Bigjo has been a regular at the DFW blues "jam" scene for the past dozen years. During that time a lot of folks and venues have come and gone, and the Dallas blues scene is STILL the most happening in this part of the world. Just about any night, somewhere here in the DFW metroplex, the dedicated amateur can find a venue with a live blues band and an open invitation to play. Quite a few local blues musicians sustain a steady income from hosting these events.

With that in mind, and having seen a lot of "wankers" - Bigjo has put together a few guidelines for successful jammin' and jam etiquite....

• Every jam has a "Jam Meister" and certain rules of play. At an appropriate time, introduce yourself and ask if there's a sign-up list. Be sure to let the Jam Meister know your instrument and if you want to do vocals.


• If there IS a sign-up list, don't expect that the list will determine when you play - most Jam Meister's will pair you with other musicians and/or vocalists.


• DO NOT HARASS THE JAM MEISTER - you'll get to play when and if there is time and an appropriate mix of players. The single biggest mistake I've seen jammers make is to continually ask "When am I gonna get up?".


• If you're not a "regular" on the scene and the Jam Meister may not know your playing level, be prepared that you may go on stage much later in the evening.


• The SECOND biggest mistake for newbie jammers - and we've seen this dozens of times every year - is excessive alcohol consumption, especially if it's later in the evening when you take the stage. Just remember that although it's exciting that you'll be playing for a crowd, your playing and/or singing will suffer periously if you over drink. Nuff said.

And if you're comfortable enough with the microphone to interact with the audience between tunes, remember you're at a music venue - if you wanna be a comedian, go to the open mic at the comedy shop. Just because "A**hole" and "MotherF***ker" seem to be terms of endearment among the blues musicians, the general public simply doesn't want to hear it - or anything else that resembles vulgar or "shock" comedy. You might find the Jam Meister doesn't ecer call you up again after dousing a receptive crowd with your joke. Leave the comedy to the pros.

• Typically you'll be allowed to perform two to four (usually three) tunes if they're not excessively long and it's not excessively late - in some of the more popular venues, there may be only enough time for a couple of tunes and that is highly dependent on who walks in the door. It's a fact of life that the pro musicians will likely be asked to perform even if they show up late (they usually do) and you've been there all night. If it's not a busy night and you're led off stage after only one tune, chances are something went wrong with your set. Ask the Jam Meister and take whatever is said. DO NOT ARGUE about it or you may find yourself out on the street at the Jam Meister's request.


• Remember that music is necessarily a shared activity, you'll be playing with other musicians - show some respect! Don't step on the other musicians, everyone has their time and space within the music, give everyone else their share.


• Before you go on stage "Tune it Up" - NOBODY wants to hear you tune up or wait around while you get to it. Get it in tune when you get to the venue and you should only need a minor intonation adjustment when it's your time to play. If you have an aggressive bending style - take your tuner to the stage with you! Acoustic Tuning (by ear) is Absolutely Forbidden.


• "Practice, Practice, Practice" whether you're playing in your bedroom or Carnegie Hall the rule is the same for ALL who play music. If you become a "regular" on the jam scene, you'll find that improving your skills is noticed and encouraged. Talk to players you like and you may get a free lesson or two - there have been back porch "seminars" from time to time with players exchanging licks and schooling the newbie jammers in the Basics of the Blues. You'll find most guys are willing to share info - especially if you're enthusiastic about learning more about the music and show some improvement in your skills, lots of guys will help you out.


• A word on your gear: Bring your own instrument but leave your toys at home when you come to the blues jam - that means your rack gear, wahwah pedal, fuzz box, etc. For blues, you rarely need anything but a reverb and a tremolo and most of the jams will provide amps with those features. If you're in a trio, you might be okay with a chorus or flanger, but at the larger jam events it's rare to see a trio of jammers unless you show up with your whole 3 piece band! And there's the occasional digital delay/echo when the "surf's up" at jam night. Stevie and Hendrix were great guitarists, but nobody wants to hear your interpretation at a Blues jam! If you've just gotta use yur toys, go find a venue to jam with the "rocker" boys, lay some blues down, and give 'em your best stuff - they might appreciate it a lot more than some of the local Blues scene "hardliners".


• If you're a vocalist (or a player that sings), you'll most likely be calling the tunes during your set, so keep a few things in mind. "Keeping It Simple" is the number one rule of thumb - some of us "hardcore" jammers have played enough with the same guys and heard their material to do "out there" progressions, some of my favorite tunes include the I-VI-II-V turnaround (if you don't know what I'm talkin' about then leave your instrument at the house - come to the jam to listen, you have much to learn! Great vocal tunes like "Two Steps from the Blues" probably can't be performed reliably in a jam setting, and if you're a singer capable of doing that kind of material, it'd be a good idea to ask the Jam Meister about it. You might just get lucky enough to perform with the house band - and if you DO get onstage witht the house band take their advise if they offer it! Don't close your set with a slow blues....


• SOLOs or LEADs - It's customary to structure your tunes with no more than two soloists per song and no more than two "choruses" (two times through the progression or "twice around") for any one soloist. A great rule of thumb when two guitar players are teamed, is to assume that each will be taking just two choruses. If your on-stage ensemble has more than two soloists, make it just one chorus or only have two solosists on any one tune Otherwise, it could be YOU stuck behind somebody else's 20 minute jam tune.


• Remember that a "jam" isn't an unstructured display of your instrumental virtuosity. Everything you play should be in the context of a specific song. The PATRONS (people that support the blues venues with their food & beverage dollars) generally aren't musicians and get bored with "wankers" that noodle endlessly.


• Regardless of the jokers in the crowd yeling "Turn it Up", DON'T. Chances are you'll get to do fewer tunes if you're volume is excessive, and the next time you show up at a jam, you might not get to play if the club owner remembers your prior sonic blasting or if the Jam Meister remembers you.


• Some jams are far more structured than others in the style of music that's aceptable. If it's a blues jam, leave your Lynard Skynard licks at home. You'll get a feel for what's appropriate if you pay attention.


• Never call "Mustang Sally"! Why? Because Bigjo said so. Trust me on this one (and look for the "no mustang sally" stickers).


• A lot of professional musicians also show up at these jam events to roll-out new material, make contacts with other musicians on gigs or projects, or just want to keep up their performance chops. The Jam Meister knows these people and they seemingly get special treatment sometimes. It's called R-E-S-P-E-C-T - so don't let your nose get out of joint or run your mouth about it.


• Most of the regular jammers (and there are quite a cadre of them) come to the jams to play, but also to LISTEN and LEARN. I suggest you do the same and wait for a break before engaging your fellow jammers in idle conversation. Jams are serious business for Bigjo and "hardcore" 3-5 night a week jammers, so when there's a LESSON happening, we'd all like the opportunity to listen to the music and not to you (sorry!)


• Yogi Berra once said "You can observe a lot just by looking". It applies equally to listening - so when you see a handful fo guitar players position themselves where they have a close-up view of the players on stage, they're trying to take a lesson. It's not uncommon to receive a less-than-positive response if you disturb the process with the latest joke you got on email.


• Almost all jams are held in bars, people drink there (sometimes to excess), stuff happens.... Stay out of it and you'll stay okay. Most of these guys won't get physical, but why take the chance. BE COOL or BE FOOL it's up to you.


• Keep your criticism to yourself, everyone at the jam wants a positive experience - snide remarks about players and playing may not be tolerated very well. You can never tell if the player you're "dissing" has a somewhat-drunken brother in the audience that could take offense at any disparaging remarks, why take the chance?


• Remember that Stevie Ray wasn't the God of the Blues and the Jimi Hendrix "Blues" album is NOT blues - just ask any "blues nazi" and you'll get an earfull. One of the worst epithets for a jammer in the blues scene is "he's a Stevie Ray clone". So, don't call "Texas Flood" as a Stevie Ray tune!
• If you're interested in becoming a full time working musician, jams are a great place to meet people and make contacts. You'll meet lots of folks that CAN help your career - it's up to YOU to have the demeanor and attitude that will encourage their help.


• Not everyone is necessarily as they seem at a blues jam - the millionaire guitar "hobbiest" may be on stage with the notorious junkie and the good ole boy bass player might just be the unofficial "seargent at arms". Oh yeah, blues musicians in general are known for carrying weapons and it seems to be a depression-era tradition that has survived the modern day. Act accordingly or suffer the consequences.
• Along the same vein, blues has a special appeal to the biker crowd - all kinds of bikers - including clubs like the Hells Angels and others. It's best not to approach these folks unless you know them already - chances are they may react a lot more stongly than you're used to. Don't get in their face unless you'd like to be laying on your own face.


• One last thing - you don't get to select you own "Blues Name" - that will be bestowed upon you by somebody, some day, if you stick around long enough to become "known". Bigjo ("Big Joe") is an exception to the rule kind of, started out as more of a description than a blues name, but I guess it became habitual to the generations of jammers and just stuck.

Special Thanks for their interest, suggestions and assistance to:

Well, that's all I have time for now. I'll be updating this Guide from time to time, so if you're a jammer or have some suggestions for improvcement, email Bigjo at bigjo@joealdrich.com.