ECLECTIC GUITAR
PAt SmItH
Goin’ to the Blues Jam
Jam sessions seem to be a bit more scarce
than they were back in the day, but there are
still some out there, and they are a great way
to learn. You can learn more about playing
your instrument in fifteen minutes on stage
than in a whole day of practice, if you’re aware.
So, I wanted to write something that would
encourage you to get out there and jam.
Manners
Ok, so you’ve taken lessons and played along
with your CDs, and you’re ready for some
real-world music making. Here’s the thing:
blues, country, folkie (etc.) jams are usually
run by grumpy, old guard types… like me, for
example. As a guy that has played for forty
years and hosted countless jams, I’ll tell you
that some rules of etiquette will make everyone happy. I’ll stick to blues jams here, as I
think there are more of those. Whatever your
genre, be sure you listen and start learning
your history.
Know the Basics
Before you head off to the jam, you need to
know what a blues is. I’ll cover the nuts and
bolts more next month, but for now let’s say
you need to know what a I-IV-V progression is.
You need to know that in most cases a blues is
a 12-bar form. None of this is rocket science,
but you need to know it cold. Next month, I’ll
give you some basic blues roadmaps.
So, once you’re ready, you go to the local
pub and there will usually be a sign-up list to
play. If it’s a jam and there’s no list, find out
(politely) who’s running the show and talk to
them. For goodness sake don’t try to go into
some crazy ego trip about how great you are
or who influenced you—nobody cares. What
jammers want is for people to just come up
and play great or just give it their best shot.
Most host bands are very tolerent of mistakes
from a novice who is polite, friendly and really is trying. On the other hand, nobody likes a
showboat; save that for your own show. Just
get up and play the best you can. Always
bring your own instrument; do not expect
to borrow one. I always tell jammers that I
don’t share my toothbrush or my guitar. You
might want to bring your amp as well. Many
jam sessions will have an amp for people to
sit in, but some won’t. Always ask if you can
use an amp; never ever assume that you can.
Also, ask if you can alter the settings or not.
It’s best to bring your own setup. Be sure you
can set it up fast, because jams need to move
along so everyone can get a turn.
You can learn more
about playing your
instrument in fifteen
minutes on stage than in
a whole day of practice,
if you’re aware.
Hit It
Once you hit the stage you’ll be asked if you
sing or have a song you want to play (and
therefore want to lead the song). If you don’t
sing or you just want to play, say so and
they’ll have someone else take the lead. A
song will be picked, then a key to play it in. If
you’re the one leading the song, you should
also be prepared to tell the drummer the kind
of feel you want. Shuffle, swing, straight time,
funky, New Orleans, there are a zillion kinds
of feels. If you don’t know what to call it, lean
over to the drummer and just sing the feel for
them. Be prepared to do all of this quickly.
Now, the biggest thing you can do to piss
everyone off (after being rude) is to play an
epically long solo. Yeesh! How many SRV
wannabes have I had to listen to? If it’s a
slow song, one chorus can be plenty for
a solo—two if you feel really inspired and
there are six other guys waiting to take a
turn. On a fast tune, four tops. Period. At
jams the little fills can get confusing as to
who is doing them. Take your cue from the
leader and use your ears. If someone else is
filling, even if they’re just being a hog, don’t
fill on top of them. Always play like you’re
part of a band trying to make the song and
the singer sound good. That’s the difference
between a hack and a pro.
Play Like You Mean It
When you’re actually soloing, sink deep in to
the bass/drum groove. Use what they give
you and build with it. The best way I can say
it is: try to surf on the time. There are some
basic tools here. Dynamics is being aware
of how loud or soft you’re playing. BB King
is a master of this. Tell a story, in the sense
that you want your solo to have a shape. For
example, start with a couple of notes and
ride that groove. Make it conversational;
don’t just start screaming. Of course, sometimes you will want to come out screaming,
but if you do it every time, big deal. If I play
at a jam and the soloist before me plays a
super-high-energy fast solo, I might consider
bringing it way way down low then working
back up. Make no mistake, there will be gunslinger moments at jams, there always have
been. So use your emotions, your ears, your
own sense of time, and as I said last month,
be aware of your tone. This is a lifelong path
and can be a ton of fun. Keep pickin’.
Pat Smith
Pat Smith founded the Penguin Jazz Quartet and played
Brazilian music with Nossa Bossa. He studied guitar construction with Richard Schneider, Tom Ribbecke and Bob
Benedetto, and pickin’ with Lenny Breau, Ted Greene, Guy
Van Duser and others. Pat currently lives in Iowa and plays
in a duo with bassist Rich Wagor.
