Where do you play most?

[stetson]

I play almost exclusively at church. I'm not into going to bars. The only other group close by is an open jam session for bluegrass. They don't meet often or regular and they meet at a church anyway.

By joining my Sunday morning church band I get to play every week and if I mess up everyone is still smiling and encouraging.

Where do you find to play?

BTW... I'm in central Ohio if anyone wants to get together or knows of a group to have fun.

[Mandolin Mick]

The Milwaukee Rescue Mission, kettles for the Salvation Army and friends' living rooms. Because of hearing problems I have a hard time playing with other musicians these days. So, I've become a better player because I need to play solo without anybody to lean on.

[neil argonaut]

I play most of the time in my living room, occasionally in someone else's living room, and once a month at a bluegrass session in a pub.

[Scott Tichenor]

Sorry to edit one of discussions above but the OP inserted HTML into the title and it got carried into the replies. HTML coding is turned off on the forum but you can use BB code instead for formatting.

[Terry Allan Hall]

On acoustic guitars, racked harmonica and mandolin, I play solo gigs in restaurants, bookstores, nursing homes, coffeehouses,a few festivals, and private parties.

In the band, I play electric lead, slide and e-mando in bars, private parties, and we're finally getting an occasional corporate party. Not as many tunes on mando in this band, but I'm working on getting the other guitarist up to speed, so I eventually can.

[JEStanek]

I play almost exclusively at home to relax and enjoy the sound of the instrument and the tunes I can make on it.

Jamie

[Laird]

In the band, I play electric lead, slide and e-mando in bars, private parties, and we're finally getting an occasional corporate party.

Nice. Occupy the Occasional Corporate Party!

[Laird]

Once a week at a blugrass jam at the village pub (starting in an hour, in fact).

Sporadically, as work allows, late night in my office--fiddle tunes on my beater Kentucky.

Every couple months, on average, a band I'm in will be asked to play for a public celebration of some sort. (This is a region of small towns with not too many bands right nearby.)

I rarely play at home since my son was born two years ago, though that's where I played most regularly before he came along. Oh, I still play for him a few times a week--more, if you count guitar--but he has little patience for what I want to play, so he ends up requesting spontaneous originals, such as "Spaceman song!" or "Dancing Carrot!" (the latter inspired by a memorable visit to a performance by Bread and Puppet Theater). It's still fun, but not the same.

I will add that while I was watching my son a few weeks ago, I wasn't feeling very well. He toddled off, leaving me briefly to my misery, but in a few minutes came back dragging my mando case by the strap.

"Here, Daddy. Play manolin! Make you feel better!" My heart just melted.

[Santiago]

Mostly on YouTube, occasionally at local open-mic nights, but I'm looking for more outlets.

[Philphool]

I attend three different jams each week. Each is a small group (5-12) in a private home. Some are mostly oldtime and bluegrass, others more open to classic country songs and Southern Rock and beyond. All are very supportive and forgiving when a solo crashes and burns.

I'd really miss it if these jams went away. They have made a world of difference in my playing and in my general attitude. I've met nice folks that I never would have met in any other way. Life is good! (North Carolina is a great place for a hobby musician to live.)

[Mandobart]

Mostly standing behind an instrument . This all changes as necessary to accommodate my actual job (rotating shifts at the power plant) and family time.

I play Monday nights at a friend's blues/rock whatever open mic/party. Usually play my Mandobird to be heard and actually contribute something in a full band with electric guitar, bass, drums, occasional horns. Then I do a solo set on OM or mandocello. Tuesdays are my acoustic MCTAMA jam, third Tuesdays at a nursing home. Later Tuesday night its a few sets with a friend at a local bar, comping on mandolin or fiddle. Wednesday its an acoustic ITM/folk some BG jam at a coffee shop with friends. Later on Wednesdays its the full band at another local bar, with maybe a few solo/duet sets thrown in. Most Thursdays is open mic with a good friend at a different bar; seems like everyone wants a mandolin or fiddle playing along with them. Plus a solo set. First Thursday of each month is the strictly BG MCTAMA jam. Second Thursday of each month its the Old Time Fiddlers jam/open mic. About twice a month I'll get a call to play along at a restaurant/wine bar/winery/brewhouse with a friend or two on Friday or Saturday. In the summer its the Farmer's market on Friday mornings with a friend or two. There are more opportunities to play in my small area than there is time or family patience for.

[Markus]

Well, at least an hour a day I play in my living room. If I'm not playing elsewhere, it's probably a few hours.

Monday is a weekly bluegrass jam quite close to my home, very laid back.
Tuesday is a weekly gig at a downtown bar playing as part of a trio playing rock and blues with a fair dose of Dylan.
Some Wednesdays I get together with an informal band I'm in.

I play on and off at various friends houses or they come over, a couple guys who I play with once a month or so.

I catch a random jam every now and then, but with Monday and Tuesday taken I'm pretty booked and do not want to risk getting burnt out. Too much `serious about music' turns it into work ... not something I dislike, but until I'm a lot better I'd rather have some gas left in the tank for practice.

For about 6 years I hosted a weekly bluegrass kitchen table jam at my house every Friday night, back when I played guitar. Would love to do it again, but everyone's old and has little kids. That was a highlight of playing music in groups, not really for the quality of music but the quality of fun and friendship.


My favorite picking is every day I play and sing a couple tunes with my 3.5 year old. I'm a little sad to admit she's got a better memory for lyrics than I do, I've been stunned how fast she picks them up. It's been a blast, and we've got years of music together ahead I hope.

[Paul Busman]

The majority of the time, right in the living room on the couch. I play (well, mostly rehearse) with a small band called Shenanigans, and occasionally play at local Irish and/or old-time sessions. In the band and sessions, I play mandolin, whistles, Irish flute, bit of tenor banjo.

[sgarrity]

These days, mostly at home. I can't seem to find a good jam within reasonable driving distance out here.

[Skunkwood]

I'm in a band that's currently a trio, and we play together once a week at the guitar player's "Man shack" when there aren't any gigs scheduled and more often as a gig approaches. In addition, I have a wide circle of musical friends around the Bay Area and most weekends there is a jam at one person or another's house. More often than not there are too many guitars, so being able to play at a steady tempo and being brave enough to take some leads, gets me invited a lot. Otherwise it's just me and the cat in the living room.

[Charley wild]

Mostly the living room these days. I do get together with a couple or three friends periodically for a low key basement jam and have actually been invited to sit in with a duo who does a weekly bar gig. I think I will. My last gig was in 1982. I'm overdue!

[Rodney Riley]

With our church band... every Sunday that I can be there. And when we do the occasional benefit, 4th of July thing.

[Griff]

In the living room, during the commercials on TV, because I'm too lazy to climb upstairs and go to the "music room," a windowless room above the garage that also houses the heater/air conditioner. It would be a huge closet in other folks' homes. I used to play with other folks about once a week in their living rooms ... but a schedule change at the workplace took that away.

[allenhopkins]

Wherever/whenever I can. About 150-175 gigs a year, plus weekly folk club sing-arounds where I sit in the back and noodle away on the songs.

Lots of seniors' gigs: residences, nursing homes, adult rec programs. Library concerts. School programs. Historical societies and museums. Coffeehouses, and the occasional bar. Local/regional festivals.

This week, e.g.: caroling at a seniors' residence, house party for a historical society, Chanukah program at another seniors' residence.

Practice and learn new material in my basement "cave," also where my iMac is -- from which I'm posting this.

[Loretta Callahan]

In front of my sliding door that looks out over the river. I feed the birds, so I have lots of critters to watch. One squirrel likes to lick the glass on the door when I play .... for some reason. A friend with a pennywhistle sometimes joins me for these home, squirrel licking, sessions.

Occasionally, I pluck at an Irish session downtown. I expect to be there more once the weather warms up, as I have to bus in.

[Beanzy]

Every second Thursday mandolin at a jam in a pub 5 miles away from where I live. Excellent jam even though I can't have a pint due to driving
Every second Monday cello in a community orchestra about 15 miles from home. This bunch of enthusiastic nutters keep my cello playing alive, otherwise I'm sure it would die due to other pressures/ lack of opportunity.
Every two months in the Mandolin Orchestra Of Devon (27 of us last count). I love this one, so lucky Matt Norman has started this & I've led a violin playing friend astray and she's hooked on the mandolin too.
Practice time is about an hour a day when at home.
I'm away from home every second week and practice solo mandolin (it travels). I suppose it's as much as 2-3hrs for the 4 nights away every two weeks.

Then there are bigger one-off events with family like the BBC family Orchestra. Next is a couple of full weekends combined with the Devon Family Orchestra & BBC Concert Orchestra followed by a performance in Plymouth. Not sure if I'm needed for cello or mando in this one, I'll ask after Christmas.

[JeffD]

Where do I play most? Well in terms of locations I frequent - I would say I play most at a coffee house jam in town three tuesdays a month, at a contra dance an hour away every monday during the summer, or during off season jamming Monday nighs near where the dance wold be, a private house jam a couple of wednesdays a month about an hour a way, so unless work gets in the way 8 to 9 hours a week jamming.

But if you say at what loction do I spend the most time playing, it would be at home, because while the jams are almost 3 hours, once each week, at home I accumulate at least 5 hours a week playing with friends in my kitchen or living room, practicing in my living room, etc.

There is never a computer in the same place am playing.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Mostly here,using either of the 2 I'net Bluegrass radio stations i listen to as 'jam-along' music.If i'm on my own i sometimes play downstairs in my living room,but not so often since my wife retired,
Ivan

[John Flynn]

Up until two years ago when I left St. Louis, I had been in contra dance bands and regularly attended jams and sessions, plus playing at church every week. All that in addition to taking both group classes and private lessons. A far cry from my current situation. I pursued those options here in Pittsburgh, but the what I've found has not worked out for me.

Now I play electric bass at church each week, an instrument I started on about a year ago because that's what was needed for the situation. I only play mandolin and OM at home for my own enjoyment. I'm starting to mess around with multi-track recording using Audacity, which interests me a lot. I've also thought about starting my own closed "jam group." At some point I will probably try to do that.

[Randi Gormley]

Mondays at the Fairfield Gaelic American Club for a couple/three hours, at home with my husband twice or thrice a week, once a month at the home of a band member, once a month at a comhaltas meeting held at a church (the priest has a wonderful Irish tenor voice) and during March especially private parties, nursing homes, schools and the like.