Jamming Tip of the Week: Singers, how to start songs at the right tempo

Another Tip- When introducing a new song, let the other players know what key the song is in or just say "this is a D-G-A7 progression" and then give them a quick taste of the time. Once they've got it you can begin the song. Note- not everyone uses the Nashville number system so be polite and just tell everyone the chords ahead of time.

Singers new to jams need to understand:
1- Just because you learned the song in the key of Db doesn't mean we're going to play it in Db.
2- Asking five or six musicians to find the key for you based on something you hummed to us is not the way to endear yourself to us.
3- You may be a great karaoke singer on Thursday night but that doesn't mean we want to hear you on every song.
4- No, I don't know any Taylor Swift songs for your 6-year old to sing.
5- Stay with the beat!

Any other tips to singers?

hey good advise, also let the pickers know how you plan to tag it at the end so everybody finishes at the same time.

This is another one of those things where both newcomers and regulars sometimes don't get it, knowing when the song is over.
In most circles, the person who calls the tune sets the time, sings the song and decides when it is over. However, it is just as important to watch the other players to see if they are ready to end it, too. In our little groups, I've seen folks call a tune then end it on a 1 or 3 count, sometimes in the middle of someone's lead. Our inside joke here is to raise your right foot prior to ending the song.