Last evening, I had the pleasure and privilege of taking part in an outdoor, acoustic guitar jam session with about 8 other players. Some were guitar teachers, some were fairly new players, and others intermediate students and professional musicians.
I tell you this because I think that these sorts of gatherings are great opportunities to make new friends, and make great music--and because a LOT of learning goes on in these gatherings.
Here are some reasons I encourage all of my students and fellow players to purposefully seek out other folks to rehearse and jam with:
1) You get to meet new people and make new friends with whom you instantly have something in common: the love of music and performing!
2) Every guitar player can ALWAYS learn something new. No matter if you've been playing 2 years or 40 years, there's always a new way to finger a chord or play a riff. Going in with an open mind and a willingness to learn practically guarantees that you will go home with a new piece of guitar knowledge.
3) Along those lines, you get to hear some new songs and/or arrangements that might not have been on your radar before. I know that I walked away last evening with some new bands and new songs that I want to hear more of.
4) You can make mistakes in a non-performance setting. Jam sessions are a great place to try out a new solo, or improvise over some chords. From a vocal standpoint, you can also learn and try out some new harmonies in a "non-judgmental" setting. Everyone is there to have fun and learn.
5) Your musical adaptability and listening skills will improve. At a jam, there is a lot of interplay between the musicians, and sometimes the setting allows for multiple musicians to take solos. These are opportunities that you don't get if you only play and practice by yourself at home.
6) Finally, you get to be more comfortable playing in front of other people. As I mentioned before, it's great to be playing within a circle of supportive musicians who all simply want to have fun and hone their craft.
So how do you find other like-minded folks to jam with? Well, a good place to start is with your music instructor. He or she undoubtedly has other students whom you might be able to jam and rehearse with. Also, many communities and music stores will post announcements of "jam nights" throughout the year. You can also attend open mic nights at local venues/coffeehouses and meet other potential jammers that way.
In any event, music is meant to be fun, and an creative outlet. So find those other guitar-people, and start your jammin'! More in the video below:
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