Jamming And The Reason For Everything By Lindsay Cullen THE WHOLE BUSINESS about jamming with people of different abilities is fraught with difficulty, speaking from my limited experience. Jamming can be a very off-putting experience and perhaps shouldn't be held up as the most desirable end point of one's musical ambition. By and large most jams I have been in have left me feeling pretty inadequate; though that can be a spur to get you practising harder, it doesn't do your self-confidence much good. Probably the best jam sessions are performances by real virtuosos who can improvise as well as they can talk - they make great listening and are uplifting experiences. I have been in some jams that I didn't enjoy, with people of equal or lesser skills than I, mainly because the timing was terrible. Then I've been in jams with people of far greater ability and enjoyed them because the good guys were patient and helpful... and could keep good time. However, it may not have been enjoyable for them! You know when you're not welcome in a jam by the body language. When no one actually speaks to you or you don't get a chance to take a break, or you hear sniggering when you do take a break, you can be pretty sure that no one is really enjoying your company. Or it's maybe something less subtle like getting a pair of wire snips out and cutting all your strings off! And there were times when I thought I could never play with anyone because I just couldn't take my turn and come out with anything that sounded right or I couldn't pick up the rhythm at all. But then I chanced on sitting in with a really advanced, virtuoso, multi-instrumentalist who was both patient and good-natured and prepared to backup my feeble attempts to play lead. I felt my playing improved in that brief session, a quantum leap above my previous level. It's a bit like golf... you only remember the good shots and that's what makes you want to go back and punish yourself again! You'll often only find a few jam sessions that are truly satisfying and these will be due to your relative compatibility with the other jammers, not your particular skill level I believe the reason we have such a strong music industry is due to the large number of participants. My theory is that the highest level of skill is basically dependent upon the number of participants at the amateur level. This is true of sports and most other forms of human endeavour. Would our football be at such a high level if it wasn't for those kids playing in their back yards emulating their heroes and spending their money on the products? The people at the top, despite their own hard work, are still dependent on the efforts of all those below, particularly the fans. I think the Bluegrass world recognises this perhaps more than other fields. When Del McCoury received all those awards back in '96, he thanked the fans lavishly and repeatedly, and was sincerely humble about it. A virtuoso is only a virtuoso by virtue of his relative skills compared to the general populace of the field of endeavour. The greater the total number of participants, the higher the level of virtuosity, I feel. All I am saying is that only a few can reach the top, but that doesn't mean that we should give up what we enjoy, simply because we won't make it to the highest level. Because without a foundation, a framework and a structure, there is no high level. Maybe the jam is the sticky stuff that holds it all together! This is certainly true of sandwiches.
Lindsay Cullen, Perth, WA, Australia
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