Jamming
By it’s very definition, bluegrass music is a social genre that is played with others.
Of course, there’s nothing to stop an individual playing or learning bluegrass tunes and songs by themselves, but eventually there comes a time when most people want to get out there and start playing with others.
Everybody needs to start somewhere, and this page will hopefully give you a head start if you want to start jamming.
Finding people to jam with
ukbluegrass is the ideal place to advertise your session, or to find out about jam sessions in your area. Look in our jam sessions forum for current details.
It’s not really feasible for us to maintain a list of known jam sessions ourselves - dates or venues can change at short notice, sessions stop running without telling us, and so on, and the information will end up inaccurate. If you run a public session, post details on the forum, and whenever you’ve got any news or changes to tell people about, simply add these to the topic.
If you can’t find anything listed for your area, you could always post an “anyone fancy a pick”? message. You’ll probably find that people actually do fancy a pick, and end up having a great time.
What you need to know
If you’re new to playing in sessions, what do you need to know in advance?
Not a lot really - at least some ability to play your chosen instrument is a good start. Most people are friendly and accommodating, but they might get fed up if you keep asking ridimentary questions like “where do I find an F chord again”?
The other vital thing to know is WHEN TO SHUT UP! 90% or more of playing in a session involves backing up whoever is playing or singing lead. The idea is to make them sound good, so that they’ll help you sound good when it’s your turn.
Some sessions actually publish a list of rules which you’ll be silly to ignore. Some general guidelines about jamming can be found on this excellent web page.
Overall, playing in sessions is by far the best way to improve your playing, but if you want to get a taster of the jamming experience at home and find out a little more before jumping in for real, there are a number of DVDs available (these links will take you to Amazon).
- Bluegrass Jamming - A Guide For Newcomers. Pete Wernick and his all-star jam band teach you the ins and outs of “jam etiquette” along with the basics of music theory and handy jamming hints.
- Intermediate Bluegrass Jamming. Made especially for bluegrass pickers who want to take their jamming ability to the next level.
You may also like to check out some of the song books available.
