Can You Jam?

[don_b]

I’ve been playing guitar and/bass for the last 20 years or so in various bands, but I never really knew how to jam.

By that, I mean I was incapable of improvising. By that, I mean I was clueless as to what song a key was in and what the notes in that scale were.

I was always a fine punk bassist, because my punk bass lines were always elementary and simple to remember. Whenever I played guitar in hardcore and or punk bands, it was rhythm and not lead. My friends would jam, and I would play my part, but I would never contribute a solo because I frankly didn’t know how.

I wish I would have realized earlier how simple it was. I picked up uke around 10 years ago, and has spent the last year or so playing mostly solo uke/chord melody pieces. I recently started a children’s entertainment band performing exclusively free shows, and have had to take on a lead roll playing uke as I am one of the more experienced musicians in the act and our vibe is to spice up traditional version arrangements of happy and you know it, etc, with killer solos and balloon animals.

I was able to become fluent at soloing in every position of C major, which covers about 95% of our songs, in less than 3 weeks.

The feeling is incredible. I wonder how different my life would have been if I had learned to jam earlier.

Can you jam?

 

[clear]

I can pick the scale notes, but it doesn't sound very good because I have yet to develop the ear/feel for finding the good notes and rhythm to go with the backing track. It is fun (once in a while) to just jam to a backing track. (I use the guitar to "jam".)

 

[don_b]

I can pick the scale notes, but it doesn't sound very good because I have yet to develop the ear/feel for finding the good notes and rhythm to go with the backing track. It is fun (once in a while) to just jam to a backing track. (I use the guitar to "jam".)

This is close the exact process I employed to learn.

Precisely, the way I practice(d) is the following:

1) pull up “how to play c major scale” on ukulele tricks website, and scroll down so all I can see are positions 1-3.
2) duplicate the browser tab and turn it into its own browser window. Put the windows sides by side on the monitor so you can see both at once. On the window at the right, scroll down so you can see position 4 and 5. You see be able to see all 5 positions on your screen at once.

Alternatively, you can view this link where I have taken a screenshot and pasted it into a Google slide. Just click "Slideshow" and it will go full screen:

How To Play C Major Scale On Ukulele from UkuleleTricks.com

docs.google.com

3) download metronome app to your phone, put in earbuds, and play the scales. Start at 120 bpm and go up. Do this for a half hour.

Alternatively, here is a metronome app:

METRONOME ONLINE - free online metronome

Practice with our free online metronome and get inspired by fresh views on music education, new music releases, and music culture.

www.metronomeonline.com

4) once you have memorized enough of the scale to not have to look up at the screen much, turn off metronome app and open YouTube on phone instead.

5) search for something like “pop punk jam c major” or “rock jam c major” or “rock jam c major” etc, and jam along to it. If you are like me, you’ll be able to hear your own ukulele even though you have headphones in. Or, just play the YouTube video backing track on a speaker, without headphones.

Alternatively, here is a link to C Major jams on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=c+major+jam

6) get good. When you get good enough, pick a different key.

20 years ago, I don’t think somebody could have put into 5 steps a “how to learn to solo on ukulele” that is accessible for just about anyone with an ukulele and an internet connection. It still takes a lot of practice, but I would have had to track down back track cds, the appropriate ditto/sheet music that outlined all the positions, and a metronome. It is wild how much technology has impacted learning how to play music.

 

[ukudancer]

Once I know what key the song is, I usually use that scale and run through a couple of takes and usually a melody would emerge somehow.

Buuuuuut, if you want to be a little more methodical about it, here are some ways you can play some melodies over a chord progression:

To be even more specific, I usually record my rhythm onto my multitrack recorder (Zoom R20). I am my own backing track and I keep time with my drum pedal. From there, I can keep using different ideas and try as I'm jamming with different personalities and techniques (definitely harder than it sounds, but super fun).

 

[richntacoma]

This discussion is just fantastic. So thankful for it. Please, keep going!

 

[ripock]

All I do is jam and I don't say that with any modicum of braggadocio. I have merely trained myself to jam. On the other hand I cannot play rhythm and stay in the pocket in a group setting because I haven't trained myself to do it. Here's my methodology:

1. Learn the five variations of the minor pentatonic
2. Learn the modes of the major, minor harmonic, and minor melodic
3. pick one (or more) of the aforementioned systems and make melodies in-between the beats of a metronome or backing track.

That begs the question of how to make melodies and one thing I do is play notes geometrically--that's a term I use to mean use the shape you're in to move in lines (diagonal, horizontal, or vertical) within the shape. Moving in lines creates a melody which can then be augmented by adding other notes in the shape you're in or moving to another shape.

 

[about2]

Quite nice. Thank you for sharing....makes me realize there is so much to learn. What fun. Can I quit my job now and just play?

 

[Mike $]

I think it's most important to be able to follow and figure out the chords being played firstly. Most of your time jamming, if you are courteous, will be playing rhythm. This comes with being familiar with a lot of songs from different genres so you will notice similarities from song to song and it will become second nature to follow along. Learn all the standards you can, they will help you with everything that came later.

It's nice to learn the 5 shapes of the pentatonic scales, the 7 modes/shapes/patterns of the diatonic scales, I used to know the shapes/modes to all the melodic minor and harmonic minor scales, but I only used a few of them, so I forgot most of them. I think it's good to know the major and minor scales starting from different strings and in different positions starting with different fingers as well. I don't think of the names of the notes, just their positions in the mode shapes on the neck relative to the root note. Make up repetitive patterns of the scale you can divide up and sprinkle into your solos. For instance, practice playing three notes in a row and jump back, raise the pattern one note, and repeat all the way up...CDEC DEFD EFGE FGAF GABG...et cetera, then do it backwards. Realize, that jamming isn't just playing scales, so you will almost never go all the way up or down a scale. Take time to play partial scales up, then jump around, go down, all along staying with the notes. Then play a note outside the scale and slide up to one that is in the scale. This will add interest. Learn some classic licks or make up your own to make things interesting.

Another good thing to learn is arpeggios, at least a major, minor and a diminished one, and not just plucking the notes of a chord, arpeggios that get your fingers moving. Eventually you will add Maj-7, Dom-7 and 6-chord arpeggios, among others. The rabbit hole gets deep.

Great topic.

 

[lakesideglenn]

I prefer Jelly…

Seriously lots of good information here. For me sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. Having the right person that you’re musically simpatico with really helps at least for me.
Cheers all!

 

[Voran]

I can, but it's not my favorite activity. I hate when I come up with something on the fly, forget it and then have to reverse engineer it.

 

[PeteyHoudini]

I can jam but have always hated it.

 

[Blank Williams]

Not really. I’ve never been that interested in noodling, but I do admire those who can.

 

[ploverwing]

Buuuuuut, if you want to be a little more methodical about it, here are some ways you can play some melodies over a chord progression:

Wow. This was an amazing video. Thanks a lot for sharing. Off original topic, but I'd just completed a Circle of Fifths workshop, so I can now grok this stuff better!!

 

[ploverwing]

As for the OP topic - nope. But then, I've had precious little opportunity. My background was classical violin, and pretty basic at that, so jamming wasn't really the focus of learning (learning to read music and following instructions from an orchestral leader were). There's a cool Jam Camp locally that I was hoping to attend this year, now that I've picked up uke, but they shut down of course for the last two summers, and I don't yet see anything on their site for this year. One day, though, this sounds like a fun opportunity.

That said, though, unlike the OP, I do not have extensive years of play under my belt. I think I have to do a lot of work learning some shapes and relationships and moving up & down the neck of the uke, then I'll probably be a bit more comfortable with trying to jam (if and when the opportunity arises).

 

[ukudancer]

Here's another great theory video that's easily digestible if anyone wants to dig in more.

 

[ploverwing]

Here's another great theory video that's easily digestible if anyone wants to dig in more.

Cool. Thanks!

 

[ripock]

I can attest with the affinity with the supertonic. In this past week I have been playing sus2 chords as well as playing the ubiquitous 2-5-1 progression. I always play in the key of E, so for me the supertonic is F#. I love to use my F# dim7 arpeggio as a transition from section to section of my improvisation.

To be honest, I don't see how the supertonic per se can facilitate jamming. It isn't a magic bullet. However I do perhaps see where if you're the kind of person who is thinking about the supertonic, then you're probably also thinking about other things which will, when taken together, contribute to some jamming.

 

[UkerDanno]

I can't jam in the way you describe it, wish I could! A friend, who is a piano player can jam along on her uke with anybody, I am so envious! I just can't get the hang of it. Too dumb, I guess...

 

[ripock]

I can't jam in the way you describe it, wish I could! A friend, who is a piano player can jam along on her uke with anybody, I am so envious! I just can't get the hang of it. Too dumb, I guess...

I absolutely refuse to acknowledge that. It isn't a matter of aptitude; it is a matter of training. I practice being an individual and jamming, however I find it very very difficult to blend into the background and play consistent supporting chords. I am not stupid. I'm just not practiced in doing that. So never denigrate your ability. You surely must do things in life more complicated than jamming. And you must be excellent in what you've trained yourself to do. What's missing is what in hindu scriptures is called ekagratha, or singleness of purpose. If you applied ekagratha to jamming you'd be a jammer. So it is a matter of choices and how you choose to spend your hours with your uke. It isn't a matter of being dumb or smart.

 

[LarryS]

Raspberry or Strawberry?