Jamming with a buddy can feel a little awkward at first, but it’s truly one of the greatest things you can do to improve as a musician.
View the full lesson at Jamming For Beginners | JustinGuitar
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Hey Justin! Jamming seems really interesting and I’m looking forward to giving it a go. I have one question, though: is jamming possible and equally beneficial with different instruments (eg one person playing guitar and another playing piano)? Thanks a lot:)
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Hi Helen, welcome to the community!
Of course it is - my wife sings and plays piano and I play guitar and we play together occasionally. We do have different musical interests so have to play songs we both like but always play Christmas songs together.
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So, here I am at the end of Grade 2! Not perfect but I’m reviewing all the lessons and songs from Grades 1 & 2 and making a list of the areas I need to practice some more, like better muting on power chords. To keep myself motivated with new stuff I’ve also started to slowly work my way through the first lesson of Grade 3.
As recommended by Justin, I placed an adv for a jam buddy and, low and behold, I got a taker (and possibly another)! We met for coffee and a chat and have agreed to work on three songs with a view to arranging a jam in a week or so. I’ve chosen Clapton, Stones and The Blues Brothers subject to his agreement. I’ve now realised two things…
Firstly, we’ll only be able to do the open strings on one guitar, capo on the other idea on the Clapton song because the others use minor chords or 7ths and I haven’t covered those with capo yet (nor has he).
Secondly, I’m using the app for the songs which means that we’ll need to jam together but with the songs from the app playing as well.
Does anyone have a view please as to whether this will work OK and whether my first jam session has a reasonable chance of success?
They are the same with or with out a capo. For example open A7 is G7 Capo 2, D7 capo 7. open E7 is D7 capo 2, A7 capo 7 some with the minor chords
Ah…very good. Thanks Stitch. Justin had mentioned somewhere that some of the minors and 7ths had more difficult fingering with a capo. I must have misunderstood. I’ll give this a go so thanks again.
The minor chord using G and C shaped chords are easier using barre chords. That’s why there is no open Gm and Cm but the Em, Am and Dm shapes all work. So if the song uses a Minor chord figure out where the capo would go for the minor shape first to avoid G and C shapes.
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OK got it Stitch. I’ll see if I can work it out on my chosen songs. Appreciate your help.
Cheers
Hi Rick, thank you very much for your message. Appreciate it very much.
This is regarding the lesson titled “MINOR PENTATONIC: THE 5 PATTERNS”; to which you answered my query, but somehow, I messed up my reply and couldn’t send the text to you. Something about exceeding a quota limit for new users.
I thought I really ought to reply to you and found another way.
I follow your point better now that you have explained it along with the explanation from Dave.
I have tried to describe my understanding of what both you and Dave explained in your messages.
*Please see my reply to Dave(liaty) ==> Minor Pentatonic: The 5 Patterns - #4 by liaty
If I am incorrect in any way, please do let me know.
Thanks.
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the title that comes in at :15 says “thumb muting”
Imagine ending up kidnaped because you wanted to find someone to jam with =)))
voodoo
I haven’t left a comment up until this point, but I’m kind of confused by this lesson.
Not so much the jamming part rather than the soloing part. Thus far unless I’ve paid really bad attention the only lessons pertaining to soloing have been the ones relating to practicing on the scales, which I’ve been doing, but honestly it doesn’t feel like I’m actually creating a solo? It feels like I’m just learning which note patterns sound good, and how to make a chain of good notes, but that’s about it.
After this lesson I did come to the probably extremely obvious conclusion, that if I create chords and play them note-by-note then I can probably sound a bit better, but from my understanding that’s just arpeggios, and those haven’t been mentioned so far in the lessons yet.
Am I missing something or are the solos we should be able to construct thus far be on the level that I just described (that is, just kind of messing around with the pentatonic/major scale, and if it works it works)?
Good question and you are right we haven’t really done solos up to this point of the course.
The jamming lesson assumes that you have/know some one to jam with. I don’t! OK not quite true. I do know someone but they are so far out of my league that it would just be embarrassing on my part!
How do you know? I jammed with people who were way out of my league and it was fine for them! I would gladly jam with people who are below my level (hard to stay there for long though).
That what I thought years back when I used to go round to my friend’s (and boss) house. He had been playing for decades and was in a band with Jeremy Spencer in the early 60s before he moved to Fleetwood Mac. I learnt a lot about timing back then. I could play open chords and some standard bar chords, so he’d show me a progression that was normally cyclical and get me to lay down some steady rhythm, usually mirroring me to start with and then playing the same chords elsewhere. Once I was in the pocket, he’d start improing or playing lead lines over the top of it. Despite his experience he took the time to get me settled on the basics.
It was really hard to play with someone else to start with but it got easier with repeated sessions - we also did some at work on a Sunday night on our weekend shift before all the important work kicked off. Great memories playing Hotel California while he sailed through all the lead stuff. Then life circumstances got in the way for me and it all fell apart but that’s how it goes sometime.
Talk to the person you referenced. At worst they could say they’re not interested but who knows. Nothing to lose at the end of the day.
We all start from the same place. They will probably be happy to jam with you and pass on their experience just like they would be happy for someone more experienced to jam with them and pass on their knowledge and experience.
I know my ‘skill’ level and his!
Not sure I will get chance. He works on the rigs (away a lot) and has young kids!