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Finally started to jam with a few guys

acoustic guyacoustic guy Posts: 3,770
edited May 2008 in Musicians and Gearheads
I have been playing Acoustic guitar for three years just playing and singing alone. Now I just found an old friend and his bud. We have been playing weekly. Fucking awesome! Even thoough we are just average players its so much fun and a great stress reliever.
I have been introducing them to PJ songs and they love it. The last time they heard PJ was fucking 10 so they have a lot of caatcing up to do.
Anyone here in a band?
I want to know how you get better besides just playing over and over. I can see people getting offended if you ask them to try this or do that. People do not like to be criticized but it makes the song sound better.
Get em a Body Bag Yeeeeeaaaaa!
Sweep the Leg Johnny.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • BinFrogBinFrog Posts: 7,309
    I am in a couple of projects. In my main one, we do a fair amount of jamming, but lately are focusing on learning more covers so we can play full gigs this summer as opposed to just open mics:

    http://www.dreamt.org/spinfrog/Marc-and-Brian/ (Cheese Merge)

    My other project is much more open. We're learning songs, but we also like to jam jam for a half hour or more and just see what happens. We'll hang out in my basement and sometimes I'll kick on the drum machine, get an arpeggiated riff going through my K-Station synthesizer, throw a guitar part into a loop and we'll just go of on a tangent. We only have one thing recorded so far, and it was from the 2nd time we ever played together (like 3 months ago). You can hear an 8 minutes 'best of' recording of a 34 minute jam on my music MySpace page:

    http://www.myspace.com/brianhorwitz

    It's the one called "30 Minutes To A-Minor Funk". We just said "let's just jam in A-min and see what develops". What you hear is all in real-time with him and me on guitar, and me programming the drum machine and synth. It's very raw, but it has some cool moments.

    My recommendation: play with as many people as you can, take lessons, and practice. Find cover songs outside of your comfort zone. Dedicate time every time you practice to running through scales and other forms of practice. Sometimes in my basement I'll record audio and/or video of myself throwing some chords into a loop and soloing, or just testing out effects. When you go back and listen to/watch yourself jam, you can hear what works and what doesn't. I know it's a bit self-serving, but some of those impromptu video recordings I put up on youtube:

    http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=BinFrog

    Some stuff on there is just me, and some is w/ my buddy in the first project I linked to above.

    Just keep practicing, trying new things, learning new chords, and eventually you'll realize you know a lot more than you used to. The key to guitar (or any instrument) is soaking up information like a sponge.

    -B-
    Bright eyed kid: "Wow Typo Man, you're the best!"
    Typo Man: "Thanks kidz, but remembir, stay in skool!"
  • acoustic guyacoustic guy Posts: 3,770
    BinFrog wrote:
    I am in a couple of projects. In my main one, we do a fair amount of jamming, but lately are focusing on learning more covers so we can play full gigs this summer as opposed to just open mics:

    http://www.dreamt.org/spinfrog/Marc-and-Brian/ (Cheese Merge)

    My other project is much more open. We're learning songs, but we also like to jam jam for a half hour or more and just see what happens. We'll hang out in my basement and sometimes I'll kick on the drum machine, get an arpeggiated riff going through my K-Station synthesizer, throw a guitar part into a loop and we'll just go of on a tangent. We only have one thing recorded so far, and it was from the 2nd time we ever played together (like 3 months ago). You can hear an 8 minutes 'best of' recording of a 34 minute jam on my music MySpace page:

    http://www.myspace.com/brianhorwitz

    It's the one called "30 Minutes To A-Minor Funk". We just said "let's just jam in A-min and see what develops". What you hear is all in real-time with him and me on guitar, and me programming the drum machine and synth. It's very raw, but it has some cool moments.

    My recommendation: play with as many people as you can, take lessons, and practice. Find cover songs outside of your comfort zone. Dedicate time every time you practice to running through scales and other forms of practice. Sometimes in my basement I'll record audio and/or video of myself throwing some chords into a loop and soloing, or just testing out effects. When you go back and listen to/watch yourself jam, you can hear what works and what doesn't. I know it's a bit self-serving, but some of those impromptu video recordings I put up on youtube:

    http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=BinFrog

    Some stuff on there is just me, and some is w/ my buddy in the first project I linked to above.

    Just keep practicing, trying new things, learning new chords, and eventually you'll realize you know a lot more than you used to. The key to guitar (or any instrument) is soaking up information like a sponge.

    -B-


    Nice, That unfinished acoustic riff is great, really sounds good. Keep it going.
    L
    Get em a Body Bag Yeeeeeaaaaa!
    Sweep the Leg Johnny.
  • BinFrogBinFrog Posts: 7,309
    acoustic guy wrote:
    Nice, That unfinished acoustic riff is great, really sounds good. Keep it going.
    L


    Thanks! I have a full audio recording of it I did a couple of months ago. It's on my MySpace profile, called "Acoustic Puncture".
    Bright eyed kid: "Wow Typo Man, you're the best!"
    Typo Man: "Thanks kidz, but remembir, stay in skool!"
  • PatrickBatemanPatrickBateman Posts: 2,243
    I usually get together with 2 of my friends (1 guitar, 1 vocal) and drink beers and play for a few hours. Recently went to an open jam with 2 guitarists/bass player/variey of singers and man it was so much better. Jamming in our basement doesn't seem as fun anymore. unfortunately, my wife frowns upon me going to bars and playing drums due to the other females factor.
    If a man speaks in a forest and there is no woman around to hear him, is he still wrong?
  • StuffnJunkStuffnJunk Posts: 896
    the main thing about playing with other people is learning to do whats best for the song and not whats best for you (ie showing off).....sometimes that means playing very quietly or playing little bits with a lot of space in between or even (gasp!) dropping out and not playing at all in parts

    one time we jammed with this guy who knew every van halen lick, the kind of shit i could never do in a million years....so we're playing acoustic, and he's throwing in his fuckin' van halen licks! it sounded terrible, it didn't suit the song at all

    so on one hand he was very good, because he had great technical skill to be able to play that stuff....but on the other hand he SUCKED, because he was no good at playing what is best for the song
    "I'll tell you what: If all I had was Pearl Jam, and I didn't have another band in the world, I would not be worried. Because in there is the essence of making great music. You don't have to use it all at once, but it's there." - Neil Young
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    StuffnJunk wrote:
    the main thing about playing with other people is learning to do whats best for the song and not whats best for you (ie showing off).....sometimes that means playing very quietly or playing little bits with a lot of space in between or even (gasp!) dropping out and not playing at all in parts

    one time we jammed with this guy who knew every van halen lick, the kind of shit i could never do in a million years....so we're playing acoustic, and he's throwing in his fuckin' van halen licks! it sounded terrible, it didn't suit the song at all

    so on one hand he was very good, because he had great technical skill to be able to play that stuff....but on the other hand he SUCKED, because he was no good at playing what is best for the song
    I agree. I'm working with a drummer that doesn't understand the concept of giving other people space. I wish he knew that he'd be SO much more effective if he chose the right moments, and then blew everyone away.

    If it's not needed, don't put it there! Unless your Keith Moon.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • StuffnJunkStuffnJunk Posts: 896
    keeponrockin wrote:
    I agree. I'm working with a drummer that doesn't understand the concept of giving other people space. I wish he knew that he'd be SO much more effective if he chose the right moments, and then blew everyone away.

    If it's not needed, don't put it there! Unless your Keith Moon.
    very skilled drummers can be a pain, cuz they think just holding the beat down is beneath them and they have to throw in crazy fills everywhere..the worst is guys who idolize carter beauford from DMB (who is amazing) and they have a 700 piece drum kit like him and try to play complicated stuff like him and it sounds shitty
    "I'll tell you what: If all I had was Pearl Jam, and I didn't have another band in the world, I would not be worried. Because in there is the essence of making great music. You don't have to use it all at once, but it's there." - Neil Young
  • 12345AGNST112345AGNST1 Posts: 4,906
    StuffnJunk wrote:
    the worst is guys who idolize carter beauford from DMB (who is amazing) and they have a 700 piece drum kit like him and try to play complicated stuff like him and it sounds shitty

    Thats very funny. I dont IDOLIZE carter, but he is one of my favorites, definately extremely skilled. It is true though, Having a favorite drummer doesn't mean you have to copy them and replicate your own set based off of theirs. You just need to find your own style.

    When I first started playing drums, i wanted about 4 crashes, 3 splashes, two chinas, a cup chime, along with a set of hihats and a ride. Not to mention 4 toms and 2 floor toms. And this is when i first STARTED playing, my skill was so inadequate for the amount of drums i wanted. Currently I have a 6 piece set with 2 crashes a splash and a china I rarely use. (Hihat and ride of course) I am completely satisfied with my set and feel its perfect for me.
    5/28/06, 6/27/08, 10/28/09, 5/18/10, 5/21/10
    8/7/08, 6/9/09
  • mca47mca47 Posts: 13,282
    I don't get to play with others that often but yeah...it's a blast!
  • ironlionzion74ironlionzion74 Posts: 75
    My best days were jamming with my old band from 12 or so years ago.I still play but nothing compares to my first band.You know the motto Sex,Drugs,and Rock N Roll.The sex and the drugs made us all hate each other.Everyone with everyone elses girlfriends and drug addictions that made a few members never want to practice.All that drama and we were nothings.If that band would've made it we would all be dead by now.But yet those were some of the best times .Here is the link to some of that old bands tunes on myspace.http://www.myspace.com/rivertrip .And here are my new music pages.http://www.myspace.com/anotherviolettrust2 .And http://www.myspace.com/chrisconneracoustic
  • JordyWordyJordyWordy Posts: 2,261
    StuffnJunk wrote:
    one time we jammed with this guy who knew every van halen lick, the kind of shit i could never do in a million years....so we're playing acoustic, and he's throwing in his fuckin' van halen licks! it sounded terrible, it didn't suit the song at all

    that shit drives me mad. i play bass, but there was this guitarist me & my friends used to play with - poor bloke was gifted (Rory Gallagher/Hendrix school of guitar)...but fuck me, I cringe thinking about the stuff he played....and we were trying out covers of chili peppers-Blood Sugar songs and STP and stuff like that, and he would go off on these solos in the middle of the singer....happy memories :)

    FreeBird made its way into our sets and he was happy.....
  • MichaelMcKevinMichaelMcKevin Posts: 1,161
    JordyWordy wrote:
    that shit drives me mad. i play bass, but there was this guitarist me & my friends used to play with - poor bloke was gifted (Rory Gallagher/Hendrix school of guitar)...but fuck me, I cringe thinking about the stuff he played....and we were trying out covers of chili peppers-Blood Sugar songs and STP and stuff like that, and he would go off on these solos in the middle of the singer....happy memories :)

    FreeBird made its way into our sets and he was happy.....

    Makes me think he's both a good guitarist and a crappy musician
    Camden I '06, Camden II '06, Bonnaroo '08, Camden I '08, Camden II '08, Philly Spectrum II/III/IV '09, MSG I '10, MSG II '10, Made In America '12, Wrigley '13, Brooklyn II '13, Philly I '13, Philly II '13, ...
  • VINNY GOOMBAVINNY GOOMBA Posts: 1,816
    Great thread! Sounds like everyone in here is exactly the type of guy I'd want to play with. I'll echo them: It's as simple as knowing when to play, what volume to play it, and when not to play. Managing your own ego is tough when you have people in your band that have to show off, and be louder than YOU constantly-- competing with them only makes things worse, so you try and address any problems / differences early.

    Don't ever be a song Nazi!!! Which is, forcing your songs and opinions down everyone else's throats, and don't let your band members do it to you! If someone else in the band's song sucks-- give it a chance. Shit, give it at least 3 chances before you try and squash it. Sometimes it ends up growing on you, and no one's feelings get hurt. But what really blows, is keeping your mouth shut when you HATE something someone else wrote, and you play it repeatedly for years. If the whole band can't feel what you're playing, the energy will get sucked straight out of the performance.

    Don't ever put all your eggs in one basket! If the "opportunity of a lifetime" presents itself, go for it, but make sure you are prepared to move on if things don't work out. My band competed in the Bodog Battle of the Bands, and literally got snubbed in the very last (fourth) round of live competition. We dominated the audience vote, but the judges liked one other band better. Needless to say, we were crushed after the loss, and had nothing lined up afterwards, as all of our energy was focused on the competition. We got some good exposure out of it, and got to play some really cool venues (Blender Theater and The Fillmore @ Irving Plaza in NYC), but the loss completely destroyed momentum. 2 Months later, we really wouldn't have had our first full practice until tomorrow.

    My band is going through some re-grouping right now, as we have a few really good gigs lined up this summer, and some changes in lineup have us almost starting over. Tomorrow we are practicing, and we are literally writing down 3 songs that we want to play, each. Old stuff, new stuff, covers-- whatever anyone wants. We've had issues in the past with different people pushing their shit relentlessly in practice to get played first, so we're going to do a "song draft." Just pick the songs out of a hat, in order, and work on each song until completion, then move on.

    Anyway, here's the link: http://www.myspace.com/alphamalegorillas

    Alpha Male Gorillas - A mix between blues, hip-hop, and homemade baked manicotti! check check it.
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    Yeah I'm in a recording project (band) called Hannah's Pocket http://www.myspace.com/hannahspocket (yes I know there are no songs up, waiting for the copy right certificate too). We finally have our EP sent out to be pressed. Long long haul for sure. I find that if you can't handle constructive critism from others, then you probably are in the wrong deal. The three of us constantly make suggestions to each other etc. Sure sometimes it's tough to accept but in the long run it's really worth it.

    Playing and listening is the only way to get better for sure!

    Good luck!
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
  • All Those YesterdaysAll Those Yesterdays Posts: 2,723
    keeponrockin wrote:
    I agree. I'm working with a drummer that doesn't understand the concept of giving other people space. I wish he knew that he'd be SO much more effective if he chose the right moments, and then blew everyone away.

    If it's not needed, don't put it there! Unless your Keith Moon.


    I've been around that many times. And totally agree. People need to learn sometimes that LESS is MORE.
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

    https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
  • JordyWordyJordyWordy Posts: 2,261
    GivenToCarve wrote:
    Makes me think he's both a good guitarist and a crappy musician

    Exactly. has was both. songs suffered as a result
  • JordyWordyJordyWordy Posts: 2,261
    VINNY GOOMBA wrote:
    My band is going through some re-grouping right now, as we have a few really good gigs lined up this summer, and some changes in lineup have us almost starting over. Tomorrow we are practicing, and we are literally writing down 3 songs that we want to play, each. Old stuff, new stuff, covers-- whatever anyone wants. We've had issues in the past with different people pushing their shit relentlessly in practice to get played first, so we're going to do a "song draft." Just pick the songs out of a hat, in order, and work on each song until completion, then move on.

    good luck and nice work trying the democracy.
  • AnonAnon Posts: 11,175
    keeponrockin wrote:
    If it's not needed, don't put it there! Unless your Keith Moon.
    amen :)
  • VINNY GOOMBAVINNY GOOMBA Posts: 1,816
    JordyWordy wrote:
    good luck and nice work trying the democracy.
    Thanks, headed there right now. Hope it works!
  • PrePre Posts: 17
    I'm just 16 and I've only been playing guitar for a year, so I'm really shitty and wouldn't have the confidence to play with someone else. I just don't think I could make things happen. I'm scared of jamming with others.
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    Pre wrote:
    I'm just 16 and I've only been playing guitar for a year, so I'm really shitty and wouldn't have the confidence to play with someone else. I just don't think I could make things happen. I'm scared of jamming with others.
    Don't be. Most guys are cool and assuming they have time will show you new shit!
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • BinFrogBinFrog Posts: 7,309
    Pre wrote:
    I'm just 16 and I've only been playing guitar for a year, so I'm really shitty and wouldn't have the confidence to play with someone else. I just don't think I could make things happen. I'm scared of jamming with others.


    Most people you jam with will understand if you are new to the whole game. Playing with peope of different abilities will improve your playing a ton. Don't be embarassed, be humble.
    Bright eyed kid: "Wow Typo Man, you're the best!"
    Typo Man: "Thanks kidz, but remembir, stay in skool!"
  • AnonAnon Posts: 11,175
    Pre wrote:
    I'm just 16 and I've only been playing guitar for a year, so I'm really shitty and wouldn't have the confidence to play with someone else. I just don't think I could make things happen. I'm scared of jamming with others.
    you know, i bet if you said to the people you are jamming with, exactly what you just said to us, they would be so supportive of you and look out for you and encourage you. you have to try pretend that theres nobody there, that you can totally do it, and most of all, you need to believe in yourself. when you mess up, just keep going, ignore all of your mistakes. every single musician messes up when they are starting out, thats how we learn. keep at it, and your confidence will improve and you will be rocking their socks off in no time :)
  • AnonAnon Posts: 11,175
    Yeah, great thread!!! I've been playing at home alone for about 4 years now, and have only gotten really motivated to play a lot in the last 18 months or so... when i first started, i had a mate who was right into doing his own beats etc on programs like fruityloops and the like... he also was pretty good on the keyboard. After 6 months of jamming with him, he moved away... so hadn't played with anyone else until a couple of weeks ago at a party. was strumming away on my mates dodgy old acoustic, when another guy from work wandered over and mentioned that he'd been playing in bands for years... i never even knew he played. While he was far and away a better player than me, i was still able to show him a couple of good PJ songs to keep the crowd happy... picked up some good pointers from him technique wise too. Just a shame i didn't take my own acoustic as well...
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