Reasons to avoid jamming

[CES]

Wagon Wheel. 'Nuff said.

(I'll admit I actually like the Old Crow version).

[JeffD]

Wagon Wheel. 'Nuff said.

Which reminds me:

They only play these extremely obscure old timey tunes, in arcane versions with secret additional "C" parts only played by one or two long dead fiddlers from the lost provinces of North Carolina.


They only play the common dorky tunes you hear everywhere. They never want to try anything new.


They only play tunes from the Portland Tune books. And it has to be as written.


They tell you which tune books and websites to find what they play, but they play almost nothing as written. Why bother, if they are only going to make it up anyway?

[JeffD]

I need more practice.

[Bill McCall]

I'm only practicing those classical tunes.

[Jes Woodland]

I'm too busy looking for reasons not to practice.

[Joel Glassman]

I only jam with people who are better than me,
and its very hard to find those folks...

[Tobin]

Well, I guess I'm out of excuses, so I'll be going to the jam this evening. Now I just need to start working on my excuses for why my playing is so terrible. I have quite a repertoire of them!

[fatt-dad]

+1 on the gas-bag fiddlers! It can be really bad in old-time. Every tune a teaching moment!

f-d

[Tobin]

Well, I guess I'm out of excuses, so I'll be going to the jam this evening. Now I just need to start working on my excuses for why my playing is so terrible. I have quite a repertoire of them!

Just my luck. I showed up to the jam and found the parking lot empty. I guess it was canceled. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother trying to get out and do anything.

[JeffD]

Its snowing, nobody will go.

Its raining, nobody will go.

Its a nice evening, nobody will go.

Its a school night, nobody will go.

Its St. Swithin's day, nobody will go.

[Bertram Henze]

Suppose they gave a jam and nobody came?

[JeffD]

Suppose they gave a jam and nobody came?

More to the point, (my point anyway) is that if anyone did go, it would not be for lack of reasons to avoid it, it would be because the person overcame all the reasons. There is and always will be reasons to avoid it. Letting those reasons be enough to stop us is the problem.

[Mark Miller]

Don't remember if we've covered this one, but for me today it's real: it's been a few weeks since I've gone, and I'll probably stink it up. Jeff's exhortations are getting me out the door, for which I'm grateful.

[JeffD]

My ultimate plan is to number all of the reasons we compile. Then we can stay home and complain by the numbers. "I don't jam because #5. I'm not going tonight because #43."

[Fretless]

I'm not good enough.
I'm too good.
I don't know enough of their repertoire.
They don't know my repertoire.
They don't play enough obscure tunes.
They play too many obscure tunes.
The acoustics suck.
It's too far to drive.
I'm too nervous.
They'll laugh at my mistakes.
They'll laugh at me.

Okay, ten years later all of the above has become something I laugh about. I now am involved in several different sessions and have made many musical friends. I don't care anymore if I flub a note or a passage - who really cares anyway, it all about playing together. In the end it's all about having fun and playing whatever music that brought you to playing with friends.

Isn't that what it's about?

[mandroid]

Hard ringing room full of Sight reading fiddlers.. And hard to hear myself.


American ITM sessions are fussier about 'Accuracy'...

(they are , really , in comparison to the rural Irish Pub )

[KOakley]

My mandolin can kill one banjo but there is always more than one.

[allenhopkins]

Bodhran

Bodhrans (plural)

[billkilpatrick]

Bodhran

Bodhrans (plural)

Bodhrans are the new bongos ...

[Mark Wilson]

My '24 Gibson Loar is in the shop

[Jess L.]

... Bodhrans (plural)

Bodhrans are the new bongos ...

Lol. Seems there's actually even such a thing as a bodhran drum circle with, y'know, bunches and bunches of bodhrans all playing at the same time. I haven't personally heard such playing, although I did see one video.

Erm, so to keep this on topic, how's this for a reason to avoid jamming with mandolin:

"I have to go play at the bodhran drum circle tonight."

[MollyMarieMandolin]

No one appreciates my kazoo solos.

They're pagans jamming "skyclad" and sounds cool I guess but I'm not sure I want to see some of them nude.

I prefer jelly.

I'm too busy coming up with weird reasons not to jam and decided to go to the stand-up comedy open mic instead.

[Lane Pryce]

I'm a snowflake and I'm afraid to leave my safe space. Lp

[Relio]

Wagon Wheel. 'Nuff said.

(I'll admit I actually like the Old Crow version).

This is what I was going to say - excluding the comment about liking the Old Crow version :-)

[Tobin]

If I go to the jam, I'll be the worst player in the room. If I stay home and play alone, I'll be the best player in the room.