I used to be a professional partier. People paid me to throw parties, and we were wildly successful. We even moved into a warehouse for awhile and ran a less than legal establih...I mean we practiced, a lot, and there was always a cold keg or three. The first thing you absolutely must have is an in at the local college/unversity and you must learn to run a great jam. 3 and outs don't cut it. The Grateful Dead were the most successful cover band in history, and for a very good reason. They let the music play the band.The intricacies, melodies on top of layers of rhythm is incredible. If you really want to get tight, loosen up. Learn to let the music express itself, and the people will come. And if you can fill the hall, the club owners will let play all you wish. But getting the college crowd is a key to success, and I don't mean the rowdy punks, unless that happens to be what you are all about. The more behemian you can get, the better because those are the trustafarians with the money. They like Hot Tuna, they love old Dead, even the younger ones who are in the know. That is what it takes to make successful jams. Let the music play the band. And find someone who likes to throw parties!

On the other hand, you can still have a good time if the local pub will let use them, because live music, good live music means at least a few more heads to guzzle beverages of the adult variety. You absolutely cannot suck. Learn the crowd, don't expect them to like you just because it is live. If the crowd is an average of 68, Bono probably ain't gonna work.Eye Ball

I used to do it. Then music school let out and the scene got flooded with the next great superstars of jazz (not). One tune would end up taking up half the set with chorus after chorus after chorus of solos. It didn't hone anything. The way to becoming a better player is to only play with players who are better than yourself. If you host jam sessions, then you will see every Tom, Dick and Harry crawling out of the woodwork. And zero to NONE of them will be any good. They'll push you, alright. They'll push you over the edge! LOL!

But I am glad that there are other places that host jam sessions. That way, someone else has to deal with those music school geniuses and "people who used to be in a band", :Santa:

I put an end to it a few years ago and now it's by invitation ONLY when we have a guest or guests sit in. It's much better that way -in my particular situation, anyway.

Good to see you posting wayne!

That's why I stay in the basement... I did some recording on my kit the other day and it was a good wake up call... I am one of the zero to none. CryBabyUnfortunately I probably won't live long enough to be one of the ones who is any good. Ah well, keep practicing, practicing and practicing. Keep on Pl

Is there room in that boat for one more ??.....:(

Literally everyone in Caro does jam nights.

There's a guy I know who owns a massive barn,

and he has walls of marshall amps, an 11 piece ludwig drumset,

3 hammond B3 organs, about 100 Fender Strats both new, and vintage.

He plays a list of about 100 songs with random friends and they take turns whipping out the moves on guitars. Jam nights are great.

Very successful in the thumb of Michigan at least. It's a band without

commitment and frustration!

Interesting topic. I've never gone to a jam night. Never had to.

My playing is divided between the Midlanders drum and bugle corps and church. I'm a snare drummer on the line. All rudimental, so it's a flam, paradiddle, triplet jam! We do all the variations on rudiments. Our latest song is California Dreamin' and it rocks...

For drum kit, I play in a church praise band, playing in front of 500 people a week who rock to Gospel music. There's a lot of churches out there looking for good drummers! If you haven't considered that option to play, consider it. Far bigger crowds than in bars.

Skip Prokop, drummer for "Light-House" with hits; a la "One Fine Morning" and "Sunny Days" plays regularly here in a church praise band.

Check out the alumni drum corps and churches in your area for some great drumming opportunities.

kelly

Well Kellyj, I like the thought but at my skill level a bunch of drunks in a "stanky" bar just might be more forgiving of my trying to get better than the 500 sober faithful who came for the Sunday AM gig and dropped a saw buck in Parson's plate expecting a good show from the praise band .. :)

Good Point Jim.

I'm not knocking any bars. I've been to my share of them and partied myself a lot...

You're right. There is a level of expectation in church bands...the fact is though, there are not a lot of drummers out there, certainly fewer drummers than guitar players. Sometimes I see ads on kijiji by churches looking for church drummers.

The drum corps gig is a good one to sharpen chops. The alumni DC movement is quite big and playing on the drum line simply requires devotion and a team attitude to play well. Should mention alumni marching bands as well.

These "other" drumming opportunities are out there and I know they are not for everyone. Just good alternatives for some who may want to check them out and play regularly.

kelly

It's not that I am against people "jamming" with one another . I have jam sessions at my house, sometimes, in that regard.

But, when I am on my gig and some kid from art school shows up and he's got a saxophone or something and then starts to take it out of the case and put it together -as if it's an automatic given that he is invited to play....They come up and start to play and it sucks, but they think it sounds great because it's the same solo that won them the John Coltrane scholarship competition.

Why can't a musician just come in and sit down and listen? Don't people listen anymore? Man! When I was young, I had reverence and respect for the more established players. It was an honor to be able to go and sit and listen to them play. I would go home and woodshed after seeing some bands play. Never once did I ever in my wildest dreams expect to be invited to sit it. And even then, I would decline if I thought I couldn't bring it.

But now, everyone has this idea that they expect to get to play -even when they can't play.

And because of music school, the compositions are getting to be like schematics. -All the notes are mathematically in alignment, and they can sight read it all down like it's nothing. Pretty soon, it won't be Berkley and Juliard getting the music school nod of respect. It will be M.I.T.!!!flowers2

Happy Thanksgiving!