You will encounter 2 types of jamming sessions – Planned and Improvised.
Improvised sessions are common among musicians and can be planned beforehand or spontaneously.
When you find yourself thrown into these situations, are you prepared to tackle the session and get on the same playing field as the rest? Read on to learn more!
Definition of Improvisation
Improvisation is an essential skill for a jam session. Rather than following a fixed template and learning the content beforehand, improvisation requires you to adapt to music on the fly.
Improvisation can be as simple as adding a few decorative notes and as complex as coming up with something entirely new.
Jazz is a great example of improvisation in music. Known for virtuosic showcases and exotic harmony, Jazz is also highly regarded as a heavily improvised genre. More than 50% of Jazz music is improvised in both solo and band settings.
Have a look at the following example of a jam session and be aware that most of the music is improvised:
Pre-Requisites for Jamming
Before you even attempt a jamming session, you must know a few things, lest you get burned at the stake.
Music Theory for Jamming
‘Knowledge is Power’
The phrase rings true for improvisation and proficient musicians who can improvise at the flick of a switch. Music Theory is the foundation of your music skills and can give you a substantial advantage when improvising.
Diatonic Chords
Diatonic chords are triads built on each degree of a Major Scale. Having a good grasp of your diatonic chords will allow you to cruise through the chord progression of the jam.
For instance, recalling the notes of the chord you are about to play in the blink of an eye removes the guesswork and allows you to take action immediately. Imagine having to think of what notes the next chord has; your chance to play will be gone swiftly.
Understanding your diatonic chords will also make communication drastically easier between you and your band members. A simple “1 – 6 – 4 – 5 in the key of F” can get the ball rolling within seconds.
A quick breakdown of “1 – 6 – 4 – 5 in the key of F” is F Major, D Minor, B♭ Major, C Major.
Deciphering the above phrase within 1 second is possible and requires you to practice and be exposed to diatonic chords often.
Chord Tones
Chord tones are the notes that make up a chord. For example, the chord tones of a C Major chord are C, E, and G.
Playing the chord tones of each chord in the chord progression leads you to the right notes every time.
Mastering chord tones and diatonic chords go hand-in-hand.
Pentatonic Scale
The pentatonic scale is a 5-note scale that can be employed when you are in a pinch.
There are many configurations of the Pentatonic scale, with the two most common in Western music being the Major and Minor Pentatonic scales.
Major Pentatonic
The Major Pentatonic scale is derived from the Major scale and consists of the notes 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6.
For example, C Major Pentatonic has C, D, E, G, and A.
The Major Pentatonic scale works wonders because it does not contain any semitones, therefore removing any dissonance that may occur in the melody.
Fun fact: The Major Pentatonic scale is widely used in many genres and songs. Even music cultures such as Chinese and Indian music, with the Pentatonic scale differing slightly between styles.
Minor Pentatonic
The Minor Pentatonic scale is derived from the Natural Minor Scale and consists of the notes 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7.
To simplify, in the context of the Major scale, the notes are 1, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭7.
For example, C Minor Pentatonic has C, E♭, F, G, and B♭.
The Minor Pentatonic is most popular in the Rock genre, where rock musicians (notably guitarists) will shred on this scale.
Blues Scale
The Blues scale takes the Minor Pentatonic scale and adds one prominent note – #4/♭5 (also known as the blues note). This makes the Blues scale 1, ♭3, 4, #4/♭5, 5, ♭7.
Even though the Blues scale is derived from the Minor scale and has a Minor quality, the Blues note momentarily shifts the scale to a Major tonality (it is the Major 3rd in the Relative Major scale)
The blues note is most widely used in Blues and Jazz. where musicians tend to dance around that note and give the music a tasteful chromatic flavor.
Have a listen to the Blues note in action:
12-Bar Blues
The 12-bar blues is a form, meaning a structure that musicians widely follow when jamming. As the name suggests, the structure contains 12 bars, and all 12 bars are fixed with the same chord every time the structure plays out.
Here is a written 12-bar blues:
The chords repeat the same for every cycle. With this template, musicians can call out ’12-bar blues’ and everyone will instantly know what to expect.
Though a template, the chords can vary from band to band, but the general idea remains the same for many:
Genre
Rock, Pop, Blues, Jazz, Folk. Every musical genre under the musical umbrella embodies unique characteristics. Having some fundamental knowledge of a few common genres will give an advantage in an improvisation session.
Here are some common genres and their characteristics
| Genre | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Pop | Cyclic Chord Progression (Chords repeat throughout the song) Clean instruments (Distortion is uncommon) Chorus with a memorable hook Standard structure (Verse-Chorus) Commonly love-themed Clear vocals |
| Rock | Prominent use of Electric Guitar Strong Backbeat rhythm (Eg. Kick – Snare – Kick Kick – Snare) Drums and Bass are usually locked in Wide range of themes Grittier Vocals |
| Jazz | Swing rhythm Chromaticism (Non-Diatonic Harmony) Heavy use of Improvisation Blues Scale |
| Funk | Bass Guitar will anchor on the 1st beat Tight instrumentation (Lack of sustained notes) Syncopated rhythms Usually instrumental-driven (No vocals) |
| Disco | Constant Kick drum (Four-on-the-floor) Heavy use of synths, brass, and strings Dance-like rhythm Syncopated basslines |
Let’s say the band decides to jam in a disco style. Whether you are the drummer, bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, or vocalist, you must know what to do with your instrument to make the genre stand out.
Groove
Groove is a prominent side effect of the genre and applies heavily to the rhythm section (bass and drummer).
Most of the time, the rhythm section’s groove determines the music’s genre.
Getting the correct groove comes down to getting the right accent on the drum beats and bass notes. Once both instruments and rhythm work together, you will produce the groove of the genre.
If you are a drummer or bassist, note where the accents are and you will be successful in jamming.
Technical Skills for Jamming
Knowledge itself is not enough to make air move. Your senses and actions must also work with what you know to produce the sounds you want.
Relative Pitch
Relative pitch is the skill of identifying patterns and making estimations in the music solely by listening to it. It requires musical knowledge and constant active listening to decipher the notes.
Its counterpart, Perfect Pitch, allows the musician to identify the notes exactly without guessing. However, this occurs rarely in people (around 1 in 10,000) and drives those with it to rely on it.
Relative Pitch can be on par with Perfect Pitch if trained properly and utilized frequently. Many musicians have fared well by honing their Relative Pitch abilities.
It is a crucial skill musicians need to excel in improvisation and jamming. There will be many instances in jamming that you may need it, such as:
- Determining the key when someone starts playing
- A new chord enters the chord progression
- Discerning the key from a melody or riff
Relative Pitch is a tool that you should not brush off, but instead learn to develop in your journey to becoming a proficient musician.
How to Develop Relative Pitch
Relative Pitch requires musical knowledge and a good ear. Knowing your diatonic chords is the most fundamental step you need to take to start building Relative Pitch.
Additionally, constant and consistent active listening (listening to a song and figuring out the chord progression) will force you to make links between chords. The more you do this, the faster you will get at it.
If you haven’t already, we have a practical guide for developing Relative Pitch here.
Vocabulary
If you have played for some time, you may have developed tendencies and habits in your play style. They can range from licks and riffs to 2-bar phrases you can whip out on your turn.
These pieces of riffs are essential to your playing as they become your so-called ‘vocabulary’.
Just as you speak a language or drive a car, the more you perform these actions, the more natural they become. With time, you will be able to recall these riffs in your improvisation.
Of course, you must play a lot to build your dictionary of riffs. The constant and consistent practice will allow you to develop muscle memory for playing and singing.
How to Build Vocabulary
One way to build your vocabulary without having to sit in a jamming session is to use backing tracks. There are tons of backing tracks on YouTube created for musicians can jam on their own.
A quick search of “Backing track in C” will pull up thousands of videos. You can even specify a video without your instrument (for example, ‘baseless’, ‘for guitar’) and you will be left to fill up the music by yourself.
Muscle Memory
When it comes to improvisation, thinking about what to play is probably the last thing you want on your mind. Being able to rely on your limbs and muscles as they run on autopilot is a godsend.
Therefore, you need to build memory in your hands, feet, and vocal cords, and trust them to function properly during jamming while you worry about the look on your drummer’s face.
How to Build Muscle Memory
The only way to build muscle memory is to practice, practice, and practice more. You need to get the muscles moving so that neurons can learn to fire rapidly.
Spend 30 minutes to 1 hour with your instrument daily. Sit down and drill riffs, runs, and even the fundamentals.
Consistency is as important as frequency. You must aim to hit the runs as accurately as possible each time, instead of being lazy about it.
Active Listening
What is the difference between normal listening and active listening? To put it simply, normal listening does not require you to think, while active listening does.
Think of the difference between playing a song and learning a song.
When you play a song you already know, you may rely more on muscle memory, as mentioned in the previous point.
When you are learning a song, your brain has to absorb, process, and apply new information you have learned.
Similarly, active listening mandates that you process the information and act accordingly. THis is important during a jam session because a jam session does not stagnate, but instead evolve over time.
The following is a prime example of a fast-moving jam session, and how active listening comes into play:
Some things to take note of for active listening include:
- Looking up constantly, to see changes in your band members’ body language. Someone might be thinking of switching things up
- Slowing down and simplifying your playing when someone changes to allow room for them and yourself to adjust
- Trying out different grooves and riffs to infect change
Active listening may sometimes require you to dull your sense of touch, which is why muscle memory is so crucial and highlighted.
How to Improvise while Jamming
You have taken the time to increase your musical knowledge base and develop technical skills that are adequate for your first jamming session.
You step into the rehearsal room and set up your instrument. What do you do next?
Context
The first order of business is to get your bearings right. This means collecting as much information as you can before the band goes into full playing mode. There are two ways you can collect information as a band member.
Through Verbal Planning
Discussion is usually the first task between band members at the start of the session, initiated by the band leader (or the most sociable person in the room).
You can get a lot of information through a discussion, mainly:
- The chord progression: ‘Let’s do 1 – 3 – 6 – 4, change every bar’
- The key of the music: ‘in E Major’
- The genre/groove: ‘Drummer can you give us a disco beat?’
- The form: ‘After 16 bars, let’s do 2 – 2 – 5 – 5, then repeat from the top”
This will be enough for you to know the chords to accompany the band, the notes to hit when you solo, and any other characteristics of the jam.
You should also take the chance to clarify doubts, voice out concerns, and share any other information you think the band should know before you start.
Through Music
If the jamming begins with one of the instrumentalists playing, you will need to determine the information from what is being played. This is where your knowledge and technical skills will come in handy.
Groove/Genre: Listen for the rhythmic accents and phrasing, and refer to the table of genres above. If the drummer plays, you have a higher chance of discerning the genre.
Chord Progression: Relative Pitch will give you an edge here. Listen for the chord and determine the diatonic chords they likely are. Lastly, find the root note of the key through trial and error on your instrument, and you will be able to link everything together.
Form: While the music is playing, you need to adapt to the structure spontaneously. This is difficult, as you don’t know the next chord or passage. However, you can rely on safe notes, which are usually the chord tones of the 1 chord, to buy you some time while you listen.
Variables
Naturally, there are many moving parts in an improvisation session. Since everything is happening in real-time, someone is bound to make some changes to the music to maintain novelty and excitement.
Here are some factors that may shift throughout a jam session.
Genre/Groove
The genre can change when the rhythm section changes its accents or the song’s tempo. When this happens, you must be ready to match what they play. Here is a good example of groove changes in the middle of a song:
Chords
Musicians love to spice up the song with exotic chords and quick jabs. If your band member adds a new chord to the song, rely on Relative Pitch and knowledge to figure it out. Of course, the easier way is also to ask what the chord is through a mixture of shouting and wrong chords.
Form
There are times when the band leader calls out for a change in chord progression and groove to completely transform the next segment. When this happens, do not panic! Stay calm, follow the instructions, and trust the process.
Execute a Jamming Session
Let’s put all of this into action with a simple roleplay. Regardless of the depth of your knowledge and technical skills, following along will help you have a clearer picture of the process.
Setting The Stage
You are a guitarist entering your first jamming session. You walk into the room, greet your band members, and position yourself next to the guitar amplifier.
After setting up your guitar with the amplifier, you standby for the next instruction. The band chats about what they had for lunch.
As everyone gets ready to play, the drummer starts to play this:
Question: What genre is this?
Click here for the answer!
Answer: Pop Rock
With that in mind, you bring your hands to your guitar, your left hand gripping the fretboard, unsure of what to do. The drummer continues to hammer the drums.
Suddenly, the bassist joins in with the following:
Question: What is the chord progression? (Tip: With Relative Pitch, you think in numbers: the degrees of the scale)
Click here for the answer!
1 – 4 – 6 – 5
Now that you know the groove and chords, you feel a little more confident in what to play. Through trial and error, you find the root note of the key.
Question: What is the key?
Click here for the answer!
D Major
Once the bar resets, you join in with a simple accompaniment:
Your band members slowly ease into the music. You start to play a little more:
The keyboardist also joins in to complete the music:
Along the way, the band starts to delve into solos, and each band member showcases their virtuosic flare. It then comes down to you, but you remember your minor pentatonic scale, and attempt your best:
Here is the full audio of how the jam may start:
Congratulations! You are well on your way to completing your first jam session.
What’s next?
Hopefully, you can imagine how a typical jam session plays out. If you are still apprehensive about joining a jam session (yet), there are still resources and backing tracks on YouTube you can practise to first.
With that said, you now have the fundamentals of jamming. Take this knowledge with you, remember to practise a lot, and you will slowly build your proficiency when collaborating with other musicians.