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Location: south east Michigan | In the "Cool Story" thread Stellarjim mentioned that he has put together a guitar club in his small town. Has anyone else done this that can offer some advise on how to get started?
Thanks,
Brad |
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Location: Western PA | Make that two of us interested in the Guitar Club concept. I understand the best way to improve is to play music with others and this sounds like a way to make that happen.
Mike Stull |
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Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | Brad and Mike:
I'll email you guys a copy of my flyer so you can check it out. I'm really just getting started but at this point, things look very positive. For example, I've discussed the possibility of having a couple of our club members play at intermission of the plays for the local community theater. We're already booked each week for Jan and Feb. For this, I pair up a veteran with a young player. The veteran has fun and the young person learns a lot and gets a chance to play in front of a crowd and show his stuff. |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | I, with the valued help of Poway Music Store, formed a bluegrass jamming club in Poway, CA in the 70's. We jammed on Sundays at Lake Poway Park where we would set up some sound equipment so the amatuers got to hear themselves in a gig situation, and played gigs here and there usually gotten through the store, we even participated in parades by renting a generator and powering our sound equipment on the back of a truck decorated with signs and featuring 10-15 members playing bluegrass standards (only way to keep 5 banjo players together). We were very well received as you could hear us coming for a mile, we cranked the PA up on LOUD. Any way it was pretty successful as we had a total of maybe 30-40 on and of participants and 15 or so die hards who would never miss a jam. We also had a fans who went wherever we played, and some small bands of pickers who played pretty regular. The best gig I remember was when we played for a National Quarter Horse competion at a Poway Horse arena attended by a big crowd. We had a big bluegrass band and it went over well. Again, I would suggest a tie in with a music store if you can get it, it benefits both ways.
Bailey |
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Location: south east Michigan | Stellarjim,
Yeah, a copy of the flyer you used would be great. I think the hard part is just getting in contact with the people sitting in their living rooms with the same idea. We just need to connect.
I was in Sam's Club last week when a guy comes up and says, "Hey, you play an Ovation?". I thought, do I know this guy? Then he pointed at the Ovation denim shirt I was wearing. Perhaps this could have been the start of the club. But we live an hour in opposite directions.
Maybe if we all wore Ovation shirts we could spot eachother out in public. Talk about wearing your heart (just to the right) on your sleeve!
My e-mail is BPBDS@I-IS.COM.
Thanks a bunch.
Brad
p.s. I like the two hour format you have set up. :) |
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Location: south east Michigan | Baily,
Thanks for the input. I have thought of offering my help to start a club with our local recreation department. However, I worked on a project with them for two years and got a lesson in local politics. It was kind of a sour note.
To get to the point where members of the group could play in front of people is really cool. But the idea of "me" getting up there would scare the bejesus out of me. The last time I played for a crowd was when I was 18 and front man for....are your ready?...CAPTAIN YO YO and the SEADOGS. :eek:
Brad
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Location: Fort Worth, Texas | I've arranged get togethers at my work in the past, unfortuntely we are unable to do that at our current facility. I knew a couple of people already that I would get together with regurlarly to jam. I sent an e-mail around for people to bring thier guitars or any other instrument and we would gather once a month in the lobby after hours and play songs. I got to know some co-workers a lot better, several of which I never knew played or sang (one becoming a fast friend and is the great female vocalist/songwriter in our band, she had never played in a band before!). Several times some one who hadn't participated would drop in while leaving or working late and we hand them a guitar and I would be impressed, again someone I would never have approached about music.
All of that eventually led to me and some of the others being in a band now and playing around town - something I had never down before, after years of playing/not-playing guitar.
Another catalyst to the band geting together was some of the "office" gang finding a comfortable open-mic night to get up in front of folks. Now know several people in the local music scene...
Also, I have made many dear friends over the last 4 years by going to the Kerrville Folk Festival and falling in with other campers. The summer festival is an 18 day event, where you can pitch your tent and get to know the other campers, and sit around campsites all day and campfires all night just to play or listen to music (oh, there is the performers that play on the main stage Thurs-Sun and kid's shows and the likes at the small stage). Our group of campers had expanded it to include not only the two Kerrville festivals but birthday weekends an Octoberfest, etc. all up and dwon the state of Texas.
Finally I try to have a couple of get togethers a year at our house, invite all these people from all these different places and we have a great time doing a music circle under the pecan trees in the front yard!! |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | All of you
Do every thing you can to promote jamming. That's how it works and the rewards are greaaaaat. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Never really liked jamming, don't know why exactly. I like listening to jams sometimes. Most fun I have if playing at a jam is to play bass. It's not my main instrument, so I don't really care what it sounds like. I don't think I have ever heard anyone play my favorite tunes at a jam, and I know few covers, probably none all the way through. I haven't learned a cover tune or played one on purpose (in a band) in well over 10 years.
I do like the idea of a "guitar club." For me it would be a great place to listen to music. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Most of what I have learned was from just being with a bunch of friends. Music lessons have helped to move me along a little farther. To me having a "jam session group" requires a pretty high level of talent. If I could get a group together were we can just share the songs we know best, I would be happy. Like in tennis...you have to play with someone better to get better.
Clearly there is a very high level of talent of this board. Sometimes I look at my instruments as Formula One race cars that I don't take over 85 MPH.
Brad
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Miles and Slipkid
"Jamming" is not playing with no structure, you can spend time preparing for a public "jam" getting organized and getting familiar with the songs. Private "jams" are rehearsals for public performances. Our jam sessions at Poway Lake were relaxed and geared to the new guy who wanted to try out his wings and fly with the feeling that if he crashed we would stop and start over, (secretly they were participating in a typical band rehearsal where you work out the parts). We played gigs with those that were able to get it together and many came out of the "jams" with a song or two that they could step up and play at a "real" gig. The difference between "jammin'" and "gigging", is you can't stop at a gig and make a correction, the song must go on to the end with no interruptions, if you falter somebody has to rescue you and keep the train on track. Our rule of law was that, at a gig, the song must go on uninterrupted no matter what.
Bailey |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Bailey I'm not clear on what you are trying to say. |
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Location: Fort Worth, Texas | I guess I used the word "jam" rather loosely. Our "jams" are more what Bailey describes. We teach each other songs, anyone is free to join in and play along. I almost always throw out some three or four chord songs that most players can follow along with and probably have heard before. A lot of times one person plays an original or something not easy-to-folow along with and everybody else listens.
We seldom do a bona-fide jam that last for 20 minutes. Although, I find the the band, the four piece that actually plays gigs and has rehearsals to work the songs out, in rehearsal almost always plays around and jams for a little while if somebody just starts a chord progression going. Only problem is when it's the mandolin player and I can't look at his hand and figure out WHAT THE HECK he's playing. I'm getting better at that
:)
A Guitar club does sound like a great idea... |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | "Our "jams" are more what Bailey describes."
I guess that is why I didn't understand Bailey's post as that is the only "jam" I know about. It looked like he was inferring something else... That's our Bailey :rolleyes: There is the "everybody plays a lead for 10 minutes" jam, but that should only be done once a night if at all. ;) |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Miles
I was talking about the jam sessions for the fun and edification of the musicians, where the atmosphere was geared toward learning and enjoying, and the paid gig where you and your band mates were expected to play some flawless songs to earn the nights pay, and even more so to present some exciting breaks and vocals that will get the crowd stomping and clapping. Those things don't come from jamming, they come from practicing and organizing and they generally involve experienced talented players. They are never as much fun as jamming but the applause is nice.
Bailey |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | "I was talking about the jam sessions for the fun and edification of the musicians, where the atmosphere was geared toward learning and enjoying"
Ok... yeah those are the ones I prefer not to play in, but love to listen to. I have had such a blast at Al's house during the couple of Jams I've attended and at the HFC and OFC nights I have been to also.
I like the structure and disipline of the band atmostphere, where you "learn" the material at home on your own time and "rehearse" to work on the act, and just make the songs smooth and tight as a group. |
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Location: NJ | if anyone in the NJ/philly area wants to get together send me an e mail |
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"Guitar Clubs"
