When to Start Looking for Jam Buddies?

ironhorse777 · #1 10-24-2014, 06:03 PM

I have been playing guitar only for a short while and my metronome has been my only companion so far. My knowledge so far includes power chords, sliding, legato, bending and Minor pentatonic scale (Very little I know). My question is do I still need to grow as a musician before looking for band mates or is this the right time?

Laird_Williams · #2 10-24-2014, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironhorse777

I have been playing guitar only for a short while and my metronome has been my only companion so far. My knowledge so far includes power chords, sliding, legato, bending and Minor pentatonic scale (Very little I know). My question is do I still need to grow as a musician before looking for band mates or is this the right time?

Depends on the Bandmates. Find some who are not TOO far ahead of you and Go! Playing with others is REALLY good for you on a lot of levels. Do it sooner and not later.

ADK · #3 10-24-2014, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laird_Williams

Depends on the Bandmates. Find some who are not TOO far ahead of you and Go! Playing with others is REALLY good for you on a lot of levels. Do it sooner and not later.

Agreed. There's no perfect time. Except now. Now is the perfect time.

posternutbag · #4 10-24-2014, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironhorse777

I have been playing guitar only for a short while and my metronome has been my only companion so far. My knowledge so far includes power chords, sliding, legato, bending and Minor pentatonic scale (Very little I know). My question is do I still need to grow as a musician before looking for band mates or is this the right time?

I would say that you need to be able to get through several songs. You don't have to have them down perfectly, but until you can play a few tunes, you can't really jam.

As has been mentioned, the key is to find musicians who are around your skill level, give or take. If you go to a jam or meet a couple of musicians and you just can't keep up, that doesn't mean you aren't ready to jam, it just means you need to find players closer to your skill level.

clintj · #5 10-25-2014, 12:34 PM

I'm all for it. It'll help you get better faster than you can alone, and better players can give you advice and pointers. As long as you can play three chords reliably, you can play rhythm for a lot of common songs.

jseth · #6 10-25-2014, 02:06 PM

Now!

What's that old line? "If you don't think you are quite ready, then you are ready... if you think you might be ready, you are way past ready..." or something like that!

I have a friend who has just started playing guitar; well, he's been messing with it and has taken a few lessons, but he doesn't really practice all that much. We were talking one day, and he actually APOLOGIZED for spending more time playing, messing around with his guitar than he did actually practicing! I just laughed and said, "Man! Playing IS messing around... that's where you figure stuff out and integrate what you've learned... NEVER apologize for actually PLAYING the guitar instead of practicing!"

I had him bring his electric guitar over to my place the other day, and we sat with our guitars and played a little... and it was hugely informative for him. He realized that he knows much more than he thought he did, but had yet to put into his playing.

Yes, it was a challenge for me to "dumb it down" and keep things really simple, play things that he could follow and handle, but that was actually fun for me, too. Explaining things is frequently a great way to both remember them and "re-learn" them...

Don't worry about whether folks are "better than you"; in a perfect world, you would always be the worst player in any group! That way you can learn so much from the interaction...

amyFB · #7 10-27-2014, 07:32 AM

Jamming with others is possibly the best thing any musician can do for so many reasons.

It is important to play with others who are similarly skilled. A better player can be inspirational, but, if you cannot keep up with their playing during a song, it can be frustrating and not very enjoyable over the long run.

Jam newbie tip:
when you enter the space, there is almost certain to be a circle of musicians.
if the circle is full, pull up a chair BEHIND the circle, sit down, and let a song or two go by.

this gives you a chance to view the group dynamics; get a sense of skill levels, and the protocols for 'whose turn is next' and 'how to get a turn on a solo break'.

Be comfortable 'passing' your turn if you aren't ready.

Only lead a song that you know from beginning to end.

Good luck!
yours in tune,
amyfb

Laird_Williams · #8 10-27-2014, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jseth

...Explaining things is frequently a great way to both remember them and "re-learn" them...

A friend of mine used to say that "Teaching is the last step of learning." You don't really fully understand something until you can pass that understanding on to other people in an effective and efficient manner.

amyFB · #9 10-27-2014, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laird_Williams

A friend of mine used to say that "Teaching is the last step of learning." You don't really fully understand something until you can pass that understanding on to other people in an effective and efficient manner.

100% agree!

ljguitar · #10 10-27-2014, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironhorse777

I have been playing guitar only for a short while and my metronome has been my only companion so far. My knowledge so far includes power chords, sliding, legato, bending and Minor pentatonic scale (Very little I know). My question is do I still need to grow as a musician before looking for band mates or is this the right time?

Hi ih...

I started jamming with people from day two of playing guitars. I've consistently striven to find players as good or better from me, and different styles.

I recommend the same to my students.

Pualee · #11 10-27-2014, 11:33 AM

Start as soon as you can. It is like free lessons, but less formal and more fun.

You find out what you need to know when you come out of the jam. All you need is someone willing to accept your skill level. They could be better than you, or maybe not, but anyone willing to work together will provide you an opportunity (maybe you lead, maybe you follow).

Bob Womack · #12 10-27-2014, 11:48 AM

My best friend and I received instruments on Christmas 1970, him drums and me a guitar. We jammed together before Christmas vacation was over and at every opportunity. We were horrible. But only for a while. Eventually we started a band and we grew voraciously.

Start now.

Bob

Random1643 · #13 10-27-2014, 07:46 PM

Good points on this thread. Get out and play!

One thing I'd add is be open to situations where jamming abilities may get mixed up. I used to go to a Sunday evening Jazz Jam at a friendly little pub. A lot of the players were kerazy advanced, very knowledgeable about theory and composition, super creative and capable guitarists. I was/am not advanced, in fact I play intuitively & often don't know what I'm doing, but I could hold down the rhythm and sing lead vocal on a bunch of swing & blues standards. Most of these guys didn't sing. But they'd expand on the basic outlines of the song and do these beautiful instrumental breaks - it was just a joy to hear. So we had kind of a partnership, some role definition that worked for very different level players? Just another angle on jam buddies. (One of my favorite memories - am in a different city/state now - that happened several times is I'd turn to one of these guys and start to explain the chord structure for the verse or whatever and he'd smile and say, "Yeah, I know, just play the song.")