I just saw someone talking about them here and I'm wondering what are they like? cuz I kinda want to got to one (guitar not harp i suck at harp haha). Would it be weird since I'm 14??
this is from an open mic night at our local joint. Can be a lot of fun. Can be daunting (we have a local harp player with awesome chops who tap dances at the same time! Hard act to follow). Can be embarrassing, you might wish the floor would open up and swallow you. The house band are great guys and very accommodating. Its a licensed venue, though, so you'd have to wait a few years yet!
I don't think your age will be a problem if you can find a jam at a venue that allows minors. We old farts generally like to see young folks interested in blues.
Here's a couple of "Blues Jam Etiquette" articles that'll help make your first few times easier:
coffee house or cafe open mic type jams may be a better shot for you as a minor luda. to me it's exciting to see a young person like you who is interested to get out and plug in. i was near to 20 before i even began to try playing harmonica.
i was fortunate to have a few friends who had good taste musically and also were learning to play guitar at the time. i was allowed to sit in with them early on. a strictly living room thing, which looking back was the best thing. i was just flat terrible on harp back then! but those guys reaching out for a period of time made a big difference to me. years later i began finding jams and open mics in the city i'd moved to, and a lot of where i learned not only chops but manners came from those places and nights.
more important than skill initially is etiquette. knowing how to approach the host of a jam and then how to behave on stage, these are vital things to know.
one other idea: you could use a local message board or something like craigslist and post a note that you'd like to jam with some folks. this could lead to new possibilities.
one other thing to remember is, a some places that allow live music are restaurants, which means that it's more family oriented than a straight up bar. you may get wind of a local jam at a restaurant and maybe this would be a good way to go.
i hope that at some point you consider diving into harmonica. this site's host, the formidable Adam Gussow, has a lot of resources for beginner through amateur to semi pro. on top of that he's a nice person as well, i had the pleasure of helping put a seminar together for him here in Little Rock.
good luck to you luda and i hope we continue to hear from you! ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
Like the other guys said,I would check out ones that happen in restaurants,You may talk to the host first and tell him what your skill level is so he can put you in a place where you will be comfortable,and also the folks you will be playing with.
I know that generally in these situations that most hosts want to encourage the younger generation to keep this music alive,as long as you keep your ears open as far as the music and etiquette goes you should do fine,you might get a few bumps and scrapes along the way,but so does/did everyone else.
It can also be fun to get into a band, or help form a band. My son is 14 and helped form a trio...guitar/vocals, bass and drums. They started learning their instruments not long before forming the band, but after less than a year(yes, they've lasted almost a year)they've put a couple of dozen shows, developed original material and have quite a stage show, and fan base in our little town. They've also gotten much better at playing their instruments. I highly recommend that route! They are rockers, but you could just as easily form a blues band.
ya I would love to make a band. but i don't know any drummers or bassists. I know one drummer and he speeds up. a lot. this is my attempt at a band. we did okay, but that was because we only did three songs.
Well, keep asking around if you like the idea of a band. You'll find the right folks after a while, I believe. My son's band is called Opposition. He's the bass player. I think they are on youtube.
I checked out your vid. You sound great. You play with a lot of heart. Just keep at it, and keep looking for others of like mind, you'll eventually put together a good group, I think.
if you end up in a blues jam, always defer to the gutbucket. leave out the county. ---------- Sun, sun, sun Burn, burn, burn Soon, soon, soon Moon, moon, moon
they usually go like this if your 14 play guitar and sing like louis armstrong just show up with your parents and you get to play 45-50. everyone else gets to play only 2 songs. the harp players go on last play to a completely empty house, and often dont get to play at all. come to florida they will love you play all srv numbers.
Young folks do well at non night club jams heck they usually have a whole crowd who goes to watch em, so wise house bands and venue organizers see dollar signs when a kid nails it. There is a local kid who may be almost 12 and when he hits a jam you bet 20 extra attendees come just for him. They get dinner and a couple drinks which keeps the jam alive. They don't last with the same old tired music week after week.
If you can pull off a good srv or clapton on guitar even better as the parent types know those tunes. Not the best material but it is fairly straight forward and helps a non blues crowd like the music.
My town is in need of a good blues jam. We had one started at the end of 2010 by the local blues club for the last Friday of each month. Unfortunately, the club initiated it, and then the officers never showed it any support. It wound up being an all-genre open jam. Wish someone else would take the reigns on it. ---------- Hawkeye Kane
here's a hint for helping out the jam: make sure when you do go that you and your friends/family/whatever buy something. you're too young to drink, but order a soda, some fries, whatever. if your folks are bringing you, maybe have dinner there, amek it a family outing. you needn't spend a lot, but spend something, and be visible about it.
the point of this is to support the jam. a bar or restaurant only hosts these to increase business. if nobody buys anything, the jam will go away.
at a jam i used to attend, this one young band would come each week, always bringing 6-10 fans and groupies and such. they'd show up with the band, stay for just its set, then all leave en masse. they never bought a thing. i advised them to talk to their friends about buying something, to no avail. after a while the bar banned them, saying they were underage and played too loud. legitimate concerns, but ones the bar'd been willing to overlook until it became clear they were just taking up seats.
yes this is why the last song of the set is a slow one or instrumental like peter gunn, batman, the beat goes on, etc and you introduce the band and say PLEASE TIP YOUR BARTENDERS AND WAITRESSESS! and DRINK! DRINK ALOT SO WE GET PAYED! (ok so we dont say that) and DRIVE CAREFULLY HOME! oh and WE LOVE YOU, YOURE THE BEST AUDIENCE EVER! (2 people and a dog)
I'm in the middle of a trip to Boulder Co and just got back from a jam just minutes ago. I was just a spectator, but insofar as I could tell they really do a good job of it out here, and jam nights seem to be popular with everyone all the way around.
There were a wide range of skills and talent levels to see - guys who are just starting to figure it out, and all the way up to a couple of musicians who were nothing short of amazing. Everyone seemed to be given a chance, everyone seemed to be friendly and patient and... hey! a harp player was running the show!
I saw a 15 year old guitar player who played at that venue last year who knocked everyone out.
I would say that there is a good experience and/or a learning experience to be had out there somewhere for you whatever your age or skill level. No one I bump into at jams seems too worried about age limits, and most anybody who's real will respect ability, or, lacking that, a sincere effort in its stead and until your genius kicks in.
Sugar Blue plays at this same joint tomorrow night.
Last Edited by on Jun 05, 2012 11:23 PM
Every trip that I ever had to Denver/Boulder, I had a blast. I had the opportunity to play with some killer harp players like Ronnie Shellist and Dan Treanor. I met Nick Clark and his family. All nice people and fine players.
If you get a chance, go to the jam at the D-Note in Arvada. That's a blast, too.
Here's a recording of the one I was at last night. Huntington Harmonica Club. It's about 65 percent blues stuff played. a href="http://hhcwv.com/mp3/gp20120605.mp3"> Harmonica Club Jam ---------- David Elk River Harmonicas
Working players often resent blues jams that take place on Friday or Saturday nights. They believe those nights should be reserved for paying performance gigs. If you are involved in planning or running a blues jam, you will get more good will from the local pros if you schedule the jam Sunday through Thursday.
Last Edited by on Jun 06, 2012 12:03 PM
