How to avoid being a “jam buster”

The proliferation of festivals and music camps in genres of bluegrass, jazz, and world music means a big increase in opportunities for impromptu jamming with new acquaintances. When you’re playing with old friends, there need not be any rules, but groups of musical strangers benefit from some protocol.

Here’s what you need to know to promote the most fun for all and keep yourself from being one of those dreaded “jam busters.”

Before you join in, check out the scene. What kind of music is being played? If you’ve grown up thinking of everything that’s not classical music as one big alternative style, listen again. There’s a variety of different styles, each with its own way of doing things. If it’s bluegrass, don’t launch into an Irish tune or a jazz standard no matter how antsy you are to try out your latest licks.

Once you’re in, don’t take over.

If you think the level might be too advanced, try playing quietly at a slight distance from the group. They will know you are there and invite you if they wish. If not, hang back and pick up some musical ideas. If the circle tightens, however, you are probably too loud.

Once you’re in, don’t take over. It’s bad form to start too many tunes or choose obscure numbers with many chords that are difficult to learn quickly. A better tactic is to go around the circle taking turns choosing tunes—and first, ask if people know it. If you’re not feeling confident, you can always pass.

Listen! If you can’t hear the lead players, then you are playing too loudly. Be especially sensitive if there’s a singer.

Know how to count off the beginning and indicate the end of a tune. If you don’t know, just watch for a while. Making eye contact, raising a foot, or playing an obvious tag riff are some of the customary signals to stop.

Good manners vary slightly across genres, so here are some specifics.

In bluegrass, instruments alternate playing lead, rhythm, and fills. What seems like quiet noodling to you can be distracting to the ensemble effort, so just listen sometimes, or play off-beat “chunks” until it’s your turn. Find out whether the verse or chorus will be used for breaks. If you get flustered during a solo, just plow on through. Stopping will cause a musical train wreck. Contribute some tasty “fills” during the typical rests in the lyrics, but make sure someone isn’t already filling.

The ground rules are much the same for swing, though the tradition does allow for several consecutive choruses by each soloist. Listen to the other leads. Players often quote each others’ licks in a good-natured way, contrasting or echoing the previous soloist. If that person played lots of notes, you could begin with long bows, or continue on in the same mood.

In old-time and Irish sessions there’s an altogether different etiquette: the melody instruments all play simultaneously and continuously! At an old-time session it’s not uncommon for gaggles of fiddles and banjos to repeat the same tune for ten to 15 minutes. Play quietly on the outskirts till you can play the tune. Simple melodies can be an occasion for complex rhythmic bowing that can be crucial to “authentic” renditions. Texas-style fiddlers play old-time tunes, but there are lots of swing elements in their jam sessions. Soloists each play the melody several times with variations before the next player takes a few whacks.

Irish sessions (don’t use the word “jam” here, or lift a foot in the air) stick close to Irish music, but occasional tunes from the Scottish, Shetland, and Breton branches of the family tree are often accepted. As in old-time music, melody instruments play in unison, but Irish tunes are played just three or four times each, with many tunes strung into medleys. Habitual session attendees are apt to jump into a tune without a word, expecting others to fall in. Eye contact with a couple of close cronies is enough to signal the switch to the next tune.

Jam sessions can be opportunities to try out your latest licks, meet like-minded musicians, and realize what it means to play with others—as well as places to be humiliated and frustrated. But don’t worry; you’ll learn from the experience and do better next time. Be observant, pick your sessions with care. And remember, everyone inside that circle started on the outside.

—STACY PHILLIPS