This day course is about jamming together – properly! We’ll retain the fun elements but attempt to produce an overall ‘pro’ sound. This is achieved by having some structure and a professional running the show covering dos and don’ts, things you need to know (guitar and voice) and how to put all together for the jam.
It’s a structured day with a nice mix of playing and learning how to play together properly.
The overall objectives of the course are:
It’s important that we allow all players to be heard, count in with confidence, assign different parts, etc. and making a glorious sound that both lifts the spirit and gives you a tool bag of dos and don’t to apply to Jams, Open Mic nights or general get-togethers.
We’ll have an ecletic set list of songs to go through but you’ll be encouraged to bring along the songs you like to play and ones that you think the group might be interested in. Also, it would be great if you were interested in leading a song for the group i.e. being up-front and bringing the group in and singing/playing.
Before each song we’ll check the chords (and chord options for less experienced players), the rhythm and strumming/picking patterns, time signature, tempo and feel. During the songs the following subjects might come into the picture: the use of silence, how to listen to others, getting a balance of volume across the group, singing ideas, pseudo arranging and much more, scales for improvisation, etc.
Instruments
Guitars galore (acoustic, electric, even a 12 string) and voice.
Other instruments such as harmonica, ukelele, banjo, mandolin, bass, accordian, drums are, etc. are fine but instruction doesn’t cover these instruments. Volume control is essential for the day especially when mixing the volume of instruments and their numbers (plugged in and not).
Advice on singing will be looked at as part of playing guitar.
This course is aimed at the Late Beginner to Intermediate levels of acoustic and electric guitarists and bass players.
The tutor will also offer advice about singing as well and guide bass players. If we have trombones, horns, harmonicas, and the like, these guys will be left to their own devices and we’ll rely on them being able to keep up!
The course isn’t really for raw beginners; that said, most players will pick up some real nuggets from this day.
We’d like to get the group’s input on songs and lead sheets but we’ll have a bunch of classic song lead sheets to hand out or use via a projector. You’ll get these PDFs as we go through the day.
BTW, we have the materials for our Jam Essentials online course – it covered all the basics you should know or have been exposed to. Includes PDFs and video recording of the complete session. If interested, please email for details ([email protected]).
If anyone wants some video snippets taken during the day we’ll make these available to the group afterwards.
Unlike our online sessions these Day-Only courses can only accommodate limited group numbers – book early to avoid disappointment.
There’s fantastic B&B and dinners at the venue (other places are available in the area as well !). Get in touch directly with the venue once you’ve received the Joining Instructions.