How to be a better "Jam" musician

This Instructable will be describing what steps you can take to learn to "jam", if you will, with other music(ians) without hesitation. I would assume this instructable may be helpful to anyone looking to start jam bands such as Phish, The Grateful Dead, or Disco Biscuits that involve vamping, therefore implies you know how to stay with the band while they all play the rhythm for you, or you play the rhythm for them. The things in this Instructable would be great for any musician to learn though, and would help greatly with your musician ship.

This is my first instructable so let me know about any errors and such. Sorry if there is bad grammar through out the entire thing, i am not very good with grammar it seems.

Step 1 HAVE A SOUL!

I see a lot of modern music player just run through songs without even budging, its pathetic and sad on many levels. I suggest writing your own material, and never playing anyone's songs exactly how they did it. Add your own spices to the soup as my guitar teacher used to say. Soul is what separates a good music player from a great musician. I am sick and tired of seeing kids sitting around running scales and calling it a song. So please, please, please if you take anything away from this lesson let it be this step.

Comments

[AudioMaximus]

Something to help with improvising and soloing would be to start listening to jazz music. Before The Dead and Phish, jazz musicians were the first to "jam." The solos that they played were all improvisation, and learning how they did it will really help you improve your improvising skills.

[AudioMaximus]

Here are some of my suggested artists:

-Sonny Rollins (one of the greatest improvisors of his era and instrument, the tenor sax. Listen to his most famous album, Saxophone Colossus)

-Miles Davis (the most famous jazzman by far. Kind of Blue, his best selling album, really shows great improvising by all of the musicians. Listen to Miles play as well as the two sax players, Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane)

-Chick Corea (amazing composer and piano/keyboard player. his music combines jazz fusion and even some latin-based concepts and sound awesome. his playing is very melodic.)

-Stan Getz ("The Sound". His tone and skill are one of the most memorable. Check out his bossa nova stuff.)

Those are some good places to start

[seekir]

As someone else guessed, you're referring to "key," when you use the word "octave?"

[nhecht]

I think the idea is that it's OK if you're singing or playing the same note but in a different octave. If the melody has a D, it's enough to play that D or a D in any other octave. I'm a bass, so there's not much hope of me matching any female singers exactly, but I should be able to match the melody by singing an octave or two lower and get good results, good being defined as "in tune with the rest of the song and matching rhythm, tempo, volume, etc".

[jbruce1]

Even if you have a good ear to begin with using the ear training program is an excellent idea. The process of playing by ear takes years to develop and these programs help a lot, the Royal Conservatory of Music has really good ones. They take you through clap backs (which teaches rhythm) identifying intervals (which helps you to easily recognize jumps in the music and get them more accurately) identifying chords like dominant and diminished 7ths, major and minor, and the most important of all is the playbacks. You are told the key and, depending on the grade level there may be more that one voice playing at the same time, then you attempt to play on your instrument exactly what you heard. This is very good for training because they are short and simply not long complex, full songs.

[Mesmerize]

Hey man, great 'ible. Just thought I should point out that in Step 4 you should swap "key" in for "octave". "Octave" only refers to a range on an instrument, whereas a key is the scale that notes of a song are taken from.

[dudejetfighter]

don't forget about Stevie ray Vaughn

[harley_rly]

dude i love SRV he is amazing! Scuttle Buttin' is the song that inspired me to learn how to comfortably play fast as a beginner

[euphemism]

John Frusciante. His work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well as his solo career is downright glorious. Listening to him, especially his solo career work, will expand your musicality immensely.

[RelaxedSoup]

I'd also recommend Jeff Beck, Peter Frampton, and Led Zeppelin. With Peter Frampton his later stuff is better, you might say his earlier works lacks as much "soul" (lots of ascending and descending scales). Good job on the instructable, you did a fair job of encompassing most of the stuff you need to "jam", I agree that having some soul is the most important part (speaking of which, I've found Blues have the most soul of any music, especially Jimi Hendrix's blues album).

[vandal1138]

Soul looks like a hot fart..

[crackjr]

songs

[crackjr]

this is grate because I know all grateful dead song by hart woooooooooooooo

[capt. caveman]

you forgot Les Claypool

[sonofthesouth]

dont forget The Allman Brothers Gov't Mule Pink Floyd Tool(for bassists) and for great use of effects.... Rage Against the Machine

[slimguy379]

long live Garcia

[Telcontar]

"Establish AN Instrument to Learn on" not "Establish and Instrument to Learn on"

[lasersage]

I like it man, real good advice. Everyone should jam, playing solo just isn't the same. My advice on the subject (should anyone care) No when to shut up, a drummer should come with a mute switch as standard. Listening is as important as playing. Don't be afraid, just play. I know some really good musicians, who I would rank far better than myself but by playing together I learned a lot and even taught them a thing or two. Even if you are basic they can learn something from your style. (Unless they're arrogant in which case they can piss off anyway) I never thought such good musicians would accept me, let alone be able to keep a straight face but if you just go for it then they'll appreciate your effort. A little alcohol can really help with this too, the old dutch courage :) Speaking of which much as I love weed I feel it makes me self concious and paranoid, fearful of what others might think of my music. I dearly love it but don't think it has helped any of my jam sessions

[Gypsyman]

yeah i have seen many a band practice/jam session go wrong because of people like that, i think we all do it sometimes without realizing it, but if you are just choosing to be a jerk and do it on purpose, i don't think you have much purpose playing with others, because obviously you care more about your own sound then that of the entire song.

[Rishnai]

Coming from a drummer who has also played guitar for a couple of bands, I second the mute switch idea. If it's really bugging you, maybe ask the drummer to scoot his stool way back from the set while all ya'll are talking so he can't tap. Some drummers take this badly. Others quitely scoot. That's what I always try to do, since otherwise the urge to just play a little ditty is almost too much.

I like when I'm drumming and the guitarist is using an amp with a speaker that can easily be unplugged. Then if he's a real jerk and won't shut up and focus, he does have a mute switch. And sometimes the real dense ones don't notice for a little while, then try and unplug and replug their guitar a few times to fix it.

Us: "Joe, shut up! Seriously, we don't give a damn if you can play half of "Through the Fire and the Flames. We're working on The Allman Brothers. Can we focus?"
Joe: "Well I saw Dragonforce in concert. And I bet none of you can play this part."
(unplug)

[norsehorse]

Our drummer is in a corner, slightly behind a door, and wearing ear muffs. The only thing he hears is himself, but only if he's playing really loud. And then we stop playing and he just keeps going on and on.

[codester]

For Jazz 12 BAR BLUES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!