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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
"Jam Hack" The Definitive Meaning !
"Jam Hack" The Definitive Meaning !
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Frank
4146 posts
Apr 09, 2014
6:50 PM
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We have all encountered "Gus" a term which was popularized over at (harp-L)
"Jam Hack" seems to be another great term for describing bad behavior of sorts.
Can "Jam hack" be credited to MBH...Did Bob coin the word?
And can we please all pitch in and genuinely try to come to an agreement on what precisely being a "Jam Hack" means.
This may be one of the most important discussions ever on any harmonica forum to date, so please - think about all the players that will benefit from others insights into this matter of what exactly is a "Jam Hack" :)
All players young and old, Pro and Amateur can share their stories and advice of what they think being a "Jam hack" actually means!
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slackwater
43 posts
Apr 09, 2014
7:25 PM
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I've not come across the term in real life.
I wouldn't like to think of the word, jam, being part of anything derogatory though because, although the word itself seems to have been perverted these days to mean an "open mic" session, to me it still means playing and improvising for fun, often with people you wouldn't normally play with.
So, "jam hack" ? I'll say it's someone who can't resist jamming! As in a "political hack" being someone who can't resist being overtly political.
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1847
1681 posts
Apr 09, 2014
7:55 PM
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all i know is this
i looked up the word in the dictionary.
and their was a picture of me. ouch!
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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1847
1682 posts
Apr 09, 2014
8:05 PM
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
Last Edited by 1847 on Apr 10, 2014 7:23 AM
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Jehosaphat
724 posts
Apr 09, 2014
9:39 PM
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I think of a Jam hack as someone who:
plays endless go nowhere solos and completely ignores what is going on around him.3 minute songs turn into a 5 minute dirge.
Or will call a song in Eb ,or somesuch.
Drummers who just plain can't keep time nor stop playing fills.
Bass players who give credence to the rumour that they would all rather be lead guitarists but failed.
And keyboardists get a special mention because they seem to be the only guys who ( in their own eyes)are expert 'real' musicians and because they have hauled in a ton of gear, expect to be allowed to play on every set.(No queuing for them).
None of the above applies to any newcomer at a Jam but i have personal experience where guys who are jam veterans never learn.
Am i guilty ?Yes for my first couple jams now i am so far the other way i am almost invisible.^
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Littoral
1068 posts
Apr 10, 2014
7:51 AM
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... what Jehosaphat said and:
Perhaps you're familiar, a guy does his "thing" and your general impression is that it was some sort of effortful noodling with the only real connection to western music being that he seemed to have chosen a harp that was in the right key. Any discussion regarding harp influences and/or technique is met with, "I made my own style".
...there's really not much available after that.
Last Edited by Littoral on Apr 10, 2014 7:51 AM
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JustFuya
56 posts
Apr 10, 2014
8:08 AM
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How about Blowgarts?
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barbequebob
2523 posts
Apr 10, 2014
10:49 AM
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Jehosaphat and Littoral are pretty close in the meaning of a jam hack, but it ain't just drummers who can't keep time, because it applies to EVERY instrument on the planet and not just the drummers alone.
It can also mean at times, a musician in an open jam who brings in tons of gear that's far better than their overall chops are (and this is very common).
Another is a musician who not only has horrible time, but always plays louder than everyone else regardless of the dynamics and pays attention to just THEMSELVES AND NOTHING ELSE, which reminds me of a a line from the late, great comedian George Carlin once used, which was "Hey, I look cool in the storefront window!"
Open mic and open jam have come to mean pretty much the same thing and quite often you'll see all of the above things happening.
A classic jam hack move that I hear harp players do far too often is play at the same volume the vocalist is at, and worse non stop riffing all over the place, stepping all over everybody and everything and the pro rule of thumb when you are backing a vocalist is NEVER to be playing at the same volume that the vocalist is and doing that is also a big reason why people who play other instruments absolutely hate harp players because too many of them are guilty of doing it and refuse to own up that crap.
In the so called special invite/pro/snob jams, you will generally see musicians on the bandstand with generally be a MUCH higher level of overall musicianship (a fair amount of them will be either pro or near pro level players) and so many of the things you see listed for a jam hack will RARELY be happening or tolerated and you can learn quite a lot more from being in those jams than with most open jams, but when you're new to them, if you don't get called up the first to even fifth time you go there, don't start bad mouthing people because that's giving an attitude of being entitled, which ain't gonna fly, so that means you're gonna need to learn to compartmentalize things and avoid taking things personally but at the same time, be respectful and even ask questions and many of them will only be too glad to help you (which is kinda in a way like you're job hunting where the game is networking, which pros ALWAYS do) and can actually lead to being an opportunity to be in a REALLY good band.
I certainly did not invent the term at all and I first heard this at an open jam some 25 years ago. In another thread, Adam had referred to jam hacks as jam sluts, which is basically saying a jam hack you keep seeing at every open jam within a particular area.
Having both participated as well as run an open jam, many of those hacks can either be OK to deal with as long as their ego isn't in the way of everything or they can be an absolute nightmare to deal with, especially if they're slobbering drunk or high and/or with their friends/relatives/significant other/posse and with that type, unfortunately, there's no truly polite way to deal with them.
Such a term doesn't just apply to harp players alone, trust me when I tell you that. I'm sure I'm gonna hear some flack, but I'm OK with it.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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STME58
751 posts
Apr 10, 2014
1:59 PM
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"gear that's far better than their overall chops are (and this is very common)."
When I used to race slalom, we called these guys "Porsche Drivers" . Not everyone who drives a Porsche is a "Porsche Driver", and not all "Porsche Drivers" drive a Porsche, but you get the idea.
I can remember many conversations with other drivers of beat up English cars wistfully imagining that a car would be given you based on your ability rather than your disposable income. However if that were true in the harmonica world, I would be playing Folkmasters rather than Promasters and Crossovers.
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Frank
4149 posts
Apr 11, 2014
1:35 PM
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"Jam Slut" I'm speechless, is anyone brave enough to google that? :)
Last Edited by Frank on Apr 11, 2014 1:35 PM
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Mojokane
751 posts
Apr 11, 2014
3:00 PM
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We have them here in Hawaii, too. Not a super terrible thing to have. Perhaps, there are those of us, who can admit, we were one briefly, too.
Here's my buck and a half, while I wait for any of you to respond to my other thread I just started...
Though...it is the responsibility of the ring leader to curb these types of cats from getting tooo over confident. Often times they have no clue.
Which hosts need to make clear. Open mics are a gambit, too. You're often times are stuck with hacks. And being nice rarely works. Harsh words are often more compassionate and caring. If done tactfully.
As a host to a weekly gig. I have experienced this lately. I have alot friends who I like to showcase.And they add to the over all show I am trying to put together every week.
Jam Hacks could mean, those who after a few times of being allowed to sit in, and not necessarily in an open mic setting, will become fixtures, expecting to get up every time. I like to see them as "friends" who drop by to support the scene, too. But now I have to nicely tell them to sit out...others need to get up. And there is only so much time.
And, one never knows who will drop in. It can get crazy.
On top of that, they most times contribute little in the way of patronizing the bar YOU have worked hard to build clientele for. The same clientele who buy drinks and eat food.
The venues who support the scene need to see revenue, to justify you being there at all. So...every empty seat is critical to their bottom line. The term hack could also refer to those of us who forget to neatly put thier guitar/gear "stuff" in the corner, and not leave it on a usable table.
I know this because I was once a JAM HACK myself. I was fortunate enough to have friends tell me the proper jam/sit in etticate.
I have my one night a week with some really good musicians. It's a gas.
My advice.Get your own thing.Learn how to sing, then front your own band.
Be more aware of friends who have their own band, too. Support em without expecting to get up. Get out and network. And even turn them down, when they ask...it's a courtesy. Hell, you don't want to steal the show, either! Then they'll never ask again!
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Why is it that we all just can't get along?<
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