It's been an intense week here at The Musician's Forum because I have received a lot of emails from many different musicians. This week I got an email from a musician who is going to be jamming with his friends soon and wanted to know how to jam better and have fun while doing it.
First off, I must say that when you are jamming with friends there is a science behind it. You must be willing to have fun and experiment with the people around you. I have put together some tips for how to have an effective jam session so that you are able to have fun.
Tips to Have an Effective Jam Session
1. Be Willing to Make Mistakes
Being a musician is not an easy task but you sometimes have to take the good and the bad. A jam session is an opportunity for you and the musicians you play with to learn and grow. You maybe playing with a musician and you are going in to do a solo and you mess up it's a good thing. Don't beat yourself up over that solo. Try again and see if you can do it better next time.
2. Jam sessions give you an opportunity to learn more about your instrument and you
Believe it or not, you will learn more about you instrument and you when it comes to jam session. You will suprized when you are playing in front of a group of friends that you know. You will see things that you could have never done before. In terms of your instrument, you will be more connected with it and understand it's limitations and uses and test different sounds and samples.
3. Be open to communication and team building
The goal if a jam session is to help musicians work together in a relaxed environment. This can be at home in a basement or a garage someones house. You could be crating a masterpiece from organized chaos. In order for that to happen you have to be open to talking with your teammates in a calm and collective manner.
Here are just a few tips on how to have an effective jam session.
-Jamie M
The Musicians Forum