Jam Session Rules and Etiquette
All beginners should get this document. It's been sent to me and I'd
like to share :-)
1. Don't be a solo hog. Say what you have to say in as few choruses as
possible.
2. Don't cut another soloist off by jumping in.
3. If you don't know the tune, don't solo. Nobody wants to hear a
person who hasn't paid their dues on their horn make a complete fool of himself
by trying to make every one think he knows how to play.
4. Don't
tell the leader what to do. It's their Jam. Not yours. You can always get your
own jam someday.
5. Know when to play.
6. Know when to
sit down and chill out and enjoy the other players.
7. Have respect
for the other soloists ideas by not doodling' around on your ax when they are
playing.
8. If the other players start to riff behind the soloist,
then go ahead and join in, but remember the balance, don't cover the soloist up.
9. Remember the solo order so when fours come up, everybody gets a
turn.
10. The Bass doesn't need a solo on every tune.
11. If there is more than one horn present don't all play the melody
in unison. Use different harmony parts and chord tones to create interest.
12. When playing a Ballad, split up the choruses in half, so the
tune isn't an hour long.
13. Don't insist on staying up on stage all
night. Play your 3 or 4 songs and make room for the other soloists who haven't
played yet.
14. Never be critical of another person on the
bandstand. If you have something to say to someone about their pitch, tone,
sense of time, or what ever, wait until the break.
15. Never be a
mike hog. Always share.
16. Don't call tunes in order to impress
somebody. No one wants to hear Carla Bley Tunes with no Bar Lines performed at
the speed of Cherokee. Or Anthony Braxton tunes performed with a polka feel.
17. Learn some tunes that you love, and do them.
18.
Don't judge other people's tunes. If you hate the song Stella by Starlight,
instead of complaining about it, go sit down and take a break.
19.
As a horn player, when the singer sings don't play. It's ok to fill in between
their phrases as long as it's done tastefully.
20. Use space. Don't
play every Jamie Abersold lick that you know in the first three minutes. Save
some ideas for later.
21. Be Mature. A jam is supposed to be about
mutual respect for all the players regardless of ability, and not just a cutting
contest. There is no room for "Higher, louder, faster," types of players who
want to show off.
22. If the person ahead of you just took 8
choruses on the blues, don't try to "better" him by playing more if you have
nothing to say.
23. Play in tune with each other. Don't have the
attitude that "I'm right, Everyone else is Flat".
24. When ending a
tune, look to the Bass or piano player for signs as to which type of ending will
be used. Is it the 3 times a charm ending? Or that everybody stops at the same
time with tight cut off ending? Is the rhythm section going to put a turn around
at the end and vamp for a while ending? Turn on your radar.
I know
there are millions more so if you can think of any please let me know.
Gary, Good Luck and have fun!
Posted: Sam.
- Avril 12, 2003 at 12:23 PM