Home › Forums › Blues Guitar Discussions › My first time at an open mic blues jam
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October 14, 2020 at 7:34 pm #215138
Wow, I’m so nervous, I have never played with anyone, and I have never been on a stage.
Yesterday I met two musicians because I overheard them talking at a Starbucks and I told them I was a guiter player, that’s the first time I have ever talked in person with another guitar player or musician.
This guitar player Sean told me that I should check out Craig’s list if I want to find people to jam with, he said that The Blues scene here in denver was pretty happening and that it wouldn’t be hard to find an open mic night to go and sit in.
So last night I looked on Craig’s list and found a jam happening tonight at a local club. I called the contact number and spoke to a guy named Lou who said he is in the house band and the jam is definitely on for tonight.
I’m so nervous and even a little scared, I’m gonna go and check it out but I’m not taking a guitar, I just want to see how the thing goes down, but I’m nervous because I’ve never done such a thing.
Do you have any advice for this old noob guitar player? I’m sure that many of you have done this sort of thing before.
Jon D
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October 15, 2020 at 12:47 am #215146
Well people, I did it, I took my homemade Strat down to the local bar, the guy Lou that I talked the night before walked up to me and asked me if I was the guy he had talked to on the phone, I said yes, then he asked me if I had brought my guitar, I left it in the van and I almost said no, but I told him I had brought it but I was too nervous to jam tonight, he put my name on the Jam list and showed it to me, then he said “go get your guitar man, your up next” so I did, and I got up on a stage and jammed with a group of strangers for the first time in my life tonight. I’m so glad I had the guts to do that.
I was nervous, we played Cold Shot by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Breakdown by Tom petty. I don’t know either one of those songs and I fell all over the place, played the wrong cords and lost my place, I was so nervous, there were only about ten people in the bar, but it felt like a hundred.
After those two songs the band took a break and came back in, they all told me that I did a great job and they couldn’t believe it when Lou told them that it was my very first time. They were kind and invited me back next week.
I’m glad I found the courage to face my fears and stand up there and do it.
I came home and told my family about it, my sixteen year old son told me how he understood how I felt , the elation at having faced my fear and then how I had felt like I had achieved something, that I was a part of something, that I had been accepted, he told me bout his day and how he had scored in kickball and the rest of the class had welcomed him as he rounded the bases and crossed home plate, how he understood the feeling of acceptance and that things like that can’t be bought.
My 18 year old son smiled and my wife asked me how it all went down because she was at a Zoomba class, she didn’t know that the format would be me playing with a group, she thought I would stand up there like on Americas got Talent and do my own set for an audience. I had a moment tonight, a sense of facing my fear and overcoming that because I want to be a part of something bigger, I feel relieved to have passed the threshold.
This was a big moment for me as a guitar player, a sort of realization of a dream, do you know what I mean?
How many of you have had the same sort of experience?
Jon D
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October 15, 2020 at 1:20 am #215147
Jon, thanks for sharing your story in such detail!
This might have been your first time jamming live but you certainly have the chops for it! You faced your fears and made a breakthrough, congratulations! It should only get easier from now on – not speaking from experience but that’s what I heard from the elders 😉
I wish to be able to jam with others but I can’t play well enough yet and the open mic/jam night scene in LV is pathetic. But I did enjoy reading about your experience!
🎸JoLa
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October 15, 2020 at 1:46 am #215149
Jola I have heard you play, I saw you last AM Challenge submission, and other posts of your playing, you play well and should not sell yourself short
Thanks for your kind words, It’s the support of people like you here at AM that gave me the confidence to try and get out there in the first place, I have used this site as a way to grow my confidence and force my growth as a player.
Thanks Jola
Jon D
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October 15, 2020 at 1:37 am #215148
Hi Jon,
I want to thank you for posting your story.I am new to acoustic guitar playing but not guitar playing. I started off playing classical guitar and have had similar experiences playing classical at various events. I remember being at a charity event where the person running the charity was being celebrated for his achievements and contribution. Out of the blue one day, he asked me to play a live set during his recognition and award ceremony, there was around 500 people there.
I was terrified and spent the few days prior to the event practising the various pieces I played that day. They weren’t perfect but I managed to perform the pieces reasonably well.
When it comes to acoustic blues and lead guitar I have found a guitar player near where I live and every 2 weeks we get together and jam. He is an experienced player and has a number of albums available online.
It has taken me a long time to get away from reading tab and copying someone else’s music. The years of classical playing had me focusing on sheet music and tab rather than true improvisation. In fact improvisation and classical guitar don’t seem to go well together. Now I try to forget the tab unless the music is fingerstyle like Mississippi John Hurt where some tab structure is helpful.
Now I try to focus on true improvisation, finding the key of the song and trying to follow based on chord shapes and scales as well as memorising licks in various keys. I find a good way of practising is to use backing tracks but sometimes they go on for 10 mins and I have played all the licks I know in 30 seconds! I guess its just building up confidence and knowledge.
Thanks again for your experience, we all gotta start somewhere and I feel you have been very brave and wish you the best of luck and confidence if/when you have another shot at it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
–Frank
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October 15, 2020 at 1:52 am #215152
Thank you frank for taking the time to read my post and respond, I am glad to be a part of this community where we can share our experiences.
This thing I just did was really scary, I had a cold sweat on my back before I stepped up there and my hands were actually shaking.
The guys at the jam were really kind and supportive and made me feel welcome.
I’m glad to share about it here
Jon D
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October 15, 2020 at 3:16 am #215154
Well done Jon. I must say I’m surprised you haven’t played/jammed with anyone before because you’re such a competent player. Fantastic that you faced your fears and got up and gave it a shot. I bet they were impressed. Listening to your jam the other day when your family was asleep highlights that you could sit down with anyone. Due to my classical training I have performed live on many occasions (but this is going back 30 years) and it was always with sheet music in front of me. The fact you can get up and improvise is really what it is all about, something I’m finally realising and trying to work on. Keep at it Jon, your little story here is an inspiration. All the best!
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October 15, 2020 at 10:42 am #215167
Right on Gary, thanks for the vote of support.
Sitting alone in my room making videos was good preparation, and all the while I knew that I was playing with the intention of taking that to a jam situation.
Brian’s teaching and his latest inspirational videos are the foundation of my playing confidence. Nobody was impressed all that much and I know that I have to work even harder, but Brian says to play with other musicians that are better than yourself, and even though most of you guys are better than me, I cant look over at you in a jam and see your signals of where your hands are like I could last night.
What an entirely different experience.
Tell me Gary, for me, someone who has never played Classical but would love to learn a piece or two, whet is a great starter composition to learn?
Jon D
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October 15, 2020 at 6:14 am #215158
Congratulations, Jon, it’s a big brave step. I’ve only played live twice, once for a backyard barbecue I hosted for my staff and friends. Pretty friendly crowd but I remember my fingers feeling like glue and jello at the same time. I also played the Wind Cries Mary at a recital (first one since I was 8 years old!) and was convinced I had forgotten the entire piece just before I went up but then muscle memory kicked in. It’s pretty exciting. Don’t think I’ll be going to any bars or jams until this current situation is resolved, however.
John-
October 15, 2020 at 10:54 am #215168
Right, I felt very much the same as you did, I thought about what would happen, as I sat there, what I would feel and think if I didn’t get up and do it, and knowing how hard I can be on myself I thought it was better to face the moment than to live with the consequences of not doing it.
Ever since I came to AM I have been preparing for this sort of thing, getting ready, training, what is all that about if I turn and run away from the challenge.
It seemed silly to me that I was so scared, I have already made an ass of myself, failed on songs, messed up right here on Active Melody and then posted the videos for all to see, nobody had anything bad to say about it and I was bracing myself, but everybody has been so supportive, You and others have really helped me grow and fueled my drive to keep going.
Thanks for helping a brother out John, thanks for congratulating me, I know that I could not have taken what seems like a giant step last night without the support of people like you and the rest of this beautiful Active Melody community.
My hope is to continue to grow, and to help and inspire others here and elsewhere to play guitar and share music with each-other and the world.
Jon D
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October 15, 2020 at 11:23 am #215172
Brave move on your part Jon! You are good enough to play anywhere you want,and now you have some experience doing it! I played weekly at a hometown local bar with another guitar player that sang the songs,and I just played open and Barr chords to R&R oldies!It was all 1-4-5 progression so no worries! This was in my early twenties,and we knew everyone in the bar,so it was just a lot of fun and of course free drinks along with the $10.00 a night pay!! lol
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October 15, 2020 at 11:43 am #215177
That’s so cool, I had to pay for my beer last night!
Thanks for sharing your story, do you remember when you had never done it, did you think that maybe you never would, how did you end up doing it the first time?Do you still gig? Are you in a band?
Jon D
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October 15, 2020 at 11:34 am #215175
Way to put yourself out there Jon. You’ll get more confident each time you do.
James
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October 15, 2020 at 11:52 am #215178
So nobody asked me what songs I know, and we played Breakdown by Tom Petty, Crossroads by Clapton, and Cold Shot by Stevie Ray.
Those are songs I’m familiar with, but never sat down and tried to learn.
You might have seen here on AM some of the songs I have learned, I’m going to call some of those out the next time I go to the jam.
This would be more gratifying to be able to play something already know and I am working on my singing too because I want to eventually front my own band.My current goal is learning a song a week, and producing at least one video for my YouTube channel, I might step that up to two songs a week and two videos with one night a week playing out at the jam.
I’m feeling inspired Bro, I want to be in a band.
Jon D
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October 16, 2020 at 5:12 am #215224
Hi Jon. Sorry for late reply. A bit tricky to name a composition for someone wanting to try Classical Guitar mainly because the technique, especially for the right hand is quite different. The wrist is arched, fingers generally facing down, the need to grow your nails and the ability to change between free stroke and rest stroke when needed. However, possibly ‘Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring’by Johann Sebastian Bach is one you could try as it is mainly a two part piece with steady bass notes and a very flowing melodic part. There are different arrangements on You Tube and manuscripts you would be able to download if needed. Let me know how you go. Only too happy to help in any way and with your work ethic and skill base I reckon you’ll be fine. All the best!
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October 16, 2020 at 8:30 pm #215309
Thanks Gary
Jon D
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October 16, 2020 at 1:54 pm #215272
That’s so cool, I had to pay for my beer last night!
Thanks for sharing your story, do you remember when you had never done it, did you think that maybe you never would, how did you end up doing it the first time?Do you still gig? Are you in a band?
No Jon,that was a long time ago,as I’m 78 yrs old now!I was invited to go on stage with my friend,and we split the pay,Ten each!After about the third song,I calmed down,and just chorded along with my friend!I can’t sing a lick,so my part was easy! Like I said,we knew everyone in the place,and they were jitterbugging to our mostly fast R&R songs (Hot Pastrami,Whole lot of Shakin going on,Little Richard,Fats Domino,etc,etc) That was my two man band experience!! lol Lasted about one year,and I got Married,and that was that! Had a blast doing it!!
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October 16, 2020 at 8:31 pm #215310
So cool, right on Sal, I love to hear the stories man.
Jon D
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October 16, 2020 at 6:36 pm #215299
Congrats Jon! That is so cool you got to play with a group in front of a live audience. Sounds like Sean and Lou gave you the nudge that you needed and there ain’t no stoppin’ you now!
I played rhythm guitar and sang backup as a kid way back in the 60’s. We played parties, dances, some battle of the band gigs and even a teen nightclub where we each got $15 a night. We practiced once a week either at my house or the keyboard player’s house across the street and had a set list of about 50 songs. We did popular Beatle, Stones and Animals songs and stuff by the Yardbirds, Rascals, Paul Revere, Them, Wilson Picket, Donovan, Tommy James, Monkeys, Buffalo Springfield…the list goes on. You’d get butterflies before going on but the most nervous time for me was our High School senior dance. I was just a freshman and my sister was a senior and our band wanted to do “Little Latin Loopy Lou” by Mitch Ryder. That was the only song I sang lead to. I felt a lot like you did but fought through it and we had a blast! The band knew my friends plus my sister’s were there and gave me that nudge to come out front for a moment.
I wish you many of those moments and more!
MikeMike
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October 16, 2020 at 8:28 pm #215307
Right on mike, thanks for the well wishes.
It’s sort of backwards for a guy at my age (51) to be just starting down this path, I wanted to do it when I was a teen, I learned box 1 of the blues scale when I was 11 and I took guitar lessons for about three months.Now here I am 40 years later starting all over again and it’s great, I’m having a blast.
Jon D
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October 16, 2020 at 8:29 pm #215308
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Jon D
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October 17, 2020 at 9:58 am #215339
Congrats on doing your 1st open mic night Jon. I’ve yet to be good enough or know enough to climb up on to a stage to play guitar though I have got up and sung with a band but that was many many years ago..
..Billy..
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October 17, 2020 at 1:12 pm #215343
Billy you would do just fine I’m sure, I’m not good enough to a lot of things, singing, singing and playing, in some cases just playing, but making music is about sharing, and the band will carry you through.
This is something I learned that night, and I didn’t know that until I got up there and did it.
I think you’re a great player billy,
Jon D
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October 17, 2020 at 1:36 pm #215345
Hi Jon.
That must be a fantastic experience. Not any recording of it?
I’ve never did that and I would be really scared to do it, but I know is a MUST in any musician (amateur also).really congrats for doing that with such good feeling.
rgds
David B
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