5 Ways to Jam Without a Partner
There are times in our lives when getting together with folks to play music together just isn’t feasible. In our current pandemic lifestyles, the best we can hope for is that our quarantine buddy plays an instrument and is willing to trade tunes!
But in non-social-distancing time frames, you might have just experienced a move, a change in employment and schedules, you can’t make the weekly jam at a local dive bar, or you live in a place where you don’t know anyone to jam with. In the meantime, I’ve put together some ideas on how you can simulate a jam all by your lonesome.
Let’s be honest, we’re never alone if we have our instruments.
All of these ideas do involve various forms of technology, but don’t worry if you’re not tech-savvy (I’m only barely proficient) you’ll be okay.
The first thing you’ll need to do is decide on which tune(s) or song(s) you’re going to jam. Then you get to decide which way you’ll jam them - maybe try them all!
01.
There’s a nifty app for iOS devices called Acapella which allows you to film layered (tracked) videos. You could start by playing the melody. You’ll have to get a good count off, at the actual tempo you’re planning on playing, so when you record your next tracks you know when to start. After you’ve filmed a good take of your melody, you can go back and add in whatever you’d like on your next tracks. Not sure what to add? Perhaps the chords, a harmony line, different styles of back up. You could even play the melody in a different octave. If you play multiple instruments you can utilize those, or create an entire band of just one instrument playing different parts/roles. A jam within an app. This app does have an option to subscribe for some ‘professional’ features and everyone I know who uses this app recommends the upgrade. It’s not necessary but allows for ease in using the application.
For more information on how to use Acapella, check out this helpful post from my friends at the Ministry of Folk.
02.
Another app/software solo collaboration would be Garage Band. This would be similar to the Acapella app but without the video. You can track multiple parts. There is definitely a learning curve to this option, but there are lots of YouTube tutorials that are extremely helpful. I find that I like the recording quality on my phone microphone better than my desktop, but the application is easier to use with a mouse instead of dragging my finger.
03.
In a totally different vein, you could find a recording of someone else (your favorite musician or band perhaps?) performing the tune or song you’re itching to jam.
Join the band and play along!
You’ll have to determine if the recording is in the same key as you are playing and if you’re comfortable with the tempo. If you’d like to change either the key or tempo, you can use “the Amazing Slow Downer”, a clever app that lets you do both of those tricks, and allows you to loop sections as well. You can import music to the app or software using your library or streaming services, and adjust the key and tempo of the track accordingly. Depending on the instrumentation of your chosen track, you could double a part that’s already there, or try to create your own role in the band. So if you play the fiddler and there is a fiddler on the track you’re using, you could play along with that person. OR, try adding things that aren’t on the track like a harmony part, a groove, and fills. An advantage of this kind of "social distance jam” is that you don’t have to lay the groundwork - the initial band has already done that work for you. Another bonus of this method is that when you’re playing along with people who are more skilled than you, you’ll start improving. You’ll hear and emulate their sound, feel, groove, and taste.
04.
Similarly, with the above method, you could insert yourself to a ‘music minus one’ track. This is essentially a backing band that has left a spot open for you to join in and jam. Jamey Aebersold made theses kinds of play-alongs ubiquitous for jazzers. I recorded 32 tracks of the Jam With Lauren curriculum in this same manner, so anyone who’s interested in music-minus-one fiddle tunes, these tracks are a bonus feature of your subscription. As an example, you want to play the tune ‘Leather Britches’ along with my band; I count us off and I play the melody once through the tune. During the second pass, I play the chords along with the guitarist and the bassist. The third time through I jump back on the melody or the harmony. YOU, dear band member, could collaborate with us by playing the opposite of what I played. So when I kick off the tune, you’d play some kind of back up during the first pass. For the second pass the spotlight is shining on you, so do your thang! You could play the melody, or take a solo. Then for the third time through, you’d play back up or harmony to my melody, or melody to my harmony part. Alternatively, you could use this same trackless as a jam and more as a practice method and play the same part as me through the entire track.
05.
And as a no-fuss, quick and handy method of solo jams, use your voice memos app that comes with our smartphones. Hit the red button and record yourself playing through your material a few times. You can listen back and play along to your heart’s content without overdubbing. You might enjoy hooking your phone up to a big speaker so you can hear the recorded version of yourself over your instrument. Rock out.
I’ll let you in on something - these are all ways that professional musicians PRACTICE. So if you simulate a jam for yourself, you’ll essentially be practicing all these essential skills: listening, keeping a steady tempo, switching gears from leading or supporting, improvising, and arranging. If you’re unsure of how to develop these skills, I’d love to help you with them. My online studio can teach you all the things! Come join my jam.
If you find this post helpful and you’re willing to try any of these methods, I’d love to hear your ‘quarantunes’. You can email me [email protected] or tag my Facebook page @jamwithlaurenlessons in your post. And if you’ve thought of other ways to jam in the time of social distancing, I’m eager to learn.
