[Harp-L] from Jason Ricci
I personally support the Pro –Jam- amateur -discouraging -jam –session-
format, and here’s why:
- First of all the Pros are usually not pro’s meaning they don’t
on average make their money or even the majority of their income from
music….they’re just guys who have been doing it a while and did there
homework a long time ago.
- Second: I went to a jam like this when I was young and had been
playing like 3 years I was 18…I didn’t sit in I just watched. It was very
much a pro jam BBQ Bob was there often and he was the deal, and Per Hanson
snuck me in the back door so I could watch… I did my home work/jamming in my
living room with friends and there guitars etc…I didn’t know about Little
Walter or bullet mics. or anything I learned a lot just by watching and the
bar sold a lot of beer on these nights cause the Jam was successful with
great players all night thus this jam went on for a number of years not
weeks.
-
- Thirdly: Even though I didn’t play for a long time(at the jam)
(like two years) the players were very supportive and I learned way more by
listening and talking to these guys then I ever could have from sitting in.
They made me tapes and gave me tips and I would ask a lot of questions at
the shows like how do you tounge block, get that tone etc….I went home and
tried these with my buddies.a lot of people probably got offended by these
attitudes and my opinion is that learning involves humbling yourself and I
don’t know if I have heard from any of those guys that got pissed and left
since…Two of the people(Kids) that didn’t get upset were myself and Nick
Curran and were doing ok these days probably because we always loved music
more than our egos
- .
- Forth: If those guys hadn’t of been so selective in choosing who
they let up to play, I probably would not have been able to define for
myself what a “pro” looked like and sounded like…this gave me something to
strive for and try to live up to…it made me want to work harder to be better
and get closer to those Little Walter songs I was mimicking to win there
approval, the bi-product of this was: I became a more knoledgable player and
got better faster. The club was The Big Easy in Portland Maine remember that
Jam Bob? You were one of the kings of this Jam at least for me!
-
- Fifth: I realize this sort of competitive environment is not for
everyone, but if were talking about turning an “am” into a “pro” this
environment is beyond essential because it breeds: humility, concentration,
perceverence and dedication. It weeds out those looking for a quick thrill-
I.E jamming in front of an audience, from those truly looking and trying to
improve themselves musically.
- Thanks so much don’t hate me because I’m beautiful
- Jason Ricci
Right, but before we get on a long train of messages here denigrating
the "blues jam hacks" and others who are trying to learn, let's add that
most "pros" probably learned NOT to do this stuff at those blues jams
(or performing poorly in their first bands!). Ya gotta start somewhere,
and the blues jams are a good place to do it once you've spent the
requisite time in the woodshed learning how to play (yeah, some folks
come out too early, screw up jams, and that's wrong too).
I think many of these jams have become showcases where the "pros" from
various bands show up and jam with each other, rather than a place where
"hacks" can learn chops and how to perform in a group setting. It's
discouraging for the ones trying to learn, because they get the dirty
looks and other negative issues (like the "pros" don't want to play with
any "hacks" in the jam lineup). Let's keep the genre alive and support,
encourage. None of you guys were born with this knowledge, share it with
those who want to learn, be careful not to put them down in subtle ways.
Think about who took the time to help you, in a long ago and far away
galaxy...
Bill Hines
-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Bob Maglinte
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 4:26 PM
To: Richard Hunter; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] San Francisco/Amateurs and pros
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Hunter" <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Harp-L" <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>; "Harptalk" <harptalk@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 11:49 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] San Francisco/Amateurs and pros
> Thanks to all who responded with offers of jams, gigs, and
> companionship on my latest trip to San Francisco. In the actual
> event, I wound up spending my time from 8AM-11PM every day on
> work-related stuff, so was unable to take advantage of the great
> opportunities offered me. I'm going back in April, and perhaps we can
> hook up then.
>
> Two of the work-related things I did in SF actually involved musical
> performances. I was asked to sit in with the band playing at a party
> for my colleagues, and I was asked to organize and lead a band of my
> colleagues playing at a company party. The first performance was very
> professional, and the second was thoroughly amateur -- at least one of
> the players had only played once with other musicians in front of a
> live audience. The contrast between the two events prompted me to
> think about a few of the things that separate pro players from
> amateurs. Here they are:
>
> 1) Pros listen better.
> Pros are constantly aware of what everyone else on stage is playing.
> They listen carefully and respond fast. I had a hell of a time just
> getting the amateurs to look up and pay attention to what was going on
> around them -- they were much too absorbed in what they were playing
> themselves.
>
> 2) Pros play less, and they don't step on the singers.
> The pros are perfectly content to play one note every minute, if that
> happens to be the right note for the song. The amateurs played every
> second, no matter what else was happening. I had to constantly remind
> the guitarists not to solo while the singers were singing, for
> example.
>
> 3) Pros don't play all-out all the time.
> Pros know that you can't climax all the time -- like Debussy said,
> music has to have some boring parts for the big moments to work. The
> amateurs played lots of notes at top volume all the time, unless I
> signaled frantically to bring it down. (See item #1 above.)
>
> The main message here is this: some of the biggest things that make
> amateurs sound like pros have very, very little to do with riffs and
> instrumental technique. It's all about listening, paying attention,
> and playing just enough to make the whole band sound good. Anyone who
> can play at all, regardless of technical accomplishment, can learn to
> do that, and make a bigger contribution to the sound of the band.
>
> As it happened, both performances were successful. With the amateurs,
> I made sure everyone on stage knew it was a party, not a concert, and
> the audience appreciated the opportunity to party with their friends.
> After all, you can't spell funk without fun. With the pros, I made
> sure not to screw up the very polished performance they brought to the
> stage, played my one big solo, and otherwise did my best to lock into
> the horn section of sax and trumpet.
>
> Thanks, Richard Hunter
> hunterharp.com
Hi.
Excellent post, Richard, and from one pro to another, it is RIGHT ON THE
MONEY!!!!! It's what seperates the men from the boys, or in a somewhat
harsher way of putting things, the average Sunday blues jam hack from a
real musician. Words of wisdom from a musician that I have the utmost
respect for!!!
Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
MP3's: http://music.mp3lizard.com/barbequebob/
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Re: [Harp-L] San Francisco/Amateurs and pros
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