passing the lead at jams
Hi all,
So here's an etiquette question that I grapple with from time to time...
When you are in a big circle jam, say more than 8 people, should
you still make it a point to offer the lead to each one in the group,
or should you spread it around between breaks or songs? This mainly
concerns 'bluegrass' format jams where you have pretty simple songs
and people taking turns on the lead. I know people who are adamant
that each person in the circle be offered a break during each
instrumental segment, no matter what and I've played with those
who break the circle up during instrumentals. Of course, I also see
a number of people who pick and choose the instrumentalists to fit
their song, unsurprisingly selecting the strongest players for each break
and sometimes bypassing people all together by the time it's all
said and done.
I guess my preference is for the middle option of giving everyone a
shot over the course of a song, but only doing part of the circle
during any given break. I'm actually less of a fan of the completely
egalitarian route of giving everyone a shot during every break
because it can really make a number long winded and no one likes
that.
I'm certainly not a huge fan of skipping people entirely, but
I have to admit that there are some numbers which are just running
red hot and to have the whole thing slow down so that more
intermediate players can jump in can really reduce the feel of the
thing. I consider myself a low-tier intermediate player and when a
circle is really cranking one off, I'll usually pass the break because
I don't want to slow it down. I suppose that the overall good of
including everyone who wants it every time outweighs the coolness
of any one tune, but I'm probably occasionally guilty of leaving people
out (and self-segregating) when the feel of the tune would be
significantly altered by hitting everyone in a big circle.
I guess what it comes down to is that I personally find it hard to
stick to the ideal of giving a break to every person in every song
when the circle gets too big. I do, however, think it's important to
hold on to the essence of that ideal because it ultimately makes
for more inclusion, participation and growth of newer players
(like me).
What do you guys think?
-Shawn
When passing lead,I believe it should be to someone who will complement song.Some times we have had acoustic and elec.in same jam.That is fun.Ther is no set rules for passind lead,, just have fun...
Why is everybody always pickin on me?
banjoscotty
Morgan Monroe Cascade MFB 5-DX
One suggestion I got from a Rick Thum workshop was the leader making eye contact with the next person. A simple nod when the tune is coming around would let him know if the person was comfortable with taking the lead. Most people I know would shake their head no if they didn't feel up to keeping up with the level or speed. I guess if your running a jam with more than 20 people you might shout "Fiddles!" Once I bit off more than I could chew and hacked it up. I wasn't called on again. I found out they wanted to spare me the embarrasment. Later on when I took my time opting in they'd go around and keep asking with a questioning nod. I made damn sure I knew what I was doing.
I can certainly identify with passing on the lead when it would really hamper the vibe of the song, but I find that if I pass too many times in a row then I don't get the nod for the rest of the night. I typically accept any break that I won't completely botch both in order to get better at such impromptu soloing and to "save my place" for future breaks in the circle. :)
-Shawn
I have found it helps to ask if anyone has a break before kicking off the song. This way you are not leaving someone hanging at the end of the circle that has worked hard to develop something and then gets cut off by ending the song to soon. The song leader calling out a name of the next person to break can help (works better if you know the individual has something or has been working on a break and wants to try it out).
I agree with so much on this subject. I think a tune can easily be over played if to many people are offered or passed breaks. I hear a tune and imagine how it would sound in a studio using the same people within the group but not on every tune. I've learned from watching other seasoned players, to sometimes just sit back and listen.
Players are like any special effect, we are there to compliment a tune not neccessarily dominate a whole 8 or 16 bars. The best jaming tunes I've sat in with included trade-offs or tossing it back to the willing person or background fills from one instrument simaltaniously injected during the showcaseing of the person the break was passed to. For example, I enjoy plugging some harmonizing guitar lines together with another person playing the melody. I do mostly fingerstyle and will pick the rhythm and base lines while others are taking the melody. I try to play softer and not take away from that person's talent and ability and prefer to think of myself as shadowing the person I'm following. This has to be done carfully because up to this point, nobody has said anything contrary to what I've been doing. Maybe they are just being polite. I thing players can take turns using this tecnique as well. Doing what I do sounds like crap when a banjo is playing in the background. I like the 5 string in backgrounds, so I will just listen and wait for a que.
To many times I hear breaks where 10 guitars are playing rhythm over a lead guitar turn or one mandolin break or a dobro break, etc. That really makes a song muddy. That is when it's time for me just to sit back and just listen.
There are those who believe that a song at a jam should not be longer than the actual recording. Of course, I avoid those folks like the plague. It's a jam not a performance.
But everyone taking a lead on every song can be tedious and, frankly, boring. If I'm playing in a small jam, say 5-6 people, I nod to each player whom I know can play a lead and if they "shake" me off I move on to the next person.
I've always go clock-wise so there is some semblance of order and so that no one is stepping on someone else's toes.
In jams involving people I'm not familiar with I usually lay back a song or two and wait to see who jumps in. If no one does and it is my turn, I toss in something that will work for that song. I keep it short because long leads are just selfish. And the next song I might not play lead at all but let someone else have a shot.