like you were gonna kill it. Problem is, you can't see and you're playing so loud you can't hear what's going on around you. Correct this at home now by sitting in front of a mirror when you practice for the next week and make eye contact with your reflection. Unless your reflection tells you to play louder, you're probably to loud.

15. Try to play very quitely if you cannot correctly accent the 2 and the 4. If your not sure, then ask someone.

Jack

Jon,

Thanks for that; a copy ought to come with every new Saga. I think, though, that you inadvertently cut off #16:

If the jam is at Jack's house, bringing a good bottle of Scotch will atone for a multitude of sins.

nwilkins

If a "good bottle of Scotch" includes Talisker, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, or Cragganmore, then the rule also applies for my house.

Ando

What, no Macallan?

Barbarians.

nwilkins

Och laddie ah doon' drenk tha' watery shite

Ando

Wat'ry shite? WAT'RY SHITE!!!???

We'll be settlin' this the Scots way, laddie, and that's at GAMES.

<thrusting golf clubs forward>

Ah'll be seein' ya on the links then.