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Jam Etiquette

In addition to understanding the basic elements of a jam, these guidelines for etiquette are also important. To sum it up, play nicely with others!

  • Use a digital tuner. Don’t try to tune by ear. Tune your instrument before the first song in the jam, and check your tuning between songs. You may be able to tune closely by ear, but the entire group is more likely to be in tune with each other if everyone uses a digital tuner.
  • Listen, Listen, Listen: This is one of the most important jamming principles anyone can learn, and it applies to playing music with other people in any situation. Make sure you can hear whoever is playing or singing lead, and quiet your own playing down until you can. Get used to the idea of listening to yourself as you listen to the group as a whole, and this will enable you to hear how best to contribute. Before you know it, you may find that this group is sounding pretty good, and that’s one of the most rewarding parts of jamming.
  • Don’t play the melody line on your instrument unless it is your turn to take a break. The melody should only be carried by the lead singer or one instrument. (It’s OK sometimes to double up on singing the melody on the chorus if you can’t sing harmony.)
  • Fancy picking can be great but only at the right time and volume. If heads turn to see what you are doing instead of watching the lead, you are too fancy. Fills and licks are great, but keep it subtle. Leave the fancy stuff for your turn to play/sing lead.
  • Avoid noodling on your instrument between songs. It’s fine to quickly pick a couple notes to get the tune in your head and whatnot, but do that quickly. And it’s OK to quickly check your tuning. However, random picking while anyone is talking is not OK.
  • Be ready! Be ready when the circle comes around to you. If you do not know the tune – if it’s too fast or if for other reasons you do not want to take a lead – you can “pass” on taking a solo break, but tell the person next to you IN ADVANCE that you will be passing. It is very annoying to have the person next to you just not start when it is their turn, or say “pass” after the verse has started. Likewise, when it comes your turn to call a tune, be ready. Think of one in advance; don’t wait until it gets to you.
  • Make eye contact with the song leader and clearly indicate if you want to take a break (nod your head “yes”) or not (shake your head “no”) when they are looking at you for confirmation.
  • Do your best to keep in time with the other musicians. If you lose your place in a tune, just hang back and play quietly until you find your place again.
  • Avoid jam busters – songs that are outside the bluegrass genre that are unknown to the participants; songs with too many chords or chord changes; songs that have unusual patterns making it difficult to follow; songs played in a key that is too difficult for the participants.

* Heavily borrowed from Dr. Banjo’s Bluegrass Jamming Basics, and Bluegrass jamming rules to live by (or not).