Blues Jam - what happens?

roundthebend

I've never been to a jam night. Plenty of open mics. 

I need to up my improvisation and ear training, and found out there's a new jam night coming to my favourite pub. 

What should I expect? What should I prepare for in terms of technical stuff? I know my chords up and down the board, and I'm not bad at the triad shapes and some pentatonic stuff. What will help me most on the night?

monquixote

Go and watch before you participate 

rze99

Everyone  plays three chords all night and the guitarists take turns to go Ernie Ernie widdle widdle over them. 

roundthebend

rze99 said:

Everyone  plays three chords all night and the guitarists take turns to go Ernie Ernie widdle widdle over them. 

Wow'd because it deserved all 3 and others bear me to the Lol and Wisdom

steven70

I've been to a few blues jams, and it tended to be guitarist/frontmen who didn't have a band but wanted to do 'their' song in front of people. Plenty of dodgy 'Stevie Ray Vaughan' types and not much actual jamming as far as I could make out. 

But, that is because I am an unsociable, jealous old bastard who never could do that thing properly.

I wouldn't worry about ability, go along and see what happens. Especially if it's a new night - perfect time to get to know a few folks.

maharg101

There'll be people of similar ability to you there, wanting to play some music. Jump in and enjoy it.

kelpbeds

I've hosted hundreds of them and love doing it. Just learn the basics of a  bunch of standard blues tunes and make sure you've got major and minor 12 bars nailed. Enjoy!

Plectrum

rze99 said:

Everyone  plays three chords all night and the guitarists take turns to go Ernie Ernie widdle widdle over them. 

And you're only allowed to use the minor pentatonic. Anyone who can incorporate major pentatonics into their playing is labelled a witch and risks being burnt at the stake.

We have a jam night at my local. I now avoid it like the plague. The first time it was on, rather than take my electric guitar and amp, I took an acoustic because it's a very small space and I thought it would be easier. The organizer told me he didn't want any acoustic players at his jam session. Now I've been a regular at that pub for many years and used to turn up at their open mike every week unless I was either ill or away. So I told the landlady that he wasn't going to let me play and a minute later, by some strange coincidence, I was asked if I'd like to do a few songs. The second time I took an electric and amp and it was a complete farce. At one point the organiser decided he wanted to play bass, which would have been fine except that he had it so loud through the PA that FOH it drowned everything else out including the drums! And this cretin BS's everyone that he's a professional? Anyway I washed my hands of the whole thing after that.

@roundthebend ; You might be lucky and go to a jam run by someone competent but do check it out first.

HAL9000

I go to a few local to me (Wiltshire) . As long as you can play a 12 bar in A, B, C, G, and E, and know your minor pentatonics you’ll be fine. If you know your major pentatonics too you’ll be better than most people there. If you use the ‘BB box’ at some point during the evening you’ll probably be regarded as a smaller more compact version of God.

Stratavarious

Gotta have the right hat…. Might be lots of Stevie Ray Vaughanabbies who don’t like being outclassed. 

EricTheWeary

I’ve done some in years gone by. Lot of 12 bars but also pretty much anything with a repetitive chord structure maybe some rock’n’roll or Bob Marley or Knocking on Heavens Door type stuff. Depends on who is willing to sing and knows some words. I’m sure that playing abilities vary a lot although willingness to give it a go is an important factor. Take a guitar and a headstock tuner so you can just plug in and play when it's your turn, no one wants you to spend five minutes plugging in a pedal board and tuning up. 

I think it's best to treat it as an opportunity to listen and respond to what is going on. If you just go 'oh this is in A I'll just spaff my best licks in A' then what was the point.

maltingsaudio

I would take a guitar in a gig bag, go and listen ,and maybe take it out if i felt I could keep up or wanted to. 

joeW

I go to jazz jams with a very wide range of talent.   There is one person who is very inexperienced but has a great time and everyone enjoys playing with them - even if it’s somewhat tricky.  Just go and have fun, pretend you are 15 again, you’ll surprise yourself.  Then report back!

mudslide73

EricTheWeary said:

I’ve done some in years gone by. Lot of 12 bars but also pretty much anything with a repetitive chord structure maybe some rock’n’roll or Bob Marley or Knocking on Heavens Door type stuff. Depends on who is willing to sing and knows some words. I’m sure that playing abilities vary a lot although willingness to give it a go is an important factor. Take a guitar and a headstock tuner so you can just plug in and play when it's your turn, no one wants you to spend five minutes plugging in a pedal board and tuning up. 

I think it's best to treat it as an opportunity to listen and respond to what is going on. If you just go 'oh this is in A I'll just spaff my best licks in A' then what was the point.

Yeah, those are the parts I like! (Den Dennis). I'd go and look first - I went to one near where I live where the guy running it was from a big band (toured US and had a few top 10 hits) and he used to just get his mates to play. Others I've been to aren't jams, they're more like open mic nights.

relic245

For me the biggest factor on the success of going to these things is not what guitar/amp/pedals I take. It's more about the attitude that I turn up with. 

I used to torture myself by expecting to play at a certain standard and then berating my self when I couldn't play as well in front of a room full of strangers as I could at home. 

I'd be constantly comparing myself to others. I'm better than him/her and then feeling pressurised to live up to it when it was my turn to play. To show people how good I was. 

On the other side of the coin was I'm not as good as that person, and then feeling intimidated. 

I've not been to a blues jam for many years but lately have been thinking about it again. If I do then I'm going with the attitude of having fun and probably learning something in the process. 

I'll be as good, or as bad, as I am on the night and I'm not going to judge myself on that. 

Then, if the jam session is made up of people who don't judge me either then I can just relax and have fun, which is after all w why most of us play guitar in the first place. If it's one of those jams where people do bring their egos and it becomes a judgemental environment then it's not a place I want to be. 

My immediate strategy will be, just go along without a guitar and watch what happens and try to get a feel for the people there. 

I hope you find one you enjoy as it can be a very rich experience. 

thomasw88

 I avoid Blues jams like the plague as  they generally seem to be a bunch of middle aged men widdling on strats over a chord sequence and its really dull.    As a dull  middlle aged man with several strats I bizarrely don't like it..

Don't get me wrong I like having a widdle as much as the next man, but theres a time and place for it.   Most blues jams seem to think that the only way to make a song sound good is to have a 20  minute guitar workout every 2nd chorus. 

Revolutions

When do the bears usually attack? That’s my favourite part of the evening.

Plectrum

thomasw88 said:

 I avoid Blues jams like the plague as  they generally seem to be a bunch of middle aged men widdling on strats over a chord sequence and its really dull.    As a dull  middlle aged man with several strats I bizarrely don't like it..

Don't get me wrong I like having a widdle as much as the next man, but theres a time and place for it.   Most blues jams seem to think that the only way to make a song sound good is to have a 20  minute guitar workout every 2nd chorus. 

I have to agree with you there even though for me middle age is a very distant memory. It wouldn't be quite as bad if any of these people were remotely talented but they all seem to as useless as me or worse (a lot of them can only widdle in minor pentatonic) and I'm definitely NOT a lead guitarist.

stratman3142

I go to a monthly Blues Jam.  I just went along and listened the first time (a year or so back). But then I wished I'd taken a guitar with me (just in case), as I found it a comfortable and supportive atmosphere.

If it's literally a 'Blues Jam', most of the songs will just have the One, Four and Five chords, but not all (see later)

The following applies to the jam I go to, but I guess it might be different at other jams.

The guy organising the jam lets you know when to get up and play. At the jam I go to, generally each person gets up for three songs, then there's a change over until you're called up again.

Whoever is singing, will name the song, the key and whether it's major or minor. Usually, they give you the nod to take a solo.

Not always, but they may also say things like 'early four' if it goes to the four chord in the second bar, before going back to the one chord. I've even encountered 'early five' being said, when we played Key To The Highway.  If it's a song I'm completely unfamilar with, I might play sparsely and listen out for when it goes to the four, and whether it goes to the five chord (or not) at the end of the sequence, until I've got the structure.

If it's not an obvious chord sequence, they'll generally ask if you know the song and, if not, tell you the chords. If someone else is leading the song, I'm not afraid to stop playing or play very sparsely until I've sussed what's going on.

I try to find something that slots in with, and compliments, what others are playing. I also look at and listen to the bass and drums a lot. When someone else is taking a solo, I may reduce my volume a lot or stop playing completely to leave them space, especially if there are two or three guitarists and keyboards.

There are three 'curve ball' blues songs that might crop up, that don't follow the obvious chord sequence. So it might be worth familiarising yourself with them. The good news is they're almost invariably played in the same key every time.

The Thrill Is Gone (BB King) - B minor
Need Your Love So Bad (Fleetwood Mac) - A
Stormy Monday (Allman Brothers) - G.
Watch out for Stormy Monday, because it's more like a standard 12 bar, if the T Bone Walker version is played.

I recorded the first few jams I went to on my phone, so I could practice at home and be better prepared. I don't do that anymore, but I record any song that crops up that doesn't have an obvious chord sequence, unless I'm up playing and having to 'wing it'

It's good to get to know the regulars, and it makes it more of a social evening. I make a note of names on my phone, plus something to remember them by, as I've got a terrible memory.

roundthebend

Thanks for those curve ball songs @stratman3142 ;

I've given each of them a listen. Man, I really don't love Blues. I appreciate it as the basis of rock music and I admire the expressiveness of some players, but it all sounds the same (ish). I'm going to try this jam session out tonight not because I like the music but because it'll be a good way for me to improve my playing.

stratman3142

roundthebend said:

Thanks for those curve ball songs @stratman3142 ;

I've given each of them a listen. Man, I really don't love Blues. I appreciate it as the basis of rock music and I admire the expressiveness of some players, but it all sounds the same (ish). I'm going to try this jam session out tonight not because I like the music but because it'll be a good way for me to improve my playing.

Of course those songs I listed don't always crop up, but I like to be prepared.

I'm not an authentic blues player either, but still find blues jams fun.