Yesterday I attended to a blues concert at my town with a friend. After that we decided to go to a jam in a club near his home. I had never been to a jam session before and my harmonica teacher had told me that I should go so I thought that it would be nice.
The club was full of people, a really nice place. There was a lot of people who could play A LOT and a young girl who could sing awesome. That was the good part. The bad part is that I was waiting for a long time to play, the club was getting empty and then they called the 3 harmonica players in there. One of them had his harmonica mic and there were 2 other voice mics on stage, so I thought that we could use one mic each. Instead, we had one mic to share, and it was a disaster: we couldn't hear ourselves and it didn't sound enought without cupping it. When we cupped it the sound technician decreased the mic volume, so when the jam organizer asked us to play at the same time with just one mic nothing was sounding.
Also, they choosed the song "Roadhouse blues" which is not a 12 bar blues. This is not necessarily bad but not good for me because I was a newbie there. So I decided not to play more during that song and wait for the next one. When Roadhouse blues ended I talked to the jam leader if it would be possible to use the other 2 mics (I was also carrying my 545) and he told me that we had to cut, so we didn't play anything else. I understand that everybody has to play but I felt quite disappointed having to wait so much to play for 5 minutes. I think I won't go back there, I should look for a jam with less people in it.
I know that I'm just a complaining newbie, but I had to tell somebody.
Well, good for you for going, they might not be the best place to showcase your talent but I find them to be invaluable lessons in patience and a prelude to what it like getting a gig! My first jam, I had a similar situation, and the only song I played was "Chain of Fools." Hang in there kiddo, and try it again. Even Charlie Parker had a poor first experience at a jam and look what he turned out to be.
O.K. spend the next week shedding nothing but 'RoadHouse Blues' and next time turn up with your own mike and a bullish attitude. cheers, Mark.
Last Edited by King Casey on Apr 12, 2013 4:49 AM
Felip - Don't let it get you down. It's all part and parcel of being a musician. Just keep turning up and putting your name down. Keep working on tunes you hear them playing.
I vividly remember the first jam I attended. They had a house band with a harp player and wouldn't let me get up at all. This went on for about six weeks or so and every week they gave a different excuse. After a while I was getting fed up with it, so I asked if I could get up in the break and play some harp whilst my friend sang. They said "just the two of you?", we replied "yeah just us two". They said ok and I could see them all sat at the bar laughing at us as we made our way to the stage. My friend sang three numbers as I played Sonny Terry style harp. When we finished the crowd went nuts. The following week as I walked in the door, the harp player handed me his mic and said "We're in the key of A".
Last Edited by Kingley on Apr 12, 2013 5:53 AM
Nice to read about your experiences :-). I think that I have to attend to some sessions to hear what they use to play and study that.
By the way, yesterday I was happy because I played several songs in a concert with my professor. We recorded them, I think that I am improving. http://www.goear.com/listen/9e9d8b4/everythings-gonna-be-alright-hoochie-coochie-man-danny-boy-raul-t-bonsky-felip-nada
When I moved to Orlando, I had the same experience w/local "blues heroes". Even though I have a strong reputation and years of experience, Orlando had never heard of me, so I got dissed the same way by the "house band"....until I won the local Mars Music Blues Harmonica contest. Then I was welcomed to the stage...
many times you have to prove yourself again and again in new situations before the doors will open...perseverance. ---------- The Iceman
These guys are so right! I spent a lot of hours sitting and waiting to play on 3 songs, sometimes not getting up at all and sometimes being rushed through unfamiliar material and almost shoved back off stage afterward. A patient and determined attitude, backed with some good basic harp skills, will take you places. I have a quiet demeanor off stage but when I get up and especially if I get to sing as well, I tend to shock bands and audiences. This took many years to develop and a big part of that was paying my dues at jams.
My current projects are a duo with my wife, we're working on our next all original cd now, and I am also a harpman/singer with Bluesboy Jag and the Juke Joint Zombies. I did not get to these great projects overnight. I seem to have won some respect at least from a few people over the years. Hard work and frustration have led to some extreme musical happiness in my case. ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
@felip It sounds as though the jam you attended is not especially harp friendly, and that they asked the harp players up together to go through the motions of allowing all jammers to play.
The lack of good monitoring and the idea of all harp players playing at once on one mic is problematic. Mic sharing by harp players is not uncommon, but usually people take turns with the mic. If the mic is set hot for vocals, it may feedback if cupped, so turning down the mic would be the normal thing for a sound man to do. You could play acoustically in front of the mic on the stand. You would need to learn how close to get without causing feedback.
If you find yourself playing on a stage and have trouble hearing yourself you can use an earplug in one ear (or close one ear with a finger), and you can hear yourself better. Wear a plug in both ears if the band is really loud.
Were any other harp players up earlier, or were all harp players grouped at the end? Sometimes they save unknown musicians for the end, because they want the maximum entertainment for the crowd.
If you don't sing, you get stuck with whatever someone else calls. It is much better to get to call the song than gamble on someone else picking something you know. Also, singers are usually called up before the end because jams are full of instrumental players, but fewer musicians are there that can sing and entertain the crowd.
If you lead the song you need to be able to explain it to the band. There is a good RJ Mischo video about leading pickup bands, and playing it instrumentally until the groove is established is a useful suggestion that I have followed.
It is good to learn to play other kinds of music as well as blues. Roadhouse Blues is not too far from blues, and with minimal practice I am sure you could play to it.
Jams are often a gamble, since you don't know with whom you will play and what the song will be. The skill of the players on stage varies widely, and the material allowed at many jams goes way beyond 12 bar blues.
If you keep going to jams it will help your playing and your confidence. Don't give up. If they continue to treat harp like they did, then find another jam. You gain experience and meet other musicians at jams. Sometimes bands will form at jams, or maybe just friendships and players that get together for small group jamming at someone's home.
Even really good players who are not known to the jam leaders have to pay their dues at jams until their ability is recognized and accepted. Hang in there, and keep jamming! ----------
Wow, what a piece of crap blues jam. Felip, if there are any other jams in your area I would suggest you never go back to that crap hole. Maybe if they get a new host...
If it is the only jam in your area then the advice above is all good. I guess you can get some benefit from getting abused by a snotty host and getting five whole minutes on stage.
I know a little about this. I have hosted Denver's best blues jam for nearly four years. It attracts lots of players and fans because it is fair and fun. Players get up and play generally in the order they signed up. We get top local and regional players as well as newbies. The fun is in the mix.
There are lots of great blues jams around Denver... usually eight per week. They all use basically the same format I do. Maybe all the different jams around Denver are the reason a jam like the one you describe could never survive here. Nobody would show up except the host's cronies, and I doubt that would be enough to keep it going.
It ain't nothin' but fun. Otherwise it is a waste of time.
