Went to a local blues jam.
A year or so ago I went to a local jam to try a couple of songs. It went ok. I didnt make any one cringe but Im sure it was pretty typical performance for a newbie. This past weekend I went back with a small repertoire. Got my mojo working,Sweet home Chicago, I asked to start the set with The study song My blues. After that we Did Sunnyboy's Help me.
The gentlemen that runs the jam was very impressed by the reactions I got. For me it was a blur. I know I stumbled and could only emagin what it sounded like because even with the bassman volume set at 4+, I stuggle to here my self. I do think the bassman and my my Cm Turner mic filled that room with some rich toung blocking tone.
Today my ears are hurting and have developed Tinnitus and learned a lesson about a loud venue. I was so into the seasoned players that I had two glasses of wine in a beer glass after I played and sat there and enjoyed the afternoon damaging my ears.
I ordered a decent pair of IEMs yesterday and hope ive made a good decision because I cant see myself continuing without somthing to protect my ears.
I know theres so many people that cant use the IEMs for a host of reasons and I havnt seen a single harmonica player with them in there ears but I will have to manage or Ill have to stay away from this kick ass kind of venue.
Jam sessions are really where it all is -- especially for a new player -- but for experienced players as well. You gotta do your time playing with others every chance you get to really build your stage chops for gigging or studio work down the road. There's no way around it. The cool thing about jamming is that no one really cares much how good you are. Anyone in the circle who's any good has been there when they sucked, too.
That's one of the amazing things I've discovered since we moved down to the North Carolina mountains from Philadelphia a few years ago. There's absolutely no shortage of musicians up here, and no shortage of opportunities to jam. The music is a bit different from where I came from -- it's a lot of folk and bluegrass -- but it's all great fun to play and it's a fantastic way to commune with a wonderful bunch of folks of all ages, ethnicities, and status. We even have a 101-year-old guy who shows up from time to time at one of the sessions I go to. He's kind of a local legend. You never know when he's coming, but he'll just randomly shuffle in the door, if there's no seat, ten people will jump up to offer theirs, and he'll sit down and pick up the rattiest guitar you've seen since Willy Nelson's guitar Trigger and move those fingers like he's 18. What an unbelievable talent he is!
Here's a link to one of our jam spots (the one where our old guy shows up at):
http://www.blueridgemusicnc.com/find-music/event/phipps-general-store-jam
This the land of MerleFest (coming up in a few weeks) and the home of some of the greatest Appalachian musicians like Doc Watson, Etta Baker, Earl Scruggs, Charlie Poole, and right on the other side of the mountains, the Carter family. It's quite a culture shock for me, a former hair band guy, but I'm learning more every day and learning to really enjoy it.
On the IEM topic, you're making a good move. My right ear sucks from my loud band days. Unfortunately IEMs only first came out in the mid-80s, and I was right in the middle of my stand-in-front-of-my-Marshall-stack-and-wail phase then. I wish now they were out earlier. It's better now with the "silent stage" movement going on. Amps are moving the way of the dinosaurs as more musicians wander to IR digital modeling straight-to-the-PA setups.
Jam on!