Jamming

Tips for Starting Your Own Jam

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Mike in Brooklyn writes: I have the opportunity to start up a jam in a local restaurant – they are very supportive and will help publicize etc. I’ve never done this before and wonder if your team have suggestions / guidelines on how to set up and organize?

If there are any bluegrass publications or websites in your area, advertise there, and a flyer with details could get interested people if you put them out at bluegrass events (festivals, concerts, etc.).

OK to start small to get everyone used to coming, and hopefully the fun will get people spreading the word. Try hard to make sure there is a bass player at all the jams.

Those are the basics. Problems can arise including too many people, or people who dominate, or play too loud or fast.… More Info!

Best Jamming Keys

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Joe from Indiana writes: I have started going to some jams, and have a problem when it’s my turn to sing. I know the best keys for my songs. Some are easier for me to sing in, say, B flat, but some people can’t play in that key and don’t know how to capo. In an unfamiliar group you don’t know the players’ skill levels. Would you just go ahead and sing in that key and not worry about it, or avoid those songs and sing something in a key that everyone can probably play in?

Joe,

Before settling on a key, I recommend you ask everyone “If I do it in __, would that work OK for you?” If people say no or look blank, then I suggest picking a nearby easier key.… More Info!

Remembering New Chord Progressions While Jamming

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Dave on the banjo-l list, asks: When a song is played that you don’t know, how do you:

1. Remember the chord progression?
2. If you don’t know the chord progression when you start, then how do you play backup to it?

Dave,

Starting with #2: Look at the guitar player’s left hand. If he/she is capoed in the same place as you, just match their chords. If there’s more than one guitar player, pick the one you think is most dependable, and you can see best. If you don’t have a view of a guitarist’s left hand, then move to where you do.

Now #1: Folks on the list have already pointed out the value of learning chord progressions in terms of the simple number system, 1, 4, 5 and so on.… More Info!

It’s About Jamming

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This article originally appeared in the June 2012 issue of Banjo Newsletter, and is also available as an easy-to-print PDF. It’s all still true today in 2024!

I love to jam. Jamming is truly “bluegrass in its most natural habitat”… more than performing (in a circle you can really see and hear each other). Bluegrass Heaven-on-Earth is when you’re in a good bluegrass jam. The teamwork and spontaneity are fun — bluegrass at its essence.

Almost all fledgling bluegrass musicians have a dream: being able to pick with others. Many new players start down the path of learning to play their instrument, and often get frustrated and quit before they ever reach their goal of playing confidently with other people.

… More Info!

Not Clutching at Jams

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Former camper Keith P. from Maryland writes: The months after the camp were the most productive and fun I’ve had with the banjo. I spent a lot of time working out breaks for Will the Circle, Long Journey Home, Bury Me Beneath the Willow (a personal favorite), Jesse James, I Saw the Light, New River Train, Worried Man, and most recently, I’ll Fly Away. A few weeks ago I was at a jam in Baltimore and an older banjo player, pretty good, was incredulous when I told him that I wasn’t using tab for my solos.

My biggest challenge is to play the breaks in a full-speed jam without choking. It is really hard to play the banjo with both hands around your own neck. I’m not entirely confident enough to jump in when jams go at the typical blistering speed.… More Info!