When are you ready for a jam session

[Peter123]

I'm just starting out and know I'm a ways away from it, but I just figured I'd ask. When did you decide you were ready to go to a jam session, and what made you feel prepared for it?

[onassis]

I'm probably the wrong person to give you any insight, but I'll share my experience anyway.

When I went to mi first jam, I'd been playing guitar for years, but not acoustic guitar. That was still pretty new to me. Also, the jam was essentially a folk jam, not bluegrass, but some folks would do BG tunes or songs. I wasn't very good, but the group was very welcoming and kind. I eventually bought a mando (a response to the wall of guitars) and would play that for a few songs when I thought I could handle it. Fourteen years later, I still go to that jam and have a great time with many of those same folks, though I tend to exclusively play mandolin now.

My advice - go to a jam now, whether you feel ready or not. You can join in when you feel capable, or just noodle around on the perimeter until you get comfortable. But I would go ahead and put yourself out there and start the process and connect with other musicians. Get a feel for what the jam experience is like, and ease your way in. You don't have to be a great player to get a lot out of it, and just being a part of it can be educational and inspirational.

[Mike Snyder]

I was a very poor player for a very long time. I credit several very good players for throwing me breaks before I was ready and being supportive when I faltered and failed. That's bluegrass, and the support is certainly not always there in those jams. Irish trad and old-time jams CAN be a better environment for learning because you are free to play melody lines or chord. Everyone plays together and the feel is more communal, to my way of thinking. Not all are really that hugggy-feely, but unison playing is a great atmosphere for learning your instrument. You will learn nothing of playing in jam situations by sitting at home and playing on the divan. Find jams in your area, get the feel for what's going on. Make a list of tunes played frequently an familiarize yourself. Find a fiddler and/or guitar, banjo, dulcimer, autoharp player(s) that are green and do slow jams at home. Many acoustic music associations host slow jams. Get in with both feet, and never, NEVER forget to have fun. We seek the joy. That's why we play music. It's a joyful pursuit.

[Bertram Henze]

When you have to ask, you are.

[Tobin]

If you wait until you have reached some imaginary milestone, you'll never feel ready. Just go. Jamming is learned by doing, and it will make you a better player. Observe carefully what goes on there, how people play the tune, how they cue each other to take a break or end a tune. Keep a humble attitude of learning, and don't feel overwhelmed by the expertise in the room. Just learn how to blend in at first.

Just go, even if you don't feel ready to play in front of others. And keep going.

[Gary Hedrick]

I'm just starting out and know I'm a ways away from it, but I just figured I'd ask. When did you decide you were ready to go to a jam session, and what made you feel prepared for it?

Go.....with most jams you can sit in the back and learn...watch...play and work on your craft. No one says you have to take a break on any tunes....the sooner you go the sooner you will improve the learning process.

[Mark Wilson]

If you are talking about BG or fiddle tune jams, this might help prepare you:

Show up and listen, no pressure. Introduce yourself as an interested beginner. If you have a smart phone - get a metronome app and tap out the speed of the songs they play. Jot down song titles and key. Ask if there are song lists.

Learn simple solos of a few tunes they play and learn the chords to all the tunes they play regularly.

[Johnny60]

Totally agree with all the excellent advice given so far. I'll throw another idea into the mix, but it depends on the type of music you're planning on playing.

When I first started on the mandolin, I realised I was getting more and more interested in playing bluegrass. Trouble is, the breaks can be pretty fast and I'd often crash and burn. Then I discovered a local once a month "slow picking" session where beginners could sit in in a very "safe" and welcoming environment. Basically, the slower songs are played at normal speed, but faster songs are done slower, which allows you to have a go and nobody minds if you screw it up.

We weren't all necessarily beginners to music, but we were new to our respective instruments. For example, I'd already been playing guitar for around 40 years, but was new to mandolin. An excellent bass player was learning to play the fiddle, etc.

Five years later, we have a good bunch of regulars - we play a lot faster now but, if a newcomer turns up, we slow stuff down and try to be as helpful, welcoming and encouraging as possible. You can't beat playing music with others - it's fun and you should learn a lot just from chatting over a drink between songs.

Not sure if slow jams exist outside of bluegrass, but I've generally found musicians to be a friendly bunch (apart from the occasional "legend in their own mind").

[Timbofood]

The sooner you go, the less intimidating any of it will be. I find any time playing with people is rewarding, especially when I can learn something, a new tune, new lick, it's all learning more about something you have chosen to do. My advice is for you to go, get comfortable playing with as many people and as often as you can. It will be time you will never regret. Never forget, it's called "Playing" music.

[Denny Gies]

Just do it. Most folks I've met at jams are tolerant to newbies and those with less skill than others. You will learn a lot by getting in there and doing what you can. Good luck.

[Peter123]

Thank you for all of your input. There's a place close to me in easthampton Massachusetts that does bluegrass jams every 1st Friday. I'll practice really hard and go to the next one!

[lenf12]

Especially if you can find a supportive vs. competitive type of jam. You'll know almost instantly which type of jam you're at. Listen to your instincts but do indeed go to some jams. Since you are "a ways away" from actually playing at a jam, you could do some research into what types of jams are available in your area and do some "stealth" visits without an instrument (unless you're feeling brave). Don't be afraid to walk away from any jams that you aren't heartily welcomed to join.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Jack Roberts]

Any time yesterday. It's time to start jamming.
I remember barging in on a jam at Mandomedic's shop once. I was really new to mandolin all those years back, but I just sat and chopped along with the tunes until he insisted I start a tune. I played the ONE bluegrass tune I knew, and it was on that they did not play in that group. After two time around the circle everyone got it and we were having a great time. Plus I got some pointers on what to do next to improve my playing. Watching other "real" players is much better for learning than watching a professional performer or even a teacher, and a jam is a great place to do that.
I used to go to a jam every week until I started having serious hearing loss (not related to mandolin playing) in one ear that made it impossible to hear what was going on. I really miss it and as everyone else has said, it greatly improved my playing.

[JeffD]

I promise you when you go to your first jam it will not be because you feel ready. It will be when do it anyway.

[jaycat]

I decided to go to my first jam when it was a beautiful summer Sunday afternoon and I decided I would rather spend it at the farmstand down the road (where the jam took place), watching the kids play and listening to/playing music, instead of sitting at home watching the ballgame on TV.

Just about everyone there was a better (lead) player than I. I played rhythm and sang along. Turned out I was one of the better singers, so that gained me some entree.

[Mandoplumb]

Many years ago, when I was just starting playing, a musician told me something I've never forgot and try to apply in my music as well as any thing else I start. He said no matter how accomplished I become and how much of a novice I think the other guy is, if I listen long enough I will learn something. For that reason, in a jam where it's supposed to be fun, I welcome anyone from beginner to professional. I think most musician are like that. We all had to learn and we try to help others learn if they are willing and don't try to be "better" than they are. Someone mentioned a competitive jam, I've never been a part of one though I've seen a few. Jams are to be fun and less scripted. If one want to work things out to perfection or as near as possible then join or start a band, there is a lot to be said for the enjoyment of working music out to the best of your ability but a jam is or should be relaxed and fun. So to sum up, go, contribute what you can, learn what you can from more advanced musicians, help teach less musicians,and HAVE FUN. If that's not possible at the jam you're attending, find another jam.

[Spruce]

Having your ears in the middle of a session is the best seat in the house--and the best place to absorb music and how it's supposed to work...

It's like skiing--following behind someone who knows how to ski, staying in their tracks, watching how their butt moves, etc. etc.--is invaluable...
...and the same can be said about playing music...(except for maybe the butt part)...

[Woodrow Wilson]

It depends on the jam? I mean, really, until you show up (even if you just stand there with an instrument in hand without playing), you really aren't going to have that personalized knowledge of what you need to follow up on and practice. I think, more often than not, any group you meet up with will do their best to see where your skill level is and help you if they can (pick simple keys or stay in one key)... so, as long as you know the most basic and common ten or so chords, and you feel comfortable with your ability to keep on key and on time... I'd just go. If you are terribly out of place, someone will probably suggest a better group for developing your playing. :p If they are anything but friendly and supportive and helpful, then you're better off finding another group anyway.

So, in short... the sooner the better!

[lex]

I've only started to dip my toes into jamming (hmm... that sounds gross - toe jam, anyone) and I find it an incredibly stressful experience but also very valuable. I can play a handful of fiddle tunes at home and can strum along or chop with songs in private but I completely fall to pieces out in public. Sometimes, I definitely feel like a fraud sitting in with my mando on my lap without a clue what to play. However, I feel like I've learned more about my instrument and music in those few sessions than I have in hours spent watching youtube videos. First of all, I know what things I really need to work on. I have a better idea of where to spend time practicing and what things are kinda a waste of effort. Also, I'm starting to hear cord changes better and hear/feel where the notes are on the fretboard. I realize I wouldn't be so rubbish if I went to more jams earlier.

I would echo a few things that have been said already. Do your research and find a nearish jam that's beginner friendly and go to it with or without your instrument. The most important part it to take the first step and go. Keep an eye out for old time jams because they often play fairly straightforward fiddle tunes in unison and repeat them over and over again (it's a good way to get a tune drilled into your head.) and you don't have to stress about soloing. There is nothing wrong with sitting with the mandolin and just listening or even muting all the strings and keeping rhythm quietly (bonus points if you're using close chord forms). Also, the mandolin is super quiet compared to fiddles and banjos so you have a lot of cover for mistakes. Often times no one can hear me even if know the song and I'm trying to be heard.

So, I guess I'm just adding my voice to the chorus of people in support of just going for it. And of course, let us know how it goes.

[JeffD]

OK to answer more exactly. I believe that one is ready to regularly attend a jam session when one can tell when the mandolin is in tune and can tune it up. I think those are the prerequisites.

Being able to play the tunes will come, but I think even embryonic mandolinners can greatly benefit from regular attendance at a jam session and learning the etiquette and which tunes are popular locally and how the mandolin can fit in. There is no shame in sitting a tune out, or sitting them all out, because just being there getting the feel for it, and making room in ones life for for being there once a week, just those two things are valuable.

At my home jam of course I know and can play on most of the tunes. But at most of the jams I have ever visited I can usually play about a third of the tunes no problem, and I can usually do something useful on an additional third. Of course the second or third time I attend that particular jam I will do better.

And I still have to screw my courage up every time I attend a jam that is new to me. I still don't feel ready. And I have been behind the bush in the garden.

[Tobin]

I've only started to dip my toes into jamming (hmm... that sounds gross - toe jam, anyone) and I find it an incredibly stressful experience but also very valuable. I can play a handful of fiddle tunes at home and can strum along or chop with songs in private but I completely fall to pieces out in public. Sometimes, I definitely feel like a fraud sitting in with my mando on my lap without a clue what to play. However, I feel like I've learned more about my instrument and music in those few sessions than I have in hours spent watching youtube videos. First of all, I know what things I really need to work on. I have a better idea of where to spend time practicing and what things are kinda a waste of effort. Also, I'm starting to hear cord changes better and hear/feel where the notes are on the fretboard. I realize I wouldn't be so rubbish if I went to more jams earlier.

That part that I bolded in your reply is one of the most important reasons to go to jams. Playing unfamiliar tunes forces you beyond your comfort level and makes you think on the fly. Learning to follow the chord changes is a big step towards a better understanding of the music, which leads to more familiarity with the fretboard, scales, double stops, and everything else. It's all related.

And a tip for new jammers: if you don't know how to play the guitar already, you need to learn basic guitar chords. I'm not saying you need to be able to play them, but you need to be able to recognize them. Watching the guitar player's hands is a huge help when learning to hear chord changes. It's a bit of a crutch, but it can be just the help you need to get through a tune, or to understand what happened at that weird spot in the tune where you didn't know where to go with your chords.

You'll crash and burn occasionally. I do it on a regular basis, and so do the professionals on occasion. Feeling like a fraud with your instrument is part of the pain we must endure to get better. Everybody who is any good has gone through it.

[JeffD]

And a tip for new jammers: if you don't know how to play the guitar already, you need to learn basic guitar chords. I'm not saying you need to be able to play them, but you need to be able to recognize them. Watching the guitar player's hands is a huge help when learning to hear chord changes. It's a bit of a crutch, but it can be just the help you need to get through a tune, or to understand what happened at that weird spot in the tune where you didn't know where to go with your chords.

Yes - another very useful skill, learning to cheat the chords off a guitar player. Very important. Yes its a crutch. But it is a crutch that most everyone uses, their entire jamming lives.

[Timbofood]

One very important piece of advice given to me in my early stages of learning was...
"If you miss a note, you can't go back for it, keep going and get it the next time around. The bus has a schedule to keep!"

[JeffD]

I like this advice: "If I knew every tune I would never get to drink."

[Bill McCall]

Another option is to start your own jam, maybe with just a guitar player and expand from there. I wanted to play swing music and found 2 guys to play with. We didn't want to go to an existing jam due to our lack of repertoire, but we're learning together. An existing jam may also have players who want a smaller jam to 'workshop' away from the main jam, while continuing to attend that jam.

At my first jam, I was pointed to a teacher and another, slower jam by a (now) good friend, while encouraged to keep attending that jam. Great advice, and it's a great, ongoing journey.

Just do it.