Buttwinick Musical Services

The Musicians' How-To Series

THIS ARTICLE WAS PROMPTED by the many questions I’ve been asked by students wanting to play with friends but not really knowing what to do. Not everyone is a natural jammer. Even if you are, it can be easy to run out of things to do. Even if you know some chords, licks and songs, putting it all together with someone else’s chords, licks and songs can be a mystery. And can you still jam if you don’t know any songs or licks but only a few chords? You sure can—as long as everyone’s reasons for jamming are at least similar.

As rehearsing and professional playing entail group attitudes so does jamming at beginning and intermediate levels. More than one person playing at the same time is a group and needs to be treated as such. For example, selfish jammers aren’t always fun to play with and someone too shy to play a note might have a hard time at first. The less experienced a person is, the more boldness could be needed, while a more advanced person might need to have patience with those who don’t know as much or aren’t as nimble on their instrument.

Jamming is a mutual creation. We jam to have fun, to work out ideas, experiment with equipment, and many things. If someone solely wants to see how his rock licks sound through the new amp while the others want to play music focused on personal interaction that jam is not going to work. Goals must be aligned.

I have logged hundreds of hours coaching beginning and intermediate musicians how to jam. The bottom line is having compatible goals and comparable playing levels. Match up these two elements, add on something to play, and you’ve got yourself a jam. Some fundamentals are contained the article, “Musicians’ Roles.”

How To Jam

The two most fundamental aspects of jamming are: (1) having a groove that everyone can comfortably play, and (2) having the music be feasible (playable) for everyone. There’s no sense in jamming on a fancy chord progression (a series of chords) if someone doesn’t know what’s going on, can’t play along and isn’t having fun. Why bother? The purposes of jamming are many and having fun is one of them.

There’s a difference between jamming (improvising), playing songs, and jamming on a song. Many of my beginning students have been frustrated either by not knowing the same songs someone else does, getting bored of playing the same songs over and over, or wanting to improvise and jam but their buddies don’t know how to and can only play songs.

What do you do? Well, there are actually quite a lot of choices:

• If there are mutually known songs, play them. If someone can sing—sing. At this point it doesn’t even matter if it sounds good or not. At a beginning level of playing, the act of doing it is what counts. If everybody would like to play a tune that only ONE per-son knows, that person should either show it to everyone else or write it down somehow. You work it out if you can. If you can’t, find something else to play.
• If people can solo, take turns soloing over a song. At a beginner level the simpler the song is the better—why make it hard? If you want to solo but don’t really know what to do who cares. Play whatever you want. The only times you really need to be concerned about what you’re playing are: (1) when you’re working (gigs), (2) rehearsing, (3) improvising on a specific musical point for the express purpose of expanding your personal ability to play, or (4) when the people you are playing with demand a certain level of musicianship. Outside of these four categories you just play whatever you can or want. If the mutual goals are similar enough there shouldn’t be a problem.
• Grooving (playing a repetitive rhythm that people can participate with either musically, physically or in some manner) is fundamental to jamming. Though two or more instruments can improvise melodies back and forth without a constant rhythm behind them this kind of improvising can get rather advanced and could be difficult at a beginning level. You could have two guitars strumming some rhythms together so that a participation occurs, and you’re jamming. Add a bass playing a simple repetitive line, or on one note, and you’re jamming. Add someone soloing on top of that, a drummer, and a chord progression everybody can deal with and you’re really jamming.

Here Are Some Basic Guidelines:

(These guidelines also apply to mutually known tunes or to tunes someone has written. Drum machines can, and should be used if no drummer, and two keyboards can follow the same format as two guitars. What’s important is to play, have fun and experience the jam. Those are the only “rules” and guidelines.)

TWO GUITARS or GUITAR & KEYBOARD

1. Pick a chord or make up a simple chord progression.
2. Have one person play a groove while the other improvises, then switch back and forth.
3. Have both instruments play grooves for a while and enjoy feeling the groove.
4. Pick a new chord or chord progression and start over again.

GUITAR, KEYS & BASS or TWO GUITARS & BASS

1. Pick a chord or make up a simple chord progression.
2. Have both guitars or guitar & keyboard play grooves and have the bass play a simple one note, or many note groove. Feel how it grooves and groove a while.
3. Have the two guitars or guitar & keyboard switch back and forth between grooving and soloing. Keep it simple.
4. Have the two guitars or guitar and keyboard play grooves and have the bass solo.
5. Pick a new chord or chord progression and start over again.

GUITAR, KEYS, BASS & DRUMS or have two guitars if no keyboard

GUITAR, KEYS, BASS & DRUMS & MELODY INSTRUMENT or have two guitars if no keyboard

If a majority of people are somewhat free spirited, the jamming possibilities increase. As mentioned before, part of group playing involves listening to the other musicians and interacting with each other. There are many styles of music. If people are familiar with them you could jam in various styles, i.e. rock jam, country jam, funk jam, etc. To the degree a person can make things up, follow along, and be willing to be a group member anything could happen. In one playing session you can have different combination’s of instruments playing, change styles, have no set style, or change grooves. In addition to the jamming methods already mentioned, here are two additional, more advanced possibilities. Remember the possibilities are endless….

Riff Oriented

Tune Oriented

Jamming While Playing From Charts

What to play from CHORD CHARTS

What to play from SHEET MUSIC and SONGBOOKS

REMEDIES: If you have trouble jamming or can’t jam…

And what is the bottom line?

Want to get the full scoop on all of these cool jamming materials?

Get them here for $4.95 and you’ll receive the full ebook in your email in-box!

 

Contact me with any questions you have.