[For Guitarists] A Guide to Participating in Jazz Sessions

favorite_borderLast updated:2024/8/5

• GuitaristSudo Ryo
  While working a regular company job, I also give guitar lessons in Higashi-Nakano.

Are the sessions at the shop really scary?

First, I'd like to say something to those who might think sessions sound scary...A session isn’t something to be afraid of!

I’ve been to more than ten places that host jazz jam sessions,I’ve never had an experience where the shop owner or host seemed scary.。

Since these people want many customers to come, I don't think they would go out of their way to act high-handed and drive away repeat visitors.

Well then, as for whether there are any scary people among the other participants, unless it’s a session for pretty advanced players,I don’t think there are many people like that.。

However, as is often the case with regular customers, there are occasionally people who like to take control of the situation.

Such people might heckle the song choices of regulars they know, insist on doing difficult numbers when it’s their turn, or suddenly cue someone to play the intro without warning.

You might feel a bit intimidated in situations like this, though...

Mindset for participating in the session

The key idea here is, "I paid and am participating in the session as a customer.It is to hold that awareness strongly.

Well, it’s not something that needs to be emphasized, but this way of thinking is surprisingly effective. I think a large part of both shrinking back in front of skilled players and going completely blank when your solo comes around stems from the self-suggestion that you must deliver a proper, flawless performance.

Basically,It’s wise to let go of the feeling that playing poorly will bother others and be embarrassing.It is.

That said, it would of course be bad if I ended up halting the flow or stopping the music because of myself, so I should make sure to prepare properly in advance.

Flow for joining a specific session

Now that we’ve covered the mindset to have before joining a session, let’s go over the steps you’ll follow when you actually participate.

From entering the venue to getting on stage

First, in the case of a shop you are participating in for the first time,Let's enter the shop before the session starts.。

If you enter after the session has started, the noise makes it hard to communicate with the staff, there may be nowhere to sit, and it’s unclear whether you pay in advance or afterward—nothing about it is good.

Conversely, if you go in a bit early and chat with the host or the owner, it helps you avoid getting unnecessarily nervous, so I recommend it.

When you enter, the owner or host will have a notebook for writing the performers’ names and instruments, so fill that out and order a drink, etc.

Payment is often made in advance.

After that, take any available seat, get ready by tuning and so on, and wait until your name is called.

When your name is called, you may suddenly feel nervous, so take a moment to calm yourself and slowly make your way to the amp.

Amp settings and song selection

Set the guitar’s volume to around 5–6, and then adjust the amp volume.Set the volume so that you can hear it clearly.。

At this stage there are no drum sounds, so it may tend to sound relatively loud, but once the drums come in it’s common for your own sound to become harder to hear. It’s best to keep your amp volume slightly higher.

Once I’m done setting up the amp, I’ll join in choosing the songs.

There's no point in dragging this out, so when you're prompted to choose a song, present your selection quickly and move on.

The session is finally starting.

When starting a song, it's better to have an intro.If it doesn’t look like you can pull it off well, give up and start with the count.。

There’s no song you can’t start with a count-in, and as I mentioned at the beginning, since you’re participating as a guest, there isn’t a single reason you should be responsible for starting the intro.

Rather, you could say it's worse when a half-baked intro is tacked on and the song never actually starts, dragging on without the music kicking in.

Flow of performance during the session

Once the tune starts, play the head for the first chorus, and from the second chorus onward, play an improvised solo.

Let's be careful not to make the solo too long.

After I finish my solo, pass the solo on to the other instruments, and after the bass solo is over,verse soloWe will move on to

A trading fours (bars solo) is the call-and-response between a melody instrument and the drums.And generally, it proceeds in 4 bars or 8 bars.

In a four-bar trade, you play a four-measure solo, then the drums take a four-measure solo, then the next melodic instrument plays a four-measure solo, and so on in repetition.

The performer who played the theme needs to decide how many measures the chorus will be.When in doubt, it's safest to just make it four bars for now.。

After repeating the bass solo for about two choruses, we return to the head (main theme).

When you return to the theme,It’s common to indicate returning to the beginning of the song—such as by pointing to your head.It is.

The ending varies by song, but the last section is often repeated three times.

If you’re the one choosing the songs, it’s a good idea to practice through to the ending.

Things to watch out for

It’s not something you need to be overly nervous about, but there are a few things you should keep in mind so you can join the session comfortably.

I can’t play the theme properly.

Personally, I don’t mind, but some people do, so let’s make sure to practice properly.

lose track of progress

This tends to happen with unfamiliar pieces, so make sure to practice following the score carefully.

Even if it's a song I remember,It's safer to keep the sheet music open as a backup.It is (indeed).

The rhythm is in shuffle.

Like rock blues,Let's stop playing eighth notes in the 'takka-takka' rhythm.。

There's a fairly high chance that other performers will point this out.

The solo is long.

When you’re the one who picked the tune, fine—but when someone else chose it, wrap up your solo in about three choruses at most.

In particular,If it’s a piece that’s so difficult you can barely play it properly, you also need the courage to end your solo cleanly after just one chorus.。

Backing when there is a piano

Be careful when adding guitar backing at the same time as piano, as it can muddy the sound or just make it too loud.

In particular, it's safest not to play any backing during the piano solo.

How to play well at a session

In the end, this largely comes down to getting used to it.In a session, it’s fundamentally impossible to perform with the same quality as when practicing at home.It is.

When I think about it calmly, the times I played well at home were probably when I was sufficiently warmed up and had played the same piece several times.

In the session, you’re standing, the song starts with you barely making any sound, the surrounding volume is louder than at home so it’s hard to hear yourself, and once one song ends there’s a wait until the next one—so that’s the kind of environment it is.It’s wrong to compare it with your home environment.It can be said.

Also, when it comes to getting used to it, having the mindset of “go even if you don’t feel like going” becomes quite important.

As mentioned earlier, sessions are environments where it’s only natural not to be able to play well, so it’s easy to lose the motivation to go.

However, if there were, for example, a store that holds beginner sessions every month, then…Even if I don't want to go, I go every month without fail.It’s best to do it like that.

Please feel free to use this as a reference to help make your session enjoyable!