Trucks Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 You know what its like, theres 2 of you having a Jam and one person is all enthusiastic playing their arse off, whilst the other person is not really feeling it because of something going thru their mind or whatever.. and has a mental block, or their fingers just dont do what they want them too. Ive not jammed much but ive been on both sides of it.. When you're the enthusistic one its dissappointing and when youre the retarded one its dissappointing & a bit depressing. Music means quite alot to me so I guess I take it all a bit too seriously when it comes to this kind of thing.... But anyway.. does anybody else get this? What do you guys do when it does happen? Coz when I have a bad Jam it totally bums me out for days. I think its different to not feeling it when you're playing a gig because no matter how shitty you feel you can normally crank out the song as its imprinted on your brain, but when you jam its improv.. I dunno.. im rambling.. Soundclick Myspace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 Let me get this straight, you feel shitty for days after a bad jam session with one person? What a waste of time! Do you two get together just to have some fun or are you guys trying to get some serious work done to create a song list for a band in the future? I have some advice: quit feeling shitty for days. It's non-productive. Shut up and play your guitar. Music should be fun... have fun! No one wants take time from his life to jam with a moody sourpuss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trucks Posted March 4, 2006 Author Share Posted March 4, 2006 I think you're absolutely right, it is a total waste of time. But im finding it hard to get back to the music is fun stage. On this particular occasion its a bit of both, just meant to be a bit of fun and also come up with some ideas to help each other out with songs we are currently working on. And when I say mental block I literally mean I could'nt play anything at all, its just so frustrating when I know i can adequetly jam along with just about anything normally. Thanks for the kick up the arse though mate, I am taking things a bit too seriously... Ive been gettin pretty hung up on the fact that with sleep, work & my girlfriend most of the time out of my day is already taken, then when I do spend time on it I expect to be productive. I guess the moral of the story is what you just said "shut up and play your guitar" Soundclick Myspace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 Originally posted by lee83: Thanks for the kick up the arse though mate, I am taking things a bit too seriously... Ive been gettin pretty hung up on the fact that with sleep, work & my girlfriend most of the time out of my day is already taken, then when I do spend time on it I expect to be productive. Sleep is important. Try to get more of it. But... I can't preach what I don't practice. For the rest of the stuff in your life... when you play music, alone or with your jamming pal, forget about the rest of the shit in the world while you're playing. Just tune out, tune up, and crank up. I guarantee you'll finish your practice with a grin because you kicked ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 The music has to be important to everyone in the band - more important than coppin' a buzz or gettin' faced, which is too often the case with bands that end up going nowhere. If the focus to play your best isn't there, lapses of professionalism are sure to happen. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 I don't play unless I'm serious about the music. I won't play with anyone who isn't, I have found anything else is a waste of my time. Always play with people that are equal or more advanced than yourself and never let yourself feel you are going backward in your music. http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 Hope you guys didn't misunderstand me that I don't take music seriously. I do. What I was pointing out to lee83 was that it's pointless to mope for the next few days because of a bad practice. Quit moping, learn from the experience, and make the next practice better. Don't misunderstand my meaning of "fun" either. I didn't mean, show up with a bong, a six-pack and an untuned guitar. When I have "fun" at something, I'm very, very productive at it. Just ask my boss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 "When I have "fun" at something, I'm very, very productive at it. Just ask my boss." I did! just got off the phone with him and he says he want's to talk to you first thing on Monday morning...seems you left a bit early on Friday and didn't say why? I just told him you had to go to band rehearsal!!! http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 Since my boss plays guitar too, we both left early on Friday for rehersal. He's a big Fender/Gibson fan just like me so I'll be bringing the new Strat to work for show and tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 It don't get any better than that KPB!! a side note... I'm sitting here doing some scales and going over some stuff for tonight. I have a little Peavy BackStage 30 no reverb and a NanoVerb for a little taste of verb on the signal...AND a huge bashing sound starts comming out of the amp!!! one of the patch chords I use to connect the NanoVerb took a dump!!! I have had that little patch chord of like 30 years!! and WHAM it goes bad ..dead short with the VOM!! wow wonder if it's still under warranty?? http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 I understood everything you said except for VOM. A 30 year old patch cord? Really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Ellwood Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 Volt Ohm Meter, checking continuity...ya at least 30 years old im thinkin it's a WIRLWIND MUSIC chord a great brand at that time.. I bet they are not even made anymore! http://www.thestringnetwork.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 Gotcha. I liked whirlwind cords. Used to have a few myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lone Chicken Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 Originally posted by KPB: Let me get this straight, you feel (expletive deleted) for days after a bad jam session with one person? What a waste of time! Do you two get together just to have some fun or are you guys trying to get some serious work done to create a song list for a band in the future? I have some advice: quit feeling (expletive deleted) for days. It's non-productive. Shut up and play your guitar. Music should be fun... have fun! No one wants take time from his life to jam with a moody sourpuss. KPB, I agree with ya. Music is something to enjoy, not something to get stressed over or depressed about (that's what work is for ). The main reason I play is because I enjoy it, and although I play my best, I know that my playing stinks sometimes, and I'm sure that same goes for just about anyone that I happen to "jam" with. Many years ago when we were kids, I played tennis with one of my brothers, and although I usually got my pants beat off of me, I still had a great time because I was doing the best I could, plus I was out there mainly to have fun, not to show anyone how "good" I was or whatever (I recall that my brother was the one who got upset when he did miss a shot or whatever). So, if I have a "bad jam", instead of getting down about it, I focus on how I can improve, and other than that I just forget about it and go on. And if the other person seems to be struggling and not "into it" during a jam session, perhaps I'l just ask them if maybe they want to try jamming some other time, or perhaps I'll ask them if there's anything that is bothering them and if maybe they want to talk about it (if they don't, then of course I don't push it, and it's back to plan "A"). Robert J. ("Bob") Welch III "If you were the only person who ever lived, God still would have sent Jesus His only Son to die on the cross for YOU, because that is how much HE LOVES YOU!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 Originally posted by KPB: Don't misunderstand my meaning of "fun" either. I didn't mean, show up with a bong, a six-pack and an untuned guitar. You mean I've been doing it wrong all these years? Seriously, though...jams come and go. The best way to get over a bad one is to have another one that's good. Better a bad "jam", or bad "rehearsal", than a bad gig "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MILLO Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 beer "Without music, life would be a mistake." --from 'Beyond Good and Evil', by Friedrich Nietzsche My MySpace Space Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MILLO Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 lots of it "Without music, life would be a mistake." --from 'Beyond Good and Evil', by Friedrich Nietzsche My MySpace Space Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino Madness Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 I sometime get bummed overnight after a bad performance but it usually just motivates me to learn something new and kick my own butt and outdo myself the next time. As Tedster put it: Originally posted by Tedster: The best way to get over a bad one is to have another one that's good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LavaMan Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Originally posted by KPB: I have some advice: quit feeling shitty for days. It's non-productive. Shut up and play your guitar. Music should be fun... have fun! No one wants take time from his life to jam with a moody sourpuss. Well, Well, Well put! Lava Man www.lavacable.com Your One-Stop Custom Cable Shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rw2003 Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Originally posted by ellwood: Volt Ohm Meter, checking continuity...ya at least 30 years old im thinkin it's a WIRLWIND MUSIC chord a great brand at that time.. I bet they are not even made anymore! I got a bunch of Whirlwind cords that date back to the late 70's... Not that I still use 'em but I can't throw any guitar gear out!!! Yeah they still make 'em! Here's their site... http://www.whirlwindusa.com/cordtour.html "Spend all day doing nothing But we sure do it well" - Huck Johns from 'Oh Yeah' Click to Listen to Oh yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruupi Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 I love playing and jamming so much, that I can usually have fun playing with people of many different levels. I am only put off by people that play to loud or try to dominate the experience. Even if every other bar is off with someone that is new to jamming, I can find enough musical moments that are fun for us as long as the spirit is there. Its when some one tries to show off ( especially some one that really shouldn't try to show off) that I get frustrated. Even then, I will try my best to find some common ground and make some music. I won't say that I don't get depressed about bad moments, I think we all do. But if you show some humility and try to take each situation for what it is, ten you can enjoy jamming alot more. It gets harder when you try to take it to the next level and try and make music for an audience. Then, the music is thought of differently. If your just jamming for fun, have fun. Don't let the thoughts come into mind that "I have been playing hard for months (or years) and that I should be better" come into it. Listen to what the others are playing, try and play parts that compliment theirs, and you shouldn't be bummed out. Unless someone is just bieng disruptive and arrogant with thier playing, I will have a good time at a jam. My soundclick site: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=397188 My YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/gruupi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gifthorse Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Bad Jams? I just break out the kazoo with reckless abandon and play super fast kazoo licks with the windows open. Then I open all the blinds and walk around naked so the ladies can see what the ruckus is about. http://flagshipmile.dmusic.com/ http://www.myspace.com/gifthorse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 If you let your circumstances dictate your attitude, you will forever be at the mercy of the next bad circumstance. So homeboy didn't play like he gave a rip the other night, big deal. Get over it and/or find someone else to jam with. I mean, it's that or you'll just have to give up playing with other people, because everybody has times where music takes a lower priority than something(s) else that's going on in their life, and rightly so. My advice is just keep playing, and with more people. You'll probably find the right situation eventually if you do, but you most likely won't find anything if you don't. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Originally posted by MILLO: beer That, combined with Flag's soon to be patented Kazoo Therapy will alleviate the stress. Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Ferrington III. Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Originally posted by lee83: Music means quite alot to me so I guess I take it all a bit too seriously when it comes to this kind of thing.... But anyway.. does anybody else get this? What do you guys do when it does happen? Coz when I have a bad Jam it totally bums me out for days.For starters, I think that whoever came up with that "you're only as good as your last gig" stuff was an idiot. Anyone can have an off day or off week or whatever and it doesn't mean jack. I also think you should work out what exactly went wrong with the jam and then work out your level of responsibility, and be realistic about it. If the other guy was not giving you anything to bounce off, then it's not as if it's totally your fault. But if you could see things going badly, could you have stopped the jam and said "can we try this in a different key" or "can you turn down a bit" or whatever was necessary to put things back on track? Are there things that you could improve in your playing and in how you relate to other musicians? Were you too cold when you started playing? Did you misunderstand the sort of music you would be playing? Did you expect too much? There's all sorts of things to take into consideration when doing any sort of "post mortem". But above all, remember that you can learn from a bad jam. You can't change the past, but you can try to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future. Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardtail Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Originally posted by Kramer Ferrington III.: I also think you should work out what exactly went wrong with the jam and then work out your level of responsibility, and be realistic about it. Exactly! Don't mope about a failed endeavor. Analyze it! Learn from it! Do it better next time. Obviously, this transcends simple guitar jamming. It applies to everything else in life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillydor Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 On the other hand an incredible number of successful bands were comprised of us disfunctional emotional head-case types a.k.a. artists, who hated each others guts. Get as emotional as you want, forget all that glass is half-full crap.My motto is "How would George Costanza react in this situation?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramer Ferrington III. Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Originally posted by Philemec: On the other hand an incredible number of successful bands were comprised of us disfunctional emotional head-case types a.k.a. artists, who hated each others guts. Err... yes. But they usually wound up hating each other after years and years of living in each others' pockets. I don't know how many bands start off with everyone hating each other. Not that many, I'd say. Band MySpace My snazzy t-shirt empire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesape Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 Far be it for me of all people to suggest that a thread has been beaten to death, but: AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! http://www.websmileys.com/sm/mad/boese088.gifhttp://www.websmileys.com/sm/violent/sterb015.gif Never a DUH! moment! Well, almost never. OK, OK! Sometimes never! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave da Dude Posted March 6, 2006 Share Posted March 6, 2006 What do you do to get over a bad jam? Uhmmm ... let me see now ... let me think about this ... errr ... how about .... Have a GOOD jam! Of course flagshipmile's idea has merit too. Gotta' geetar... got the amp. There must be SOMEthing else I... "need". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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