The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by JazzPadd
    Thanks for sharing your experience, and I wish you all the best at the next one!

    Just curious, what tunes were called by who at this session and which one(s) did you play on?
    The band leader is really good at keeping things organized and a good mix of strong players to keep the weaker ones (me) in the song. I played on a few "things ain't what they used to be", "easy living", "Sugar" (a Stanley Turentine Blues I didn't know but wasn't too hard to keep up with). I have been keeping a list of the songs that are called and will try to learn from that list. Mostly the classics: bye bye blackbird, there will never be another you, all the things you are, all of me, that old feeling, summertime. I recognize most of the tunes and can name about 2 out of 3...with my repertoire knowledge that means they've been pretty standard. Each person gets to call a song when they first come up, then it's either the band leader suggesting a few or the horn players will call one out.

    The set up is a little intimidating because it's basically drums, bass, guitar holding things down and singers and horns for solos...of course the rhythm section gets their solos too. It's intimidating because I have to cover all of the comping when others solo and if (when) I get lost it's hard to find my way back in. But, that's the guitar's role right?

    I've be

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  3. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by AaronMColeman
    The band leader is really good at keeping things organized and a good mix of strong players to keep the weaker ones (me) in the song. I played on a few "things ain't what they used to be", "easy living", "Sugar" (a Stanley Turentine Blues I didn't know but wasn't too hard to keep up with). I have been keeping a list of the songs that are called and will try to learn from that list. Mostly the classics: bye bye blackbird, there will never be another you, all the things you are, all of me, that old feeling, summertime. I recognize most of the tunes and can name about 2 out of 3...with my repertoire knowledge that means they've been pretty standard. Each person gets to call a song when they first come up, then it's either the band leader suggesting a few or the horn players will call one out.

    The set up is a little intimidating because it's basically drums, bass, guitar holding things down and singers and horns for solos...of course the rhythm section gets their solos too. It's intimidating because I have to cover all of the comping when others solo and if (when) I get lost it's hard to find my way back in. But, that's the guitar's role right?

    I've be
    Thank you so much for replying! It’s a joy hearing about such experiences.

    Good leaders are a blessing, especially at a mixed level jam session. Sugar is a lot of fun at jams, and not too difficult. I don’t lead jams, but I do call that sometimes, although it’s not a well-known tune around these parts. Aside from Things ain’t…, Easy living, and That old feeling, the others you listed are common at jam sessions here, too (I’m in Japan). There must be a fascinating history of how those standards made their way to other parts of the world!

    I do the same as you, keep a list of tunes called at jam sessions and work on them a bit for the next one. Jam sessions, at least for me as an amateur hobbyist, are more or less the only times I play out.

    One of the sessions here has a similar setup, a house band with bass and drums, but with piano. I’ll join several tunes on guitar. On occasion, it’s a quartet if I play the head, but when there are singers and horns in the house, it’s a little challenging to not clash with the piano, especially with a busy pianist. The last few times I turned down the volume and played acoustically Freddie Green style, more for drive than outlining the harmony.

    I hear you about feeling intimidated being the only comping instrument. The jam sessions I play at are OK with reading, and usually vocalists hand out their own charts. But it can still be intimidating being the only comper, especially with horn players who like to play outside or mess with the time across bar lines and more so if the bassist switches to a pedal tone. Getting lost in those situations can be a real trial by fire!

    There’s one monthly daytime outdoor jam session here in a park near a shrine that gets some foot traffic, perhaps it’s similar to the session you played at. I imagine those settings have some impact on what gets called. Most of the jam sessions I go to are at small mom and pop shops. They have perhaps a different vibe; not so much playing for an audience (those shops have concerts, etc., at other times), but more for and among musicians, joined by an occasional colleague, customer, friend or family member, and sometimes students of one of the players.

    Thanks again for sharing your experience. I hope to hear about your next jam session. BTW, there’s also some threads about jam sessions in the From the Bandstand forum, if you’re interested.

  4. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by AaronMColeman
    The set up is a little intimidating because it's basically drums, bass, guitar holding things down and singers and horns for solos...of course the rhythm section gets their solos too. It's intimidating because I have to cover all of the comping when others solo and if (when) I get lost it's hard to find my way back in. But, that's the guitar's role right?

    I've be
    With a good pianist, the worst thing that can happen is you lay out, everybody likes your generosity and taste, and the pianist covers things.

    Well, I guess it's not really the worst. Worst would be getting lost, not realizing it and playing wrong things loudly.

    When there's no pianist a couple of things change. One is that you can stop worrying about phrasing with the pianist (who may not be worried about phrasing with you). You also have more freedom to vary the chord changes. It's liberating, in those ways.

    OTOH, everybody is relying on you and there's nobody to hide behind. The solution is to make sure you can play the tune with good time. So, no stumbling over chord changes. You have to know the tune well enough that you aren't likely to get lost. And, you have to pick some kind of rhythmic pattern that works - that includes some pretty simple patterns like Freddie or charleston - so you need at least that much.

    I always find it takes a tune or two for me to get my sound, particularly if a pianist leaves early. My first few measures always sound strange and I have to acclimate.

    Last point. Everybody gets lost sometimes. The trick is getting back on. Hopefully, you can tell where 1 is from the drums and bass and somebody is spelling out changes. Corollary: When somebody else gets lost, help them!

    Also, when the other players start playing with things, like wilder variations in chords or playing with the time, it can be seriously difficult.