Jam Night Over-Reach

JustJames

Platinum Member
On Saturday (Dec 19) I am signed up for a jam night. This is an organised sort of thing, where songs are nominated in advance, and musicians and singers sign up for the songs that they are interested in.

For this one, there seems to be a shortage of drummers. So I've ended up with a week to prepare 10 songs. They're all songs that are known to me, but known as songs, not as songs that I play.

Here is the list, with where I am on the song...

Taylor Swift - Sparks Fly
OK, this one wasn't known to me. It's mostly very straightforward. The drums entry is crucial, and the structure is also key because the drums drop out and re-enter during the song. This one will be the trickiest for me. Oh, and the lyrics are 1000% teenage angst/romance and make me throw up a little in my mouth.

Jeannie C Riley - Harper Valley PTA
Pretty straightforward with some cool ghost notey stuff on the snare.

Eagles - Hotel California
This has been so much fun to learn. Don Henley does so many simple yet cool things, such as the hi hat pattern during the quiet section. I've got this about 80% down, and am loving it.

Beatles - Anytime At All
Easy peasy.

Beatles - Let It Be
One of those deceptive songs, I think, although I haven't started on this one yet.

Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
Hi hat workout city!

Tina Charles - I Love To Love
Stop and consider the lyrics (OK, "Lyrics") to this song. Here he have a woman who is keen to engage in the horizontal tango, lamenting that here boyfriend would rather go dancing. To disco music. Lady, he's a gay dude in the closet...just move on! Fun to play.

The Fortunes - Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again
Yet to tackle, but it seems pretty straightforward.

Dido - White Flag
Straightforward but with some breaks to the high hat to mix it up.

Fleetwood Mac - Say You Love Me
On casual listen it sound straight forward enough. Another song with a signature drum entry, and knowing Mick Fleetwood probably not as straightforward as it sounds.

Oh, and just to add to the challenge, Monday, Thursday and likely Friday are out for practicing because the social calendar is full. I will be doing lots of listening and thinking this week!

Wish me luck.
 
Wow !!

This is a type of jam that I have never heard of. Sounds very interesting.
I wonder how well other players already know, or how well they will learn the songs.
Typically drummers can do a reasonably good job of playing a song they have never heard.
However, singers and other musicians need to know the song pretty well.

Sounds like fun! I am very curious as to how it turns out. Please post the results for us.


.
 
Yeah, when all else fails...snare on 2 and 4, kick on 1 and 3 with eigths on the hats...and most non-drummers will say "Wow! He nailed it!" :)

But there are always the signature fills and flourishes, which I like to get as right as I can.

Expect panicky updates here from me as the week progresses and I don'!

And I will certainly update after the sesh.
 
Typically drummers can do a reasonably good job of playing a song they have never heard.

That has always been my theory but....I accepted a well paying NYE gig and I only really know 15 out of the 60 songs they gave me. Another 15 will be simple enough to fake.

The remaining 30 are all country songs which I thought should be no problem....until I listened to them. The body of the songs are pretty much a no brainer but at least 20 of them have several stops/starts in them, sometimes not in traditional places. I'm going to have to earn that money.

The good news is that I just now realized that there is no way they are going to play 60 songs in 4 hours. I mean, I know that 40ish songs is usually 4 sets but it escaped me until I wrote it.


I'm going to have to get a modified accurate list and hopefully they won't cut the easy ones I already know :)
 
I wish we had a jam like that in my area. Sounds fun.
 
It's just jam night. Even a train wreck will be ignored. Put em on your music player or phone and listen whenever you can, even if you can't play that day on account of the social stuff.
 
Your advice about listening whenever is good advice Dr. And I punched my car's steering wheel this morning when I got halfway to work and realised that I'd left my iPod at home. D'oh!

And although it's "only" jam night, it's my first time at this jam night, and I'd like to make a good impression, so I want each song to have the right feel. If the other players all take the approach of "it's only jam night" and approach it half-heartedly the resulting sludge isn't much fun for everybody.

You may have the chops to wing it, but I need to go in there with at least some preparation to pull it off.

If I come across as me being argumentative that's not my intention...just engaging in discussion.
 
Apologies if I came off as a jerk. I find that taking jam night stuff to seriously kind of ruins my enjoyment to a point, and I'm there to have a good time. I tend to just listen to the songs and learn the arrangements, and be damned with the little stuff. I just fill where it makes sense, and try to get the feeling of the songs in the ballpark. Usually everyone is perfectly happy with that approach from a drummer at a jam... But maybe yours is more of a performance than I'm imagining. If you're expected to know the songs note for note I'd find that a bit exhausting to do every week.
 
Sounds like a lot of fun but I understand your want to make a good first impression...

Seems like as long as you have time to notate the starts/stops and get the basic feel of the song, you will do well. Obviously being able to hit the "famous" fills would also be cool if you end up having time (like that high tom fill in Hotel California when the drums come back in).
 
It's OK, Dr, I've been around here long enough to know that you nowhere near the (very small) jerk contingent.

And I would have no problem watching somebody winging through a song. But as this is my first outing with this particular jam night, I want to hit it as hard as I can, with a view to being welcomed back.

And then I can reveal the truth. :)

All good.
 
As with all drumming its still a responsibility. It will be, I assume, a disparate bunch of musicians and you will have to pull iy all together by driving the songs. Sounds great.
 
I think it sounds exciting, and I agree with the idea that listening to the songs, even if it's just while driving, is helpful. Especially if you can sing along.

Have fun and make sure to get some video of you playing! I mean it. Don't argue. ;)
 
make sure to get some video of you playing! I mean it. Don't argue. ;)
Agreed - and no editing either. We want to experience the total splendour of your epic fail moments with the full stomach turning deal! (J.K.) ;)

Seriously, structure elements / arrangement familiarity / tempo. Just get those ingrained by pimping the tracks on your car stereo & enjoy the ride when you get there. Embrace the unknown, don't fear it. How you feel on the night will translate more powerfully than verbatim regurgitation. Have fun with it, & so will the audience.

Jam nights - half the players may be better than you, & the half that aren't think they are, so going the "I want to make an impression" route is an uphill climb for most players.
 
Well, at least you know what you're going to be playing, unlike some of us ... I'm going to tell the story, James, it's too funny not to.

The other week at jam night, I was sitting at the kit waiting to play. The guitarist was discussing with the other musicians what to play; the discussion didn't involve me. They decided, and were about to start playing when I shouted "Oi, what are we doing?" - I swear they wouldn't have bothered to inform me if I hadn't asked. By this time I was slightly miffed, to say the least, and when it turned out to be a song I didn't know, I asked if there was anything I should know about it - like, time signature, tempo, stops, starts, fills - and the guitarist completely ignored me and turned his back. Luckily my usual bass player was on hand (she'd largely been ignored too) to tell me that it was entirely straightforward, and sadly she was right. I spent the whole song playing 1&2&3&4& and thinking it was 3 minutes of my life I'd never get back. There are always photos from the night on the FB page but for whatever reason, there are never any of me, but next day there was, with a face like a slapped arse :D

If it ever happens again, I'm not going to ask: I'm just going to play whatever song I'm hearing in my head, and stuff the rest of them.

James, you'll be fine, you're not a scaredy-cat like me. Just don't have a face like a slapped arse while you're playing, because I guarantee that if you do even for a moment (let alone a whole song), that's the one that will make it into the photos!
 
Thanks all, for the advice and encouragement.

Jam nights - half the players may be better than you, & the half that aren't think they are, so going the "I want to make an impression" route is an uphill climb for most players.

My idea of making an impression is based on what I have always felt, and what I have seen reinforced here: That solid and unostentatious drumming is the way to go. So even if I were capable of drummy pyrotechnics (which I so am not!) I would keep them under a tight leash.

If it ever happens again, I'm not going to ask: I'm just going to play whatever song I'm hearing in my head, and stuff the rest of them.

James, you'll be fine, you're not a scaredy-cat like me. Just don't have a face like a slapped arse while you're playing, because I guarantee that if you do even for a moment (let alone a whole song), that's the one that will make it into the photos!

I shall flash my beamingest beams of smile.

And hopefully there will be video evidence. I'd like to be able to add it here.
 
I've played some of these songs James, I know you'll be fine, just enjoy the ride, wishing you luck :)

Have fun and make sure to get some video of you playing! I mean it. Don't argue. ;)

AB-SO-LU-TE-LY !!!

You've been told!

Looking forward to the video(s) ;)
 
I sounds like a different kind of jam session. It's worth a try. Let us know how it goes.
 
Just remember to ask, before your first count in..."Do you guys want this too fast or too slow".
 
If I had the choice of either listening to songs or playing along to them (and not both) I would choose listening, it seems to be the best way that I've learned pop songs anyway. Just make a playlist and leave it on rotation at work.
 
Just remember to ask, before your first count in..."Do you guys want this too fast or too slow".

Perfect.


Make sure you wear this t-shirt I just mocked up for you.


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