Benthic Posted June 15, 2001 Share Posted June 15, 2001 I've been jamming over blues progressions with a few guitarist-friends, and we've come across a problem: how do you end a jam. usually this happens: after about 20 minutes we get a bit bored with it and we want to end it. player #1 eventually just starts to play a potential ending. players 2 and 3 take a while to realize this, so that when they pick up on it player 1 has given up and gone back to jamming. chaos ensues, and then we're back where we started tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigLeyhFrameBand.com Posted June 15, 2001 Share Posted June 15, 2001 Maybe a little more eye contact and communication? ------------------ Thank you, Craig S. Leyh CraigLeyh@FrameBand.com Keep It Low! Thank you, Craig S. Leyh CraigLeyh@NVSMedia.com Keep It Low! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted June 15, 2001 Share Posted June 15, 2001 Craig has it right. In most groups/organizations, somebody steps up to lead (add psychology to phil. and lit.). Why not you? In a jam, that leadership involves little more than stopping. As Craig says, everybody has got to be willing to look up once in a while. I'm a big body-motion guy. When you've had enough, change your body position (I step in front of the drummer, or go from sitting to standing. At the end of the progression, start waving the head of your bass slower than the tempo. If the other musicians are looking up, they'll slow down also. At the last chord, it ends. Sometimes. Sometimes you get the "big ending" - that's everybody taking their last shot at incredible solo activity - guitar riffs flying, keyboards wailing, drums rolling (and you might as well traverse the fretboard yourself). When you've had enough of that, you need to cut them off again. I like jumping (the music stops when you land). People usually want a little leadership - it saves them the trouble of doing it. Just remember, a jam is a fairly democratic thing, so if somebody doesn't like that you stopped, go back in again!! Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benthic Posted June 16, 2001 Author Share Posted June 16, 2001 Thanks. I'll try that We probably need to get more sensitive to what everyone is doing. some of us get a bit self-absorbed while playing. Not me, of course http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianrost Posted June 19, 2001 Share Posted June 19, 2001 There's an legendary story about saxophonist John Coltrane having a similar problem. He once approached trumpeter Miles Davis and told him he was having trouble playing long, endless solos and needed a way to get out of them. Miles reportedly told him, "Take the horn out of your mouth". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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