What Keeps Good Players From Coming Back to a Jam

Lynnie, I agree with your comments. I play the banjo so I can easily offend during a jam because my instrument can overpower others. I think manners are very important to jamming and makes it more fun. One of my peeves is someone practicing (usually a loud banjo) between songs when everyone is trying to get ready e.g., key and maybe name of song. After awhile the buzz starts to fray nerves. I have found as people get to know you and your capabilities perhaps you are included more readily. I love a good fiddle player but sometimes you are not as plentiful as one would wish. Also, newer players have to adjust to fiddler technique. Do you know how you can tell a violin player from a fiddle player? Teeth. Now you can return a stupid banjo player joke.

hi im new to the sight but not to jamming. I love a good fiddle. I play bass and like staying in the background enjoyin the show. When it feels right to come out and do my thing,im no wallflower but for most of the time I really like filling in. I play latin so a good piano and me can go far, but I also like a Kenny Loggins country feel of music. When it comes to me and a violin i've played charanga which combinds a violin and a flute.

JUST A LOUD AMEN

Martha Haehl
www.playwellwithothers.com

I loved your comments. Jamming is like a great dance number where the musicians blend together, show off together, and bring out the best in other musicians.

Martha

Martha Haehl
www.playwellwithothers.com

Fiddle is one of my instruments and one of my pet peeves is a fiddler who never stops. Even constant drone notes can overshadow a fine guitar break or a singer. And playing melody all of the time, even softly can distract from other music.

Guitar breaks can be particularly overshowed by a fiddle, banjo (or flute -- one of my other instruments) For that matter, rhymthm guitar players often need to back down to hear a guitar solo, particularly one that is finger picker.

Lynnie, it sounds like you would be great to play with. I hope to get the chance some time.

Martha

Steve, I've never heard that one before. I play viola much of the time and there are pages and pages of viola jokes -- like the first one I ever heard -- what's the difference between a violin and a viola? The viola burns longer. Yes, I can never drown out a banjo but I can sure mess up my group when we switch to a new tune that everyone has agreed upon and I forget and swing into another tune... all eyes are upon me with visible disapproval, and they switch to whatever I am playing because I am the loudest instrument .

Hi Stringbean and welcome!
I've never heard of a charanga but might well do something to learn about it. I've decided that since violin/fiddles are played in almost every country, I'm going to take a virtual musical trip around the world and learn about and play every kind of music that includes violins. Right now, I'm taking a class in Near Eastern music at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.

This virtual musical trip began with three questions -- 1) What's the difference between a violin and a fiddle, and 2) How did violins end up in Mariachi bands and 3) Why does a lot of music from Mexico sound like German or Polish dance music? I hated history courses when I was in school but learning world music has begun to bring me up to date and I am fascinated and delighted with what I am learning. What kind of music includes a charanga?

Lynnie

Martha, that would be great. What state/area are you from?

What would keep me away from a Jam?

1) overall poor musicianship. I went to a jam in New England ( won;t say where) and the level of players was just absymal. Almost every song eventualy lost the beat ( rubberbanding) and was just painful to listen and play to.

2) Overly stuffy people - wow, that is a jam killer for me.

3) Insistence on sheet music. IMHO - that is not a jam, its an orchestra rehersal. And God forbid you improvise ( my specialty). Nope, I am gone!

4) Crappy location - A mall is not a good jam space, a busy bar is not a good jam space and someones cramped basement is not a good jam space.

I lead some jams in Nashua NH (www.studio99nashua.com) . I've not been doing this long so it's great to hear all these comments. I think politeness is very important, it's just common sense. Introducing people to each other, asking wallflowers to pick something, leaving space to hear others and hanging back sometimes, all good ideas. We have new people show up each week, so sometimes it's best not to judge any jam until you've been there three times! Be nice to the newbies, maybe have a handout to give them when they get there if you want things to be clear.
ANd, sometimes a punchy musical crazy brawl can be fun, don't be too stuffy to try that too! I love the songs (our jams are singing and playing) that we can't remember the lyrics to and start making them up or laughing ourselves silly too! But I guess a whole night of that could get frustrating for those who don't get out to play music often enough!

I am a fiddler, I like to play and sing. I am used to sitting or standing in a circle. If I start the tune or song, then the person to my left takes the next break, and on around the circle and I end it. THEN the person to my left picks the tune or song. They set it up and go around the circle. And so forth.

Play backup! That means QUIETLY play behind the singer or break so they can be heard. Don't play if it is a dobro or quiet instrument. There is no rule that says you have to play every second. Backing someone up is making sure that lead person can be heard.

Don't put your back to someone trying to get into the circle - thats plain rude. If its a closed jam, please state so.

Lynnie, thanks for this post and thanks to the others too. RCBS (River City Bluegrass Society)is a(unchartered) club of Bluegrass players. I'm a newby to Bluegrass but this club emerged from a Bluegrass class where we learned basic etiquet and Bluegrass Jam principles.
Now, for the heart of my delima: We have lost two Jam sites in the last 2 years...We were given the same reason each time. MONEY. That's right. When a place invites you in, be assured, they expect something in return. I was not naive about this, and we discussed the mater and planned not to fail this time. The real problem surfaced as time went on... I prided myself in the welcoming inclusive nature of our jams as new people came and commented on how much fun this was and how comfortable they felt in our group. Some of the seasoned players would take novices off to the side and teach them licks and chords and stuf.
But the real cause of Failure: JAM BUSTERS The ones who are oblivios. Not that they haven't been told. But they refuse to listen and take responsibility for busting the jam. PEOPLE QUIT when they stop having FUN. The next jam will uninvite these individuals. Don't mean to be harsh, but when people quit coming, you're destined to fail. It's a hard lesson to learn.

My biggest complaints: people who noodle all through a song, overpowering anyone else's efforts. Worse still are people who noodle badly.
My other complaint: people who come to the jam to listen then talk all the way through it. Shush!

Almost two years ago, I really wanted to start a jam and looked into 1)Churches (perceived as too rigid by some), 2)Bars (too smokey, too many drunks, and too expensive(I wanted to keep it a free jam). I looked into the community meeting room of a local library and The Acoustic Co-op of Jefferson County circle jam was born. All levels of players are welcome,as is all types of acoustic music. We get a good turnout each month and I see this jam going for a long time.

I play in a few regular jams and have found that the really good players tend to drift in and out. Part of it, I think, has to do with the level of the other players- we've all been there when someone so completely out of their element has joined in and tried to dominate the jam.
Quite a few of the more accomplished players gig often enough where jamming becomes a non-paying gig to them. And then there are those who are so completely wrapped up in themselves that they refuse to jam with "lesser" players. The latter is really a shame because it means that they don't get to play for fun and to me it's all about having fun, meeting people, harassing friends and getting away from the daily grind.

I've been going to a local jam here in VT for almost 11 years. It just had a change of location which is hopefully temporary. When it returns to the old place, I'll try to post it. My peeves are the noodling in between tunes when the title or key or whatever is being discussed, or when we're trying to get a newbie to take a turn. My other maybe bigger one is the folks who ostensibly come to listen but babble so much we have a hard time hearing. Someone made a comment about sheet - I call 'em cheat sheets. I don't have a bit of a problem with that. If someone needs or wants to use a sheet with words or chords or music, that's fine! It's a loose, fun event! We would never ostracize a person for using a cheat sheet. Confession - I use them a fair amount of the time. Not all the time - but when you have something new you want to start playing it, and with our busy workaday lives it's hard for some, including me, to practice a lot. Yep, our jam is for friends old and new and in between to have fun and be relaxed.

Lynnie comes up with some really valid points about jamming. I took up hammered dulcimer because they were having lots more fun then I was backing them up on guitar and have since annoyed some of the best players around. Lately, for the last few years I've tried to start and run a few jam sessions in the Michigan area. I try to be empathetic to the needs of others breaking out fiddles, flutes/whistles or the occasional bodhran out for a solo with great results. I find it's hard, especially at the beginning of the week or night to slow people down or to lower the volume, and I don't want to. Like 3rd graders musicians have to burn off the joy or enthusiasm. I feel the caller has to know his crowd and not be too controlling however an out of tune instrument or somebody really off needs to be addressed in such a way they still feel welcome in a session (once the issue has been fixed). If the player coming into a session doesn't see that happening, in the case of a controlled slow jam or one out of control leave. In the case of a newbie I try to find what song their good at and weave it into a medley. The newbie will get the chance to shine in the last of the medley. That idea was a great one by Dave F.