Re: [Harp-L] Jamming Etiquette

[joe leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think Randy Singer runs abut the best jam I have ever witnessed. We  
run ours the same way. The open system. Whomsoever wants to play on a  
tune can do so. You just get in line. With us, it isn't a matter of  
getting 'teams' up in succession. The problem with that is that some  
players in a particular 'team' may not know the tunes. Then you get a  
bunch of people up there discussing what to play. Very amateurish.   
With the open system a player can decide if they can handle the tune  
at hand. AND you don't have a situation where musicians are up there  
for several songs which they can't do and then LOOSE their place to  
the next 'team'. Basically giving them NO chance to play.

I know, I know, people will say: "If they don't know any of the  
tunes, they don't belong up there". But sometimes a group of tunes  
will be played that a player doesn't know and THEN the next 'team'  
winds up with a group of tunes that this previous player DOES  
know..And possibly knows really well. There are a lot of good players  
out there and just because they may be proficient in some tunes, it  
shouldn't mean that they get left out in the cold because the tunes  
being played on THEIR set just happen to be not in their repetoire.

The main problem we have encountered is that some harp players have  
what I like to call "Harmonica-Tourettes". This is true of other  
musicians, Just substitute harmonica with THEIR instrument. Here in  
sw Fla. it's mostly 'Saxaphone-Tourettes". Guys who go all  
'Chernoble' on you. Remember, if you can't add something, don't  
subtract. Tues nite, I happened into an Indian cuisine restaurant to  
meet a friend for dinner. There was a jazz band there (with girl  
singer). I knew all of them (from different bands). They asked me to  
sit in. But since they were doing fine without me, I diplomatically  
declined. (Psst..secret..I told them I didn't have any harps with  
me).   THATS etiquette.

smokey-joe