We had another Blues Jam this past weekend. This makes six months I’ve been going and it has been an amazing experience. I know I’ve said it before, and will probably say it a hundred times more. Every jam has been not only a great time, each one has been an
incredible opportunity to learn. Whether I’m learning about performing in general, singing, playing guitar, how to interact, how to approach the music, something about myself or something about other people, I always learn something. Often times, I get to learn a lot of things all at once. It can be a little dizzying. This jam was no different.
This jam was the second time I’ve been asked to guest sing on a song as part of someone else’s set. It’s kind of cool. The first time was when we did the Delbert McClinton song ‘Shaky Ground’. That was fun. And terrifying. This time though, we did ‘The Thrill is Gone’. Nick sort of got elected the leader of his ‘band’ and so it fell to him to come up with three songs. He had two he could play and sing and asked me to sing on a song we have played together previously. This is where I got to learn stuff.
I have finally figured out, or maybe decided, that it might be OK to have some songs that for now I just sing. It’s not something I’ve been inclined to consider before since I have always considered myself a guitar player more than a singer. It’s not that I intend to move away from the guitar and only sing. Not at all. In fact my goal would be that the songs that are on the just sing list make it to the sing and play list at some point. In the mean time, it would help me to broaden my repertoire and also have songs lined up to work on for guitar. That is under the probably false belief that learning to sing the songs will be easier than learning to play them. I have a feeling this won’t be how it goes because the Universe likes to play with me when it comes to these things.
Another of those learning, or figuring out things, was that I realized that I have absorbed much more than I thought I had by watching the other groups when I’m not playing. Now, to be frank, I did a poor job of that this weekend. There was a lot going on
and I got a little distracted by some of it. But over the past six months, as well as the time I spent playing with the Blues Jam several years ago, some of the things I didn’t understand I was learning were about being a part of the band, as well as leading the band and how to to make those 15 minutes or so work. I do still have questions about things at times because I certainly haven’t learned everything. However, I have learned to ask the questions and not just hope I’ll figure it out.
There is one question that had been in my mind to ask for a few weeks and I hadn’t really had a chance to get it answered until this weekend. As I now sing, and occasionally take a lead, finally, I was not sure how to handle, if I’m leading the song, is there an etiquette to when I take my lead if I’m going to take one. Should I take it first or take it last or somewhere in the middle if there are lots of players? I was advised that it didn’t matter as long as everyone got a chance. Now I know.
I hadn’t really thought about the idea that when I’m the singer in the band I’m in, I have started taking a leader role for that band. Not like I’m the star of the group or something like that. More like, we need someone to choose the song we’re going to do, give us a key and get us going, and stopped. For me it hasn’t ever really seemed like a big deal. Except in the cases where I have had a chance to see, or play with, someone who is really 
good, and is playing with new players. They will be particularly patient, gracious and generous with their interactions making people feel comfortable and welcome instead of being a diva and making people feel really uptight. That’s when a good leader of a group stands out. But. When you are new to that leader role, and thrust into it for whatever reason, it can be daunting.
It’s pretty scary to get up on stage and play in the first place, now imagine being the leader of a group that knows more songs than you do and may have been playing for a lifetime longer than you have. Now you have to choose the songs they will play, and remember how to play those few songs you’ve managed to learn so far. Oh and by the way, you also have to pay attention to all the other musicians on stage, and make sure they get to take a lead or are not lost or whatever, because you’re their leader for the next few minutes. I have been fortunate. I have been eased into the lead role to some extent. Partly because I didn’t start out trying to sing an entire set. And, the first couple of times I did try that, I was either given some extra encouragement or paired with another guitar player who is a good leader. So I’ve had a chance to grow comfortable with being the one to drive the set. We don’t all get that chance and we have to just do the best we can. We get comfortable with it and grow into it. Sometimes with a few bumps and bruises along the way. Though, there are some that will never be comfortable in the leader role and that’s OK. It’s taken me a long time to get to the point I am. I have farther to go for sure. My hope is, at the end of the day, I become one of those leaders that makes people comfortable, that they enjoy playing with and that I make people feel they can relax and just have fun playing the music. That is after all what it’s about. Having fun and playing music.
I learned a couple of interesting things for myself when it comes to singing and playing. First off. Probably the most important part for me, and what I will be working on for the next jam. I need to learn the song well enough that I don’t need a lyric sheet in case I forget the words. I am so much more relaxed with a song when I’m not worried I’ll forget a line or miss a verse or something. When I can really feel the song and the words and not just sing them. The only way to get there, that I can think of, the only real solution for that is to just practice, practice, practice. So I will be focusing on that for the next jam. If I add
a song or two, great, but for the next couple of weeks, I’m going to get more comfortable with the songs I currently play and sing.
The other thing I learned, and got to see, is in relation to the song ‘One Way Out’ in particular, but I can see how that would translate to other songs with tricky rhythm riffs. I 
watched, and listened to Kevin, basically teach everyone on stage with him, the main riff to ‘One Way Out’. So everyone could pick it up as the rhythm and keep it going. Then he didn’t have to play it and try to sing over the top of it. Brilliant. Kevin, it may still take me a while to get that technique down, and that song, but I hope you don’t mind if I steal that little trick. That was so cool.
You know, it’s been an amazing six months and I have learned so much and had so much fun. I’m not sure I can adequately express my appreciation and how grateful I am for everyone who I have had a chance to meet, play with, talk to, who have given me pointers, advice, lessons, their patience and their encouragement at these events or because of these events. It is because of their generosity of spirit that I have had the courage to become a better musician as well as singer. I still have a long way to go and thanks to them I look forward to every minute of it.
Enjoy some of the pictures from this last jam and I’ll get the videos posted as soon as I can.