Jam Night advice

[burgundymouse]

So, I've been noodling along to my laptop now for about 6 months and think its about time I went out into the big wide world and met other musicians. There's a jam night in a pub not far from me tomorrow. This is quite scary as a)no-one but my clearly deaf neighbours can hear me at the moment, and I've only been playing bass for 6 months. Never having been to any of these things before I wondered if anyone had any advice ("just don't" probably not being helpful!) . I'm a single girl who's musician friends are all friends of the ex-husband so no chance of me dragging more experienced mates along. So is turning up alone weird? What shoud I expect? How good will everyone be and indeed how does it all work? Advice very gratefully received!

[skywalker]

The range of musicians will be from the sublime to the ridiculous, but go along, put your bass in the car, and at least go and watch what happens. If you find there is no other bass player there make yourself known, you may be on all night. If there is another bass player, ask if you can do a couple of numbers and suggest something you know well, chances are the other muso's will know it.

Most of all, no-one will judge you, go and enjoy it.

Steve

[stingrayPete1977]

Have you been just to watch yet? That's rule 1 just to see the format and get a feel for it, Maybe introduce yourself to someone that's involved as 99% of them will be welcoming to you and tell them your position so they can put you with suitable players which IMO should be the better ones to help you out. See or ask what songs are regular features down there and learn them for next time. Perhaps take a list of numbers you could do because you will forget as soon as your asked "what do you know then?"

Knowing how to play within a key is the jammers secret but don't tell all the groove by ear players and don't worry at 6 months if your not a theory master.

Most important thing is to get out and have a go, Everyone else in there must of once

[burgundymouse]

Really good advice both - thank you! Writing down the songs I know is a good idea I hadn't thought of. Really looking forward to it now!

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='burgundymouse' post='1202175' date='Apr 16 2011, 09:48 PM']Really good advice both - thank you! Writing down the songs I know is a good idea I hadn't thought of. Really looking forward to it now![/quote]
I stole that from a guitarist I know I'm more fly by the seat of your pants type but a little preparation can go a long way at these things when your starting out. If you can get the E&A strings first five frets down quickly often a second guitarist (if the main one is singing too) will shout the notes out to you.

Can you play a standard 12 bar? Get that nailed in A, G, C etc (all the same once you know them first five frets again) and you can play all night at many jam nights

[mcnach]

Rule #1:
GO FOR IT

Rule #2:
You will probably get second thoughts when the time is near and think of giving it a miss that day.
At that time remember Rule #1



I get that nervous. But so far every time it's been worth it, whether it is a jam or an audition.
I once went into an audition where I was not told *anything* other than they played originals. I asked but was told not to worry and just come along. I didn't even know the style!
As I arrived at the place, I had second thoughts... but I pushed the door open. Immediately I realised that was not going to be my thing, not for musical reasons... I won't go into details. But I thought it would be an experience. So I went in, did my best for nearly 2 hours, and they offered me the position the next day. It was a regular Friday gig, but it really was not for me so I declined. I am glad I tried, it was an interesting experience, getting a little out of my depth at times and trying to look confident all the way through. It was a nice confidence boost to get the gig.

More recently I met a guy I sold a pedal to, he tells me he plays keyboards so I had to demo the pedal for him on bass. He then invites me to a jam session next weekend with some friends. Why not. He tells me it'll be either at his place, or at this boat restaurant whose owner he knows and gives him the keys sometimes. Cool. It was on the boat. I arrive there and... eeek, there's people drinking, people eating... and I see the guy at an electric piano with a singer and a double bassist playing some soft jazz. WTF? We "bonded" over talking of funk!!! They're playing some well known tunes, some not so well known, from sheets.
I don't read.
I know the basics, and if you give me enough time I'll figure out what to play, but no way I can sight read.
I felt like walking away (my bass and amp were in the car still). I introduce myself and say I'd sit and listen for a while. But after one song the double bass guy has to go. They ask me to bring my gear.
We played a couple of tunes I vaguely recognised which fortunately were pretty simple. Then we played summertime, which I have heard a million times by different people but never thought of in terms of bass. The piano guy whispered chord names just before he played them so I just tried to follow that and it wasn't too bad.
Then some other guys arrived, a flute player, a guitarist... and we just jammed on a couple of chord progressions they had worked earlier and a couple of other things we just made up on the spot.
It ended up being fun

So... whatever you do. Go for it. If you get scared, think of it as a challenge, and overcome it. You'll come out stronger and will learn a lot.

However, I would also recommend what others have said: go there first to see what the night is like, how it's organised etc. Talk to the people there, to the one running it, mention you are thinking of having a go. Then when you go in, they will recognise you and you already have at least a welcome of some sort You can ask about some songs to play so that maybe there's a couple of things that you are sure to know how to play... etc.

You may get lost when you play, maybe the song you play turns up a disaster... don't worry too much. You'll probably find encouraging words and it'll teach you a lot about your weaknesses and what you need to do.

Just go for it and enjoy it.

Just be careful: it can be addictive

Edited April 16, 2011 by mcnach

[burgundymouse]

Can do a 12 bar in A and C and I'm hoping someone there is a fan of SRV as I've got pride and joy licked! Will make me look so much better than I really am. I'm more of a play by ear person although am taking lessons to learn how to do things properly but one step at a time eh?

[Blademan_98]

+1 on the go for it.

My first gig on a bass I had only had three rehearsals and straight in. You soon learn

My first jam was the same. I learned the essence of the 12 bar and ended up playing for half an hour.

The grin on my face lasted all night

Enjoy!

[burgundymouse]

[quote name='mcnach' post='1202183' date='Apr 16 2011, 10:03 PM']Rule #1:
GO FOR IT

Rule #2:
You will probably get second thoughts when the time is near and think of giving it a miss that day.
At that time remember Rule #1


Just be careful: it can be addictive [/quote]

Yep already feeling the second thoughts! Turned up last week having overcome said second thoughts to be told that it was only on every two weeks and I'd turned up at an off week!

I have a very addictive personality - but there are worse things in life right?

Your boat story was very cool. I'm nowhere near that confident yet.

[stingrayPete1977]

We have all walked ten mins from a multi storey car park with our gear on the wrong night too, It happens

Edited April 16, 2011 by stingrayPete1977

[mcnach]

[quote name='burgundymouse' post='1202194' date='Apr 16 2011, 10:18 PM']Yep already feeling the second thoughts! Turned up last week having overcome said second thoughts to be told that it was only on every two weeks and I'd turned up at an off week!

I have a very addictive personality - but there are worse things in life right?

Your boat story was very cool. I'm nowhere near that confident yet.[/quote]


worse things in life? what, like becoming addicted to buying basses?
I notice you're a newbie in this forum. Welcome, and... how much space for instruments do you have in your home? Playing live is bad for GAS, it makes you find very convincing reasons why you need another guitar that hast this or that pickup configuration, or for different strings or... And then, arriving in this forum makes it all a LOT worse.

The boat story wasn't about confidence. I was NOT AT ALL confident. But I thought "what's the worst that can happpen?". And usually, it turns out to be ok. Even when it's not ok, I go home knowing something I didn't know before. Much better than practicing in my room by myself, eh?

[Happy Jack]

Just one thought - it's not clear from your earlier posts if you have ever played with other musicians at all, i.e. jamming at home with a guitarist or a drummer at low volumes.

I have to assume that you have plenty of 'home jamming' experience, in whch case all the advice above is spot on.

BUT if you've never actually played live bass to accompany other live musicians (playing along to CDs really doesn't count) then I would strongly advise getting that sort of experience before you try getting up on stage.

I'm not trying to discourage you, far from it, jamming is superb fun and you'll learn a lot incredibly quickly. It's just that really dumb questions sometimes turn out not to be so dumb after all.

[burgundymouse]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1202214' date='Apr 16 2011, 10:41 PM']BUT if you've never actually played live bass to accompany other live musicians (playing along to CDs really doesn't count) then I would strongly advise getting that sort of experience before you try getting up on stage.

I'm not trying to discourage you, far from it, jamming is superb fun and you'll learn a lot incredibly quickly. It's just that really dumb questions sometimes turn out not to be so dumb after all.[/quote]

Abslutely - I remember the first time I got up to sing with a live band and everything was just so loud I couldn't hear a bloody thing!Never mind the fact that there was nothing coming through the moniter and I was blinded by the lights so couldn't really catch the eye of the sound guy who was asleep I think. I suspect the local jam night at the dog and duck won't be this bad. Have played a bit with friends but this truely will be a first for me . Eeeek.

And room for more gear - I have a whole house and barn in the midde of nowhre in France should London become a bit cramped. Nothing comares to the feeling of plugging in my bass over there for the first time and turning the amp up to 11. Oh wait - mine only goes up to 8. I feel an attack of GAS coming on!!!

[mcnach]

[quote name='burgundymouse' post='1202222' date='Apr 16 2011, 11:00 PM']And room for more gear - I have a whole house and barn in the midde of nowhre in France should London become a bit cramped. Nothing comares to the feeling of plugging in my bass over there for the first time and turning the amp up to 11. Oh wait - mine only goes up to 8. I feel an attack of GAS coming on!!![/quote]

you got the spirit!

[icastle]

I go to three different plug n play nights each month and I wrote this article for one of them but it describes all of them.


[i]The first time I walked into a plug and play night it looked like total chaos!
An audience comprised of musicians from different genres and different levels of musical ability, guitarists, percussionists, singers and a healthy smattering of non musicians as well.

But behind this seemingly chaotic surface there was a lot more going on.
Musicians were swapping techniques, asking questions and getting advice on everything from the best way to tune a djembe to the pros and cons of different brands of guitar strings.
With such a mixed group of abilities, some performances were better than others, but the thing that struck me was the degree of support and genuine appreciation that each act received from the audience.
Regardless of ability, everyone was there for exactly the same thing – to perform to the best of their abilities.

A few years on and I’m now seeing many of those same beginners getting up and doing some really great performances, with a few of them now easily as good as some of the session guys I’ve worked with over the years!
These nights are worth their weight in gold when it comes to networking with other musicians and I’ve seen a fair number of duos, trios and full blown bands form from these events.

For the technophobe's, there’s no need to worry about PA systems, wires, plugs and getting your sound right, that will all be done for you with the minimum of fuss so you can concentrate on your performance.
Most of these nights are pretty relaxed about musical genre but they do have an emphasis on ‘acoustic style’, so bear that in mind and don’t make any plans to perform grunge metal with a Gibson Les Paul.
Electric instruments are acceptable at most venues, provided they are necessary and in keeping with the performance. Check with the organiser if you aren’t certain.

If you find being solo on stage a lonely experience, most of these events have a few musicians who, after an obviously misspent childhood, are willing and able to get up with just about anyone and support you on stage if you need it.
Ask the organiser – they will know exactly who fits the bill.

So, Plug and Play nights – entertainment, networking, learning aid, an experience booster, a sounding board for new ideas and a musical support network all rolled into one…it’ll never catch on…[/i]

[Bloodaxe]

[quote name='burgundymouse' post='1202161' date='Apr 16 2011, 09:26 PM']So, I've been noodling along to my laptop now for about 6 months and think its about time I went out into the big wide world and met other musicians.[/quote]
Do it. I've learnt more in the last 2-3 years through Jam Nights than I have in the previous 20-odd years of bedroom noodling.

[quote name='burgundymouse' post='1202161' date='Apr 16 2011, 09:26 PM']There's a jam night in a pub not far from me tomorrow.[/quote]
Whereabouts? Not the Cherry Trees at Norwood Junction is it? There's also The Oval Tavern quite near East Croydon station, on (seemingly) every other alternate 2nd Tuesday.

[quote name='burgundymouse' post='1202161' date='Apr 16 2011, 09:26 PM']What should I expect? How good will everyone be and indeed how does it all work? Advice very gratefully received![/quote]
There's no 'one size fits all' answer to that, they're all different. My nearest (The Perry Hill Tavern SE6 on Tuesdays) is more song based & can be rather cliquey, whereas my more regular Wednesday night jam at the [url="http://www.coachandhorsesbluesjam.com/home.shtml"]Coach & Horses[/url] in Leyton E10 is much more straightforward - you're likely to just get a set of instructions along the lines of...

"Swing shuffle in C, quick change, 2-5-1, & watch me for the stops" It's only when you get to the chorus that you find out it's Flip Flop & Fly (or whatever).

Great fun, keeps you on your toes, but can be a little tense... especially if the drummist isn't all that (or you get landed with the resident loony), but when it all clicks together, it's absolutely bloody fantastic.

Pete.

Edited April 17, 2011 by Bloodaxe

[Monz]

[quote name='burgundymouse' post='1202161' date='Apr 16 2011, 09:26 PM']So is turning up alone weird? What shoud I expect? How good will everyone be and indeed how does it all work? Advice very gratefully received![/quote]

Like others have said already, take your bass with you and leave it in the car to start with and have a listen to what's happening... odds on they will have a list of the songs they play which will almost always include most of the standards. The bass player will be the friendliest of the bunch Wait until he hands bass duties over to someone that has turned up to play (and let him get his pint) and go and tell him exactly where you are at with your playing and he will probably do all he can to help you. This is how I started a few years ago and the bass player for the jam night band I met has become one of my closest friends, I even go and do bass duties on the jam nights every now and then if he cant make it.

If you have never played on stage live you will probably get flushed and your knees will knock.... a lot Try and relax and don't bottle it because the buzz you get when you come off stage is awesome and you will be hooked. I went away from my first jam determined to get "brown eyed girl" nailed Jamming will teach you so much about improvising and thinking on your feet. Blues bass lines are the staple and learn the shapes/patterns so you can just move them round the fretboard to suit the guitarists or singers key.

Above all ENJOY it