I finished Beginner Grade 2 about a month ago, and have been working on consolidation. (I also recently did my first AVOYP post here: First post, first AVOYP - Driver 8/REM).
I wanted to try jamming with another guitarist, and I was finally able to get together with a friend who plays. I wasn’t particularly aware of his history as a musician prior to our jam session; turns out he’s played guitar for over 20 years and is really fantastic!
Although I was a bit apprehensive, given the big difference in our skill levels, this turned out be a great person to jam with! Not only was he able to immediately jump in and play the songs I’ve been working on with me (soloing over my strumming, etc.), but he was, of course, able to show me a lot of things to work on, and gave me a ton of useful tips. I was grateful for his patience and his camaraderie. We had an absolute blast!
All this to say: I had some doubts about how useful I would find the experience of jamming with another musician, but (as Justin said when he discussed jamming in the lesson), it’s really one of the best experiences on this journey! If you’ve been on the fence about giving it a try, you should absolutely jump in.
My friend and I are already talking about getting together again to play some more.
Great to hear that you found a buddy to jam with. I agree the amount you get out of it is incredible.
The first time I did it I was terrified, but the experienced play will nearly always help you settle down and enjoy the experience.
Learning to do anything with someone who does it well, allows you to make such speedy progress
I’m always astounded by the willingness of musicians (well, guitarists anyway) to spend their time helping and encouraging players way below their level. This community is a great example
It is always the best to do something with someone who’s better than you at it
You get backed up, you learn things, and you’re less responsible for failures
I jam from time to time with my friend, a sax player, who’s a real pro, and I always enjoy it immensely.
