Basic Jam Etiquette
Tune your instrument to standard pitch. Use an electronic tuner, or borrow one for a few minutes. Make sure you tune between songs or in another room.
The microphone moves around the circle and each person gets a chance to choose a song to lead. It’s OK to pass if you wish. When it's your turn, choose a song that’s straightforward and easy to follow. Complicated chord changes or songs that are obscure are jam busters. You’ll end up playing by yourself, which is not the idea of a circle jam. A circle jam is not an opportunity to perform and it’s not your show. It’s a community event where everyone plays along. Before you begin the song, tell everyone the name of the song and what key it's in. It's also common to tell everyone if something odd happens in the song like "The off chord in the chorus is a B minor". At some jams, the song leader takes a minute to show the chord changes to people who don't know the song.
As a song leader, you choose who takes a break or solo. Typically, you choose people in a clockwise progression from you. When the break section in your song is approaching, look at the musician who you want to take the solo and nod. If they nod back, they’ll play the solo break. If you get no eye contact from them, or they shake their head no, move on to the next person.
And to the instrumentalists, if you don’t get acknowledgment from the singer, it’s not your break and you do not play it.If you play a lead instrument and want to take a break (or solo), make sure you look at the song leader when the break is approaching. If the leader can’t communicate with you, you will be passed over. If you want the break, nod yes, and if you don’t want the break, nod no. There is a lot of non-verbal communication in a circle. Look up once in a while and see what’s going on. Breaks go around clock-wise. Each player regardless of ability gets a turn.
As a song leader, it’s your responsibility to give direction to the other musicians. When your song is approaching the end and doesn’t have a distinct and obvious ending, lift your foot to show others it is ending and everyone should stop at the end of that passage. If your song has a distinct ending (like a turn-around), there is no need to lift your foot.
Keep the beat. Timing is everything. Follow the bass or the strong rhythm guitar. Please don’t speed up. Pay attention. Jamming is also about listening too.
Know when not to play. Back off when the singer is singing, or when someone is taking a lead break. It's OK to completely stop playing and just listen during a song, especially in a large jam. Don’t play the melody over top of the singer or the lead instrument. Watch your volume! If you can’t hear the singer, you’re playing too loud! Our job as musicians is to help the song sound good, not to play so loud that you drown out everyone else. If someone else is playing too loud, it doesn’t help any if you try to play louder.
Don’t noodle between songs. Noodling is the habit of continuing to play licks in between songs. It's very distracting to the other players and can really slow up a jam. Sit on your hands between songs, until the song starts.
Don’t steal the show. A circle jam is not a showcase for you. Nobody likes a show-off, so play tastefully and be mindful of why we’re all here.
If you don’t know the song, wait before playing and listen for a bit. Maybe play very quietly until you get it. Don’t just jump in and play whatever you feel like. Remember, we’re there to help the song sound good.
If you’re new to jamming, sit beside someone with more experience. Watch and learn. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. We all love to help.
Some other helpful jamming tips…
Sometimes folks play their instruments loudly and over top of the singer. It’s annoying to those around you. Be aware of your volume and make adjustments to help support the singer and the song. Some folks strum really hard and are unaware of the volume coming from the front of their instrument, and those sitting next to you cannot hear the song. If you can’t hear the singer, lower your volume or stop playing.
Sometimes we see folks playing instrumental breaks when they haven’t been asked to. We’ve seen a singer offer a break to one person and someone else just plays right over top, completely unaware of the situation.
Please pay attention to the singer and only play the break when it has been offered to you. If you think you’re being overlooked and not offered a break, make sure you’re looking at the singer when the break approaches. If you’re not looking and don’t nod yes when it’s offered, you’ll get passed over.We’ve witnessed many times that a musician will play the melody over top of the singer, maybe to figure out the tune or they’re just unaware they’re doing it at all. This is unacceptable in a circle jam. If you want to figure out the tune, please leave the circle to do so. We’re all there to help make the song sound good.
Practice your songs at home and then bring them to the circle to play when they’re ready. If it’s your turn at the mic and you’re singing the song, everyone follows you. If you fall apart because you haven’t practiced, the whole circle falls apart. If you don’t feel confident with your song, choose something you know well or pass the mic on. The circle is not a place to practice your material.
Everyone has a different voice and a different volume level when they sing. We set the mic volumes at a nominal level, but it’s up to you to position yourself closer or farther away to maintain a pleasing volume. If you have a loud voice, move back away from the mic a little. If you have a quiet voice, move closer. Listen to yourself through the PA system. You’ll know if you’re too loud or too soft.
If you want to talk to your neighbor, do so between songs briefly, or move out of the circle. Don’t talk while a song is being played. If you find some inconsiderate folks talking while you’re playing, maybe you chose the wrong song no one else can play along to. Remember, a circle jam is not a performance for you. Your job as a participant is to choose songs that everyone can play, support the singer, and help to make the song sound good. If there’s 12 guitars all playing in the circle, it makes no sense to play louder. Then everyone will play louder and we just end up with noise. Play tastefully. Be aware of your impact on the song and the people in the circle.