This week I attended a jam session at our local senior center. This time I observed, but plan to take my mandolin next time. There were 7 guitars, 1 bass and 1 guy with harmonicas. That's it, other than the guy with a banjo who didn't appear to be playing at all. As is standard, I suppose, the lead passed to each musician in a clockwise direction. Most sung their tunes, then passed the lead to 2 or 3 of the better players. I can't remember now if the one who started the piece also finished it. I need to come up with my approach for when it's my turn in these sessions. I can pick the melody of the tunes I know and also play the chords for them. I'm not coordinated enough to sing and play at the same time, but I'll work on that. I thought I would give the lyrics to one of the others who may want to sing during my piece. So, what do you think of this: I play the melody the first round, then pass to the vocalist, then to anyone else who may want to take a turn with the melody. I'll have to arrange this with the other musicians in advance of playing because I'll lose my place if I nod to them like they seemed to do this week. I'll be out of town the next 2 weeks but able to practice daily during that time. The following Monday I'll work on this with my teacher who may have suggestions for me also. (She's a classical violinist.) She is planning to attend that Wednesday's jam session also, most likely taking her violin. Any suggestions are appreciated. Sorry for the long message.
Were it me, the next time I attend, I would bring the mandolin and "pass" every time the lead comes around to me but chord along when I could, softly or at volume depending on how well I know the tune. When convenient, I would strike up a conversation with one of the active participants and just admit I am new to jams and don't know the protocol and ask these same questions. Jams can have widely different formal and informal customs and practices, so a friendly conversation is the quickest way to find out.
I'm with Hank; when I was in similar situations and I would get the nod to take a solo, I would simply shake my head 'no' and then pass it along - no offense was ever taken, and nobody ever had to find out how bad I really am!
Thanks for these comments. I suppose they lead me to a second issue. The senior center group seems to play everything but bluegrass. (Actually, I suppose all the tunes were either country or gospel.) I have Bradley Laird's Jam Survival book, but I could only find one tune this group played in it. Without the written chords, I don't have a clue as to what chords to play when. Maybe I'm not ready for jamming, but my teacher is pushing me. I'm hoping Brad addresses this issue in his other materials. If anyone knows, please tell me and I'll jump ahead in the appropriate book or video.
The jam I frequent is a little different. Pretty big showing every week (30-60 folks). Theres a small core group of 4 or 5 peeps that pretty much run things and they change up weekly between bluegrass and old time. The "leader" picks antune ans runs through it several times pretty slowly then speeds things up progressivly as the newer folks ( me in particular i think) catch on a bit. They post a setlist of possible songs online, and genreally stick to whats listed. About 60 listed bit we only have about 3 hours sonots a never ending process. I guess what Im getting at is see if you can get a set list either a big one or at least a bunch they like to play. Make a note of the stuff you play weekly if they just kinda pick stuff as they go. Eventually you will come back to them most likely. As far as just playing some chords, once you get the titles a quick search may reveal some sheetmusic that has chords listed. I dont know if you read notation or tabs only but that shouldnt matter. If thats a bust somehow, dont be afraid to check out other tunes in the same key. The chords will likely be the same ones though mixed around a bit. If you find a tune in the same key with just an A and D chord for example try them out playing along with the song hour working on youtube, tabledit or a cd, just to get the groove.
I brought a notepad (you know, the old fashioned kind with paper and a spiral metal thingy holding it all together) to the first couple of jams and wrote down the title and key of every tune played. Then came home and looked them up on the internet. I found tabs for most of them and chords for just about all of them.
Hi Sherry. I have a copy of "Parking Lot Pickers for Mandolin" from Mel Bay that has a ton of country and gospel songs with chords. You may want to consider getting a copy.
What's hard is knowing what people are going to play since there are thousands of songs. Nobody could write a book to cover all that. Then every group of people jamming is different. Some play bluegrass, some more country, and some jazz, you know like minds will attract one another. And then, some groups most people could be content to play the same old familiar things week in and week out, while others can be more adventurous and yearn for the obscure tune that nobody knows or nobody has heard in a long, long while, just because they thirst for something new. Bottom line, these guys have all given good advice, I was thinking of what I do, go to a jam and try to play and learn, pass when my time comes to bat. If I hear songs I like but don't really know, look them up and learn the ones I can bond with. There's really no need to be able to play every song. Another really important thing is that only you can decide whether you fit in with a group. You have to like the group's activity, and you have to be into their kind of music somewhat, if you're going to enjoy it for very long. While you'd do yourself a disservice not to go and try your best and stick it out for awhile, you're not obligated to go and play music you're really not into. I wrote that last in general terms, not "aiming directly at you," because I'm not sure what kind of music you're into. We all differ there, and I like a lot of different styles. Brad is mostly a Bluegrass teacher, he won't have any books on country music, but the concepts he teaches and the technique he teaches are pretty sound and the majority of it is applicable to other styles. I have played an awful lot of country off and on my whole life (I'm not a guitar newbie, just mandolin) and am pretty comfy on guitar in those groups, and others, but Bluegrass is pretty new to me. So look for ways to succeed or have fun in the jam sessions, so long as it's not music that you don't really care for, and cut yourself plenty of slack. Make friends and learn, pay the dues. Don't worry if you have to sit out a lot in the beginning. You'll do fine in the long haul. Sorry I had to write a book, LOL, the older I get the more I ramble
I remember it clearly - it was December of 1990. A local radio station was holding a country/bluegrass 'jamboree', which would be recorded live in the studio, and portions played back on the air, a few days later. I had never played a country song in my life, and I had no real idea what bluegrass music was; (I thought they were just fast country songs). To make a long story short, I got talked into participating that night, (playing guitar). Naturally, I had never heard any of the songs before, so I had to get by, simply from watching the other guitar players and seeing what chords they were playing. Luckily, most of the songs featured no more than 2 or 3 chords. In this way, I was able to fake my way through the night without anybody realizing that I had no idea what I was doing. I short, if you have a good eye, and know the 14 basic major and minor chords (A, Am, B, Bm, etc.), you should be able to strum or chop your way through songs without too much trouble - even if you have never heard them before.
Sounds like I'm not ready to jam. Maybe a mandolin player will show up at a future session and I can pick his/her brain - or at least observe that person's play. I do appreciate all the responses.
I think your teacher is right! Learn to ID guitar chords by eyeball, learn how a capo affects that calculus.. Position yourself with a good eyeline to a solid guitarist who doesn't play lots of confusing inversions, know how to work out the I, IV, V chords (bonus points for iii and vi) in whatever key, but mostly A, C, D, G. That will give you enough of a basis to blunder along quietly and gain confidence. This is easier to accomplish discreetly when there are some fiddles and banjos to hide under, and in an OT format where there is no solo stress, but I say stick with it! I go to some Old Time jams, and sometimes I have a blast, and sometimes I feel completely in over my head. Remember that its not an audition, everyone is there simply because they want to play out with others.
"Sounds like I'm not ready to jam." - I sure hope nothing I wrote makes you feel that way. Sounds like your teacher realizes the value of learning to play with others, so get your feet wet - meeting with other players will definitely help you grow musically, Sherry, and you could leave the group at any time if you don't like it. But, if you wait until you're "ready", well, you may never be ready, or feel that you are. Just have to start sometime and somewhere. Learn as you go. Have fun with it and don't stress too much over it. You'll be fine.
Thanks for the encouragement, guys. I had just decided to post a video when I saw your message, Mark. I don't see how to do it, so I'll just tell you about it. Back in March I played publicly for the first time when my teacher held a recital at a nursing home. I played Waltz Across Texas and Wabash Canonball, melody, chords (strummed) and tremelo. There was a pianist and my teacher played fiddle. It was fun.
Sherry, if that was your first public play, and it was fun, and your teacher did not subsequently suggest that you focus on your golf swing, I would say you are a natural performer. Have at it. Full steam ahead.
LOL, the dreaded "recital" - some people hate them, others enjoy them. That you're having fun is the most important part of the music equation overall, IMO. Do post a video
I can't see how to post my video. Can you please direct me?
The first step is getting it posted onto YouTube (or some other video streaming service). If you do not have an account with YouTube, go there and set one up. When you get that part done, come back and post a "what's next" post. During that time, I'll see if I can come up with instructions.
Here's some barebones instructions: How to put a video onto YouTube: 1. Go to youtube.com. Set up an account if you don't have one. 2. Look in upper right corner of any youtube page. You should see three icons (well, I see three icons on my screen anyway): your avatar on the far right, then next to it a bell (notifications icon), then next to the bell is an Up arrow with a line under it -- that Up arrow is the upload icon. 3. Click the upload icon. The youtube upload page comes up. The rest is easy but youtube also has a link to instructions and help and hints ("upload instructions"). 4. Once you have 'published' your video, copy the link URL address. How to embed a video into a social group post: 1. Start your post - response or new thread. 2. Type what you want to say. 3. Put your cursor where you want the video to appear in the post. 4. Click the insert video button -- its icon looks like a little bitty piece of filmstrip. 5. Paste in the URL of your video and OK. 6. click the "post" button for the thread. 7. Your post should now appear with your video embedded.
Wow! Thanks, Hank. I'll probably have to do this tomorrow.
Hank, I've successfully uploaded the video to YouTube 3 separate times, but have yet to see a URL. Can you please tell me where to find it?
When you have YouTube open to your video, the URL is the address shown in your browser's address bar. It will look something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkRNHcqQzRo . Note that this is an URL to one of my videos - the only difference will be yours will have a different set of characters after the = sign. If you have uploaded your video, but can't find it, you can go to any YouTube page, then click on the YouTube menu icon*, then click on "my channel". That will take you to a page with all your videos. You can click on one and get the URL when it opens (it will be in the address bar). Or, with Windows, you can right click on one of your videos, then click on "Copy Link Location". That puts the URL on the pasteboard so you can paste it into a dialog box or into a text document. *YouTube menu icon - this is a set of three parallel horizontal lines located in the upper left of any YouTube page, just to the left of the words "You Tube" in black and red.
Sherry up at the top of this thread, SOMorris recommended a book titled "Parking lot pickers songbook ". Author is Dix Bruce. Published by Mel Bay. About 230 songs included. Very easy to play newbie friendly versions. I highly recommend this resource plus it's spiral bound to lay flat on a music stand or copy machine.
Thanks. I will definitely purchase that book. Now, with Hank's help, I'm going to try to post my recital video. It was my first time to play other than at lessons and practice. I had taken lessons for almost 2 years. The plan was for me to play the melody first and last, with my teacher playing fiddle, and the out of tune piano playing in between. The only real hitch was when I tried to repeat with the first (intro) line of music on my second melody line of Walk Across Texas. I end up just sort of standing there. It seems I still haven't figured out the video download. I'll post it if and when I do. 😢
Sherry, I love it, you did so well for the first recital! I think you have a good music teacher as she sets up events for you to participate in. No one teacher can be perfect in every way, but a teacher who brings this level of involvement can take you a long way. Wonderful video! Good to see you and that very nice mandolin. Thanks for sharing! Oh, and congrats on getting the video thingy figured out! Here's one for you!
Good job, Sherry! That is quite something to be doing a presentation in front of REAL people. Wabash Cannonball is one of my longtime favorites, too.
Sherry, very nicely done. Wabash is a song I learned also from the recommended book by Dix Bruce. Then using what I have learned added 8th notes and drones to spice it up a bit. I have commented here about my unease (fear) of playing in front of others. It does get easier.
Nursing homes can be a great place to play. With an audience that can't get out much, people coming in are appreciated—most of the time. A string orchestra I play in always does its dress rehearsals at a local retirement residence, which has everyone from active people in independent living to the wheelchair-bound to folks in a "memory care" unit. We were happily playing Mozart one afternoon, when a lady said, in a VERY loud voice, "I don't like this!" Points for honesty. Your audience seemed more appreciative.
Thanks for all the support. I suppose this string of posts has just about run its course, so I'll sign off and give you guys a break. I've selected 4 pieces for the jam session I plan to work on over the next 2 weeks. And I'll order that book with all the songs. My teacher will have my back, especially to keep my rhythm steady. All in all I think I'll be good to go. I do want to ask a tremolo question and will start a new post for that.
Louise, my teacher has told me similar stories. I was hoping none of them would happen during my first performance!
For anyone still interested in this thread, I thought I'd give you a report of my first jam session participation. The people were really nice, but I was very nervous. In fact, I ran through my pieces before I left home and was shaking all over, which is crazy! Anyway, I took the lead 3 times during the session. For whatever reason I had a death grip on my pick, which I couldn't seem to remedy. By the third piece I gave up on tremolo altogether. The really good thing that happened that shocked me was my ability to chord reasonably well along with the other musicians. I had never tried this before! I had bought the Parking Lot Picker's Songbook counting on finding the chords in it. However, only one song the others played were in that book and in a completely different key. At the beginning of the book is an explanation of transposing to different keys, which I found very informative. I suppose at some point you can transpose in your head? Anyway, I'll try the jam thing again next week and plan to stick with it. My teacher had a conflict this week, but she plans to bring her fiddle next week. I think I'll be more at ease with her there. The other players are pretty excited to have an accomplished violinist in their midst.
I'd like to thank SO and Trav'lin for recommending/endorsing the Parking Lot Pickers Book. I doubt it will help me chord with the other musicians, but I have picked out a number of pieces for myself for future jam sessions.
Sherry, that's just awesome!
I was having difficulty posting my jam session video from my phone, so it occurred to me this morning I should try it from my desktop. Duh! Anyway, here it is (I hope!). 2 things: I guess my husband forgot to start the video at the beginning, so he starts it sometime after that. Second, it's not very impressive as far as mandolin playing goes, but I wanted you guys to get some idea of this group. I'm not sure why that is except that you're now my mandolin BFFs. This is the jam group at the Irving, TX senior center. There were about 8 guitars yesterday, an electric bass and harmonica. My teacher was able to come, so that's her standing behind me with the fiddle. This was my second time to play with this group. I was a nervous wreck last week, but much more relaxed this week. At this rate I may be a pro in a couple of weeks. Ha! My playing isn't as impressive as you guys, but I'm working on it and having a blast. https://youtu.be/BBK_C6y1iqk
I love that clip, Sherry!
Good job, Sherry. Your tremolo is quite nice.
Thanks, guys. Did you notice the guys on either side of me aren't playing? I don't know why, although the guy on my right doesn't play along sometimes. I do know everyone was really excited about having my teacher bring her violin. Maybe they were simply enjoying her playing - or mine. Lol
Another theory is I don't believe they knew the song.
Hank, I love to tremolo, but I can't seem to get it really smooth.
Great job, Sherry. Thank you for sharing. Hopefully I can make it to one of the jam sessions there.
Fred, I forgot about you being in Irving! I hope you can make it to one of these sessions. The people are so nice and I can see that my playing will improve as I continue to play with others.
Sherry, I just got my Parking Lot Picker's book today and I've been pouring through it. Lots of good stuff. I'm still working on the basics through regular instruction, but it has a lot of things I want to start working on. I've already worked up a few things by ear. Listening, and watching other's right/left hand technique, has been a big focus of mine lately. At least learning the fretboard is much easier on mandolin than it was on guitar.
The downside, I think, of jamming with the same group each week is I'm working only on the pieces I want to play there, whereas I need to be doing some exercises. That Parking Lot Pickers has great music for my level of play, so it's a great resource. My husband tolerates my practicing an hour each day, but I'd be pushing it beyond that! I think at my Monday lesson we're going to work on chording along with other players. That will be my first exposure to playing by ear, other than the chording I've attempted on my own. I hope this makes sense!
Great progress, Sherry!
Way to go, Sherry.
I have another jamming question for my Newbie friends. The other musicians at the senior center have played together for quite some time I think. When it's their turn, each one just yet announces the key, and maybe something like "this is an old Hank Williams tune." Then he or she just starts right in. My teacher says I should announce the name of the piece and the key, followed by 3, 4, 1 (or whatever, to set the speed and when to start). In your experience with jamming, how are the tunes started?
Depends on the group, etc. but best practice, IMHO, is just what your teacher said - name of tune, key, and either a "count-in" or "potatoes". See discussions, videos, for meaning of potatoes ... https://www.google.com/search?q=fidd...utf-8&oe=utf-8 It would be a little four-bar rhythmic thing you'd do to kick off a song, which sets the tempo for the other players. In my own experience, potatoes are more common than actual count-ins - especially with fiddle tunes and bluegrass - but either would be acceptable.
Thanks so much, Mark! I don't think I could pull off the potatoes thing, but I really needed the vote of confidence for the count-in.
Just thought I'd thank Spragster and Henry for suggesting I write down the tunes the senior center musicians play. I now have a notebook that continues to be a work in progress. Someone mentioned in another thread a great website where you enter the name of the song and the key, then generate the lyrics and chords. I do that each week and print for my notebook.
