How do you know if you are ready for jamming in a studio?

[MyEternalMelody]

Hi people, i've had bad experiences in jamming in a studio because i made some mistakes while playing the guitar and the other people were like "oh damn we got ourselves some newb in the studio"... They played flawlessly and i seem to be the only one that brings them down...

I can play power chords, and that's all i can do with my guitar seriously... I suck at scales and i dont know how to use them... I dont follow strumming patterns on the tabs as well, i just create my own strumming pattern but it is not out of rhythm...

So what else do i need to improve by my own before starting to jam in a studio? And what kind of level do you all reach before you stepped into a studio to jam with other people?

 

[theunknown]

u can don't know whats a g string and go jamming (really, that was me). who says you have to be of certain level?

who were the other people? your friends? family? outsiders? different people have different expectations.
what kind of jam? practising a gig? purely for fun with listed songs? or just heck care go studio play any shit that comes to mind? different scenarios different..

jamming, or playing music in general, is supposed to be fun. jam something you like, with people you like.
still of course, do your homework. you would wanna waste time being in the studio studying chords.

 

[cheesedaele]

Jamming with other people, and jamming in a studio, aren't the same thing. You could jam in a studio but with friends you've played with before. You could also jam with strangers, but could be anywhere outside a studio - at someone's house, acoustic at some park/void deck, anywhere.

In the first case, if you've all played together before and you all know some songs together, there's no problem going to a studio to jam.

In the second case, you'll likely need to play something you've never played before, or even never heard before. Even if it's something you've played before, maybe someone will want to make some changes, add/cut some parts here and there. Can you play by ear? If you can, this is a good gauge for being able to jam with others, whether it's in a studio or anywhere else.

 

[ridethetiger]

You know u are ready for a Jam when u can tell all your parts in the songs and also spot other instruments or the vocalist's mistakes. And also when u are scared to disappoint your band mates.

 

[Stan_Kumar]

the other people were like "oh damn we got ourselves some newb in the studio"... They played flawlessly and i seem to be the only one that brings them down...

There's no such thing as a noob in the studio. Even if you don't know squat, as long as you have fun then that's all it matters, doesn't it?

 

[skyflux]

Hi , just wanna share my experience regarding jamming.

Before I got my guitar , me and my friend used to go jamming , and the funny thing is we don't know anything at all. We just went there , pick up THEIR instrument , and just try to make full use of that 2 hour , basically playing whatever thing that comes to mind. And the thing was , he played better than me (he play drums) , so most of the time I just make a fool of myself..
And we mess around alot , most of the time we just do our own thing , so if you were outside waiting for your turn you would surely have been thinking , "what the f are those noobs doing inside?"

Anyone can get any worse than that? lol..

 

[theunknown]

nope wouldnt think that way,cos im a noob myself! haha.

yeah been there where we'd go to the studio and i dun even now whats volume and whats gain. i din even know a G chord. haha

 

[MyEternalMelody]

Ah i see, must depends on the people you jam with huh? I aint close with the people that i went with, they are friends of my friend... and the songs that they wanted to play i never even heard before... so before i went down, i went to youtube and listened to them and practiced really hard to try to meet their expectations... Well i guess i need to find friends that plays/listen to the same genre as i enjoy...

 

[ridethetiger]

That is why Soft is here, to facilitate an easier access to finding bandmates. Try to play more popular songs that everyone plays,in that way u will not be left out and will find finding bandmates here easier.

 

[theunknown]

would like to jam songs you dun really like with people u like

or

jam songs u like with people u like less?

 

[Gates]

I guess you can at least learn the basics first before hitting the studios.. If you can play G D Em C or a few other chords in bar/power or open chords(the normal ones). You will be able to play quite a number of songs for starters. You'll also need to work on your rhythm after mastering your basics. Playing over the song helps you to get it right so that when you hit the studios, you won't be lost.

Perhaps you can just follow your friends to jam first to watch and learn first. The best way to improve is to ask questions or self study. Google what is gain etc; or watch youtube. I learnt how to restring a classical guitar many years ago through a youtube video.

The few basic things to do when you're jamming is to at least,

Get your guitar tuned(best if you have your own as many studios provides guitar with horrible actions and rusty strings), prepare a song-list with your friends, make sure you know your parts(where to come in etc , bring chords/lyrics and whatever you think you need.

The above will at least ensure your jamming sessions to be fruitful even though your playing may not be perfect.

My conclusion however is.. Get a mentor to guide you to play first before you hit the studios to at least make your money more worthwhile. If you really want to have fun, make music, not noise. There's no easy path to be good. You got to work/practice for it.

Keep on practicing!

 

[RayKnight]

This is just my opinion...but as long as you feel there's a need to have a full-fledged practice with live members, I'd think that's a valid reason to start to go to a jamming studio. Unless you know of someone whose house have all the equipments then you shouldn't have the need to.

 

[theunknown]

unless its purely for fun bang here bang there play anyhow type of jam, do ur homework.

and string players, please...please....tune your instruments.. nothing worse than out of tuned guitars.

 

[littleboi]

there is no right or wrong answer.

You should be honest about your level of technique to the party so that they can keep their expectations realistic. Post an ad stating your ability and try to hook up with ppl of a similar level