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NOTES ON JAMS AND JAM ETIQUETTE
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Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D.
610-363-1939
epollak@wcupa.edu
Appropriate jam etiquette should ALWAYS be observed. If you’re a novice, stay in the background & play
quietly until you get the hang of it. (This is the musical
equivalent of "lurking.") No one is impressed by a newcomer
(or old timer) who insists on playing over everyone else’s vocals and
breaks. Rules of etiquette tend to differ from jam to jam and
especially between Old Timey and BG jams. In BG jams, all pickers
are expected to vamp or chop or play back up licks behind the vocalist
or whichever instrument is given the nod to take a solo break. In
Old Timey (OT) jams, it’s common for all banjos and all fiddles
to play the melody in unison. This behavior would quickly make you
persona non grata at a BG jam. Many OT jams frown on banjo players
with finger picks (and possibly resonators) because such
instruments overpower the more traditional-style pickers. Playing
Scruggs style at some OT jams is liable to get you ridden out of town on
an (f)-rail. Some "Folksy" jams are not jams at all but
"open circles" where participants take turns singing and
playing. It always pays to stay in the background for a half hour
or so until you can deduce the rules. BG jams will often welcome an OT
banjo player and even offer him/her solo breaks but you must obey BG etiquette
and not keep frailing, etc. over other people’s breaks.
Failure to make eye contact with the group leaders: People guilty of this sin cannot tell when the leader is
giving them the nod indicating that they are to take the next break.
Dobro players are often guilty of this sin because they are so intently
watching their fingerboards. Make a concerted effort to look up as a
break or a vocal chorus is ending because that is when the leader
may be looking for the next instrument to take his/her break.
Noodling on your instrument between tunes: Between songs, many pickers are trying to tune their instruments
and your noodling is just plain annoying. If your noodling is your
attempt to practice something, move away from the main group and
practice in a corner. If your noodling is an attempt to show everyone
how good you are, rest assured it is unnecessary. A few well chosen
fill-in licks will make point equally well. If noodling is
your way of covertly suggesting the next tune, you are better off taking
the direct approach and overtly suggesting the tune. If your noodling is
just a nervous habit, cut it out! For some reason, banjoists and Dobro
players seem to be most guilty of the sin of noodling. I'm not
certain why that is but I've noticed that when I lay aside my fiddle and
pick up my banjo, I find myself starting to noodle between tunes.
Strange, but true.
No one has ever garnered any ill will by playing too softly
or too little. The worst that will happen in
such a case is that the others in the group will chastise you for
playing too softly and tell you to play more/louder. That will
make you feel good. But if the group members have to tell you to back
off, you're likely to be insulted. This is unfortunate because it
reduces the likelihood that you will return to that jam. But if that
does happen, just say, "oops, sorry." i.e., I will
repent, and sin no more. The key to successful jamming (and to most
group playing) is to maintain eye contact with whoever is leading that
particular song. This is usually, but not always, the vocalist. In the
case of instrumentals it is typically the person who kicked off the
tune. I see lots of novices wondering why no one gives them a solo
break.
There are usually three reasons:
1) The leader tried to give you a break
but you were too busy looking at your fingerboard. (Dobro players are
notoriously guilty of this particular sin.)
2) The leader didn’t feel you needed a
solo break since you’d already (effectively) taken your
"solo" break(s) albeit while the vocalist was singing or the
mandolin was trying to be heard for his solo break. Sometimes
I get the impression that new jam participants try to play too loudly
and too much so that those standing around will know that the newcomer
has some ability and is, therefore, deserving of a solo break. Rest
assured that you can give people a feel for your skill level just as
easily with a few well chosen back up licks as you can with a raging
"solo break" played over the vocals. Banjoists get
accused of this more often than others but I have found that this
particular sin seems to be independent of instrument. Guitarists,
mandolinists, fiddlers, and even bassists commit this sin. I think that
banjoists get accused of it more because they tend to be louder.
Sometimes people overplay because they’re practicing the break
they expect to take in a minute or two. It’s OK to do that. We all do
it from time to time. But you really need to be careful to play very softly if that’s
what you’re doing.
3) The final reason you may not get a break is that the jam
leader(s) are being insensitive boors. Sometimes this is a
momentary lapse and sometimes it is a persistent personality flaw but
don’t jump to conclusions too quickly. I have heard people say
"that jam doesn’t like new comers" when I know for a fact
that is not true. Give a jam a couple of tries before deciding
that the participants are simply too inbred and unsympathetic to deal
with.
Diverse Musical Cultures
Rules of etiquette
tend to differ from jam to jam and especially between Old Timey and BG
jams. In BG jams, all pickers are expected to vamp or chop or play
back up licks behind the vocalist or whichever instrument is given
the nod to take a solo break. In Old Timey (OT) jams, it’s
common for all banjos and all fiddles to play the melody in unison. This
behavior would quickly make you persona
non grata at a BG jam. Many OT jams frown on banjo players
with finger picks (and possibly resonators) because such
instruments overpower the more traditional-style pickers. Playing
Scruggs style at some OT jams is liable to get you ridden out of town on
a (f)rail . Some "Folky" jams are not jams at all but
"open circles" where participants take turns singing and
playing. It always pays to stay in the background for a half hour
or so until you can deduce the rules. BG jams will often welcome an OT
banjo player and even offer him/her solo breaks but you must obey BG
etiquette and not keep frailing, etc. over other people’s breaks. There
is also a jam form know as the "slow jam." These are jams for
novices who are often intimidated the breakneck speed of many (but not
all) bluegrass jams. Slow jams allow the novice to get his/her feet wet
in a non-threatening, mutually supportive environment. My advice
is for the novice to attend both types. Even if, in the faster
jam, you only learn to hear the chords and chunk quietly in the
background, it helps to train your ear and might give you a chance to
"push the
envelope."
Some jams are led by
one or a few people, usually the vocalists. If you want to lead a tune
you have two options: 1) wait until the leader asks if you want to lead
a tune or 2) ask the leader(s) if you may lead one. Either strategy is
OK. Other jams are more democratic. The participants are all expected to
lead a tune and the custom is for the lead to rotate around the circle.
When your turn arrives you can lead a tune or just pass the honor.
Choice of tunes
If you are a
newcomer to a jam, try to avoid tunes that others are unlikely to know,
particularly those with complex chord patterns. This is particularly
good advice for non-guitarists. If you’re playing guitar, you’re
likely playing full chords that others can hear and the others can also
read the chords by watching your fingers (assuming that you avoid too
many bar chords. But if you’re a non-guitarist, it’s unlikely that
you’re playing full chords or that others can read your fingerboard
Sitting or Standing
As a general rule,
bluegrass jams have the participants standing while in folk and Old Time
jams they are usually seated in a circle. I’ve been to a few BG jams
where folks are sitting but I really prefer to stand. I don’t think
one can get the necessary (vocal) volume while sitting and I,
personally, find that I play the really fast tunes much better while
standing. Of course, by 4 a.m. at a BG festival, most people are too
pooped to be standing.
A Final Note
As a final plea to the "regulars" in ongoing jam sessions:
Make a point of welcoming new-comers. They are the future of the
music we all love.
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