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Thread: Our First Bluegrass Jam

  1. #1
    Registered User Crabgrass's Avatar
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    Default Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Last week we got invited to a weekly bluegrass jam. I told him we weren't good enough for that yet, and he replied "Just sit toward the edge, and no one minds if you play wrong as long as you don't play loud."

    So today's the day. Very excited. Looking forward to meeting some folks, and hopefully learning something.

    (BTW, my electric-guitar-playing trying-to-switch-to-acoustic NRBF announced last night he wanted to learn mando! Weird. I mean, he's always been into heavy metal [other than that, he's a nice guy]. Taking bets on whether he brings the guitar or the other mando today......)
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    bon vivant jaycat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    "Just sit toward the edge, and no one minds if you play wrong as long as you don't play loud."

    That's what I do, and they keep asking me back!
    "The paths of experimentation twist and turn through mountains of miscalculations, and often lose themselves in error and darkness!"
    --Leslie Daniel, "The Brain That Wouldn't Die."

    Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa1...SV2qtug/videos

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    Newly Obsessed scootergirl62's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Have fun and let us know how you liked it!!
    Chris
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Quote Originally Posted by Crabgrass View Post
    NRBF... he's always been into heavy metal
    This is oxymoronic


    have fun!
    Last edited by catmandu2; Aug-21-2011 at 12:02pm.

  5. #5
    Registered User Crabgrass's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Quote Originally Posted by catmandu2 View Post
    This is oxymoronic
    Tell me about it. Have you ever sat in with guys jamming metal? I mean, is that really supposed to be music? More like a freight train being crushed by a hydraulic press. But, hey, no one's perfect.
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    Registered User raulb's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    I have sat at the back for years and no one seems to notice my mistakes.
    raulb

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    "It may not be smart or correct, but it's one of the things that make us what we are. --Red Green, "The New Red Green Show"

  7. #7

    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Quote Originally Posted by Crabgrass View Post
    Tell me about it. Have you ever sat in with guys jamming metal? I mean, is that really supposed to be music? More like a freight train being crushed by a hydraulic press. But, hey, no one's perfect.
    Not since I was about 16 years old..


    Of course, I don't see why it can't be done with mandolin...as fiddle has been demonstrated to be efficacious:


  8. #8
    Registered User Crabgrass's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    The jam was fine. Everybody was laid back and welcoming. We stayed near the edges. Fellow beginners, I can tell you there's so much going on at these things that if you keep to the sides and play soft, there's plenty of "cover" for any mistakes. Because of that I really wasn't very nervous once I got there (before was a different story).

    Hardest thing was I didn't know the songs. Some were easy to pick up watching the guitar players fingers; others not so much. When the key was called out, it meant almost nothing to me; that's where I really felt dumb. The other hard thing was not being able to hear my instrument; that plus all the distractions, it felt like playing blind; really different from being in your own living room. Something to get used to. Never played standing up before but it wasn't that hard. When the guitar capos went on; I sat out. The other mando players just did whatever 6-finger chords you need to get around that.

    All in all, a great two-hour practice session on chop chords and transitions. And playing in time. Biggest takeway: Must learn the bluegrass chord progressions for each key....

    Got to try a Blue Chip pick. I want one. I gotta new blister on my finger and heat exhaustion. Guess I'm a happy camper.
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Cool! How did NRBF do?

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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Miss Crabgrass...You are right, one of the first things you should learn is waht chords go with what key...I`m glad you enjoyed your first jam....I have been to some of them in Florida and can`t say I like the way they are run down there but thats just me being familiar with the way we run them here in Md....

    In Port Orange, a little north of where you live, there is a jam session every Monday night at Rose Bay Campground....Mostly it is an open mic session but a lot of pickers get together outside weather permitting....I live in Lakeland during the winter months and get around to a few of their jam sessions...

    Enjoy yourself and don`t worry about making any mistakes, we all made plenty of them when we were learning, in fact I still make more than my share but after a while you learn how to cover them up with some fancy lick that no one understands, they just think you are improvising....Somewhat like a banjo or a dobro....

    Good luck....Willie

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    Registered User Laird's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Good for you! 1-4-5, nearly all the time. And you can still keep the beat by muting the strings till you find the right chord.

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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Quote Originally Posted by Crabgrass View Post
    The jam was fine. Everybody was laid back and welcoming. We stayed near the edges. Fellow beginners, I can tell you there's so much going on at these things that if you keep to the sides and play soft, there's plenty of "cover" for any mistakes. Because of that I really wasn't very nervous once I got there (before was a different story).

    Hardest thing was I didn't know the songs. Some were easy to pick up watching the guitar players fingers; others not so much. When the key was called out, it meant almost nothing to me; that's where I really felt dumb. The other hard thing was not being able to hear my instrument; that plus all the distractions, it felt like playing blind; really different from being in your own living room. Something to get used to. Never played standing up before but it wasn't that hard. When the guitar capos went on; I sat out. The other mando players just did whatever 6-finger chords you need to get around that.

    All in all, a great two-hour practice session on chop chords and transitions. And playing in time. Biggest takeway: Must learn the bluegrass chord progressions for each key.... )
    Wow that is FANTASTIC. All the observations and realizations and goal modifications - just from playing with other people once! For everyone out there, what ever your genre of music, who is hesitant to attend a jam, I really hope this hits home. Imagine this happening once a week.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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    Registered User Josh Kaplan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Those are good takeaways. Playing with others is a reality check. It gives you things to work on, and now you know why they matter. It sounds like you were paying attention enough to realize what you didn't know.

    Thanks for sharing this experience.

    -Josh

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    Registered User Crabgrass's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Thanks everyone. I'm glad you don't mind me sharing this for the benefit of other beginners, or anyone else who thinks they "don't play well enough" to jam.

    Catmandu, NRBF did about the same as me except he's better at figuring out the chords by ear. He said he needs to work on some fancier strumming techniques. His strap broke halfway through, poor thing.

    Willie, that's so funny. I'm still transitioning from 2-finger to 3-finger chords, and when my third finger lagged behind on some of the chords I just told myself it was a fancy embellishment.

    Laird, Thanks. I've already printed out the bluegrass chords for each key and will make that my mission this week, to at least get G, C, and D. Okay, at least G and D.

    JeffD, yeah, I mean I didn't want to get all googly over something that's routine to most of you, but wow. Big experience for me. This is a weekly jam, and as long as they don't boot me out, it's sure gonna drive me to become a better player.

    Josh, very well put. "Keys" are so boring and music-theoryish. I knew they were important, but I guess now suddenly they're important to me. Sometimes I need a kick in the butt before things sinks in.
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  16. #15

    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    well that is cool. nice how another environment/frame of mind/situation will compel us toward something. And toward theoretical stuff for the non-theoret (yet). that's learning!

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    Newly Obsessed scootergirl62's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Very cool. I have to say, I'm such a newbie I wouldn't have know what I was missing, just that I was missing "something". That you can tell what you already need to work on is amazing. Thanks for sharing - there are a few "shingdigs" around here that I won't be a hesitant to go to - they already seem very welcoming and stress "players of ALL levels welcome". I will make sure I'm as prepared as you seemed to be as far as etiquette goes. BTW - Port Orange is very close to New Smyrna Beach - my mom and Aunts live around there! I'll be going down more frequently as my mom is getting up there in age, so I may just have to bring my mando along!
    Chris
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    Registered User Crabgrass's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Quote Originally Posted by scootergirl62 View Post
    ... I'm such a newbie I wouldn't have know what I was missing, just that I was missing "something". That you can tell what you already need to work on is amazing.
    Heavens, I'm sure I was missing a lot more than I was aware of..... The things I mentioned were just the most obvious. We must have gotten our mandos the same week, 5-6 weeks ago, so I'm just as newbie as you are (probably more so). My pinky is retarded, so 4-finger chords are a faint and distant hope right now.

    I hope nothing I wrote implied I played well. All I accomplished was: I got my butt there, chopped and strummed partway through a few songs (somewhat in time), and didn't annoy the other players too much (I hope). If your jam says "players of ALL levels welcome," I think you're good to go. We were the only beginners at this jam; most of the other folks were gigging and recording musicians. Yikes.
    Big Muddy M-2W
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    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Quote Originally Posted by Crabgrass View Post
    I hope nothing I wrote implied I played well. All I accomplished was: I got my butt there, chopped and strummed partway through a few songs (somewhat in time), and didn't annoy the other players too much (I hope). .
    My weakest moment is just after I park the car at the venue. I always hesitate, and think perhaps I will just leave the mandolin in the car and go in and "check out the scene". Because if I carry in an instrument, everyone sees I carried in an instrument and expect me to play.... So its at that moment that I need to screw up my courage. Every time right at that moment, I give myself an extra shove.

    I have been doing this for years. I still need to shove myself forward.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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  20. #19
    Registered User Laird's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Quote Originally Posted by Crabgrass View Post
    Laird, Thanks. I've already printed out the bluegrass chords for each key and will make that my mission this week, to at least get G, C, and D. Okay, at least G and D.
    The good news is, once you get G and D down (the 1 and 5 of the key of G), you're 2/3 of the way to the key of D (1-4-5 = D-G-A) and there's a nice little two-finger A chord on the lower two strings of the second fret.

  21. #20
    Registered User Crabgrass's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Quote Originally Posted by catmandu2 View Post
    well that is cool. nice how another environment/frame of mind/situation will compel us toward something. And toward theoretical stuff for the non-theoret (yet). that's learning!
    Actually, it's not theory I dislike; it's rote learning. I think most of what's called "music theory" is really just memorization. [All normal folks and real musicians, please avert your eyes from this point forward.] For example, part of my frustration/disinterest in keys is I still don't understand the "why" of it. I mean, once you start off with one note/chord, your options narrow as to which notes you can play next in order to sound "right." Play a second note and the options narrow further. Is it the physics of sound? our ears being trained to certain sequences of notes in Western music? is it psychological, i.e., does every note have an "emotion" to it? How the heck does the listener even "remember" the starting note? even subconsciously? and yet it seems to constrain the whole song. Did a lot of noodling around on the fretboard to figure out that, yep, somehow we do "remember" what's come before and "expect" certain things to come after. I also have unanswered questions about the asymmetry of the sequence of whole and half steps, but suspect this is simply the physics of sound, the shapes of the sound waves. I'll probably need to graph it all out--scales, keys--and look for the patterns. Gives me something to do while my index finger heals.
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  22. #21
    Newly Obsessed scootergirl62's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Quote Originally Posted by Crabgrass View Post
    Heavens, I'm sure I was missing a lot more than I was aware of..... The things I mentioned were just the most obvious. We must have gotten our mandos the same week, 5-6 weeks ago, so I'm just as newbie as you are (probably more so). My pinky is retarded, so 4-finger chords are a faint and distant hope right now.

    I hope nothing I wrote implied I played well. All I accomplished was: I got my butt there, chopped and strummed partway through a few songs (somewhat in time), and didn't annoy the other players too much (I hope). If your jam says "players of ALL levels welcome," I think you're good to go. We were the only beginners at this jam; most of the other folks were gigging and recording musicians. Yikes.
    So we probably did start around the same time- I have no guitar experience, either. Just a few years playing piano as an adult, and not very well at that. My pinky seems to have the same issue

    At least you Played! That is what is important and what will lead you to play well - at least that is what I believe.
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  23. #22
    Registered User Crabgrass's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Quote Originally Posted by scootergirl62 View Post
    So we probably did start around the same time- I have no guitar experience, either. Just a few years playing piano as an adult, and not very well at that. My pinky seems to have the same issue
    Me too. I tried guitar a hundred years ago as a teen with no luck. Violin as a child. Tried piano a little but seemed like my fingers always froze up or something. Yet I always wanted to make music! I'm actually learning guitar at the same time as mando, but my goals for the guitar are more modest: just show me the chords and a few strums! I'm not obsessed with it like I am with the mandolin.
    Big Muddy M-2W
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  24. #23

    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Miss crabgrass, from what I'm hearing, I'm just going to mention it one more time:

    melodeon

    These were actually designed to be easy for the non-technically oriented to be able to render music. And they produce a lot of sound for minimal effort. Of course, taint bluegrass.

    just sayin..

  25. #24
    Registered User Crabgrass's Avatar
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    Quote Originally Posted by catmandu2 View Post
    Miss crabgrass, from what I'm hearing, I'm just going to mention it one more time:

    melodeon
    Mr. Catmandu, I'm very sorry but I'm simply not cool enough to play melodeon. No way no how. So ya might as well stop mentioning it.
    Big Muddy M-2W
    Rover RM-50 A-style
    Epiphone AJ-200 A/E
    Electrics & amps gathering dust
    Mississippi Harmonica
    Two dimes to rub together


    Start anywhere.

  26. #25
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    Default Re: Our First Bluegrass Jam

    One thing now days that helps the "beginners" is that electronic tuners are available pretty cheap and will help you be in the right tuning for the jams...Years ago when I walked around festival parking lots and tried to get into the jam sessions I found that people just tuned to the guitar whether it was a standard tuning or not, by the time I got in tune with them they stopped and then I would have to do it all over agan when I raided the next jam session....There are still some jams at festivals where the pickers don`t tune to standard and they do this so newbies won`t jump in uninvited, they might as well have just stayed at home and picked if they don`t want to meet other pickers and see what is out there for them to learn...Not everyone is as receptive as the ones you talked about Miss Crabgrass, I`m sorry to say....

    It sounds like you are all "Gung-Ho" to become a mandolin player and I applaud you for that, above all, never give up, one day everything will fall into place and you will say,"Why didn`t I figure that out before?"

    And have fun doing it, thats what music is all about....

    Willie

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