One day I will find catchy titles that get more visitors. One day…
Guitar Jam with a Friend and Learn More about Music
Tom comes over once every two weeks to jam with his singing and harmonica. I play acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and today I played electric bass.
What Did Tom Learn about Music Today
First of all, Tom’s played guitar since he was a teenager but then morphed into more harmonica playing and singing.
As for me, I have played guitar for 2 years and bass for 1 year.
This is what Tom learned today.
- Tom liked the song “Red Dirt Road”.
- Amazing, he had never heard it before. But his genre is blues and folk.
- Playing Harmonica to “Red Dirt Road” was “REVELATORY” per Tom. Big words from a smart guy 🙂
- Tom came to realize that playing a country song meant no “7ths” or something like that. All major notes? He loved it to death.
What Did Richard (Shoshin Guitarist) Learn about Music Today
Today I started on electric bass with Tom playing harmonica amped through a Fender G-Dec v3 30. I was using the Justin Guitar App that serves up many songs for guitar with chords shown. It carries you along.
This is what I learned.
- Tom’s Advice. Play the song WITHOUT the Band. No voice, minimal band.
- Tom just wanted me to play bass so he could play melody with harmonica over the song.
- I was hesitant to try, it was new for me.
- But it worked great.
- Play with Bass root notes, just keep the rhythm. Nothing fancy.
- It was lots of fun.
- Bass is all about “Keeping Time”.
- Nothing fancy, just keep the time and tap your foot.
What did we learn together?
Tom and I both learned we could jam with my electric bass and his harmonica. My paid subscription to the Justin Guitar app worked wonderfully. I even caught Tom exploring it when I took a break. Thanks, Justin Guitar.
We also learned that we didn’t miss my Orange Crush 12L for amping harmonica. The Fender G-Dec v3 30 opened up new doors of experimentation on amping harmonica.
Tom and I both learned that he enjoyed playing Country and Western songs. Apparently it’s a new genre for him. Good to know.
Why Does Music Jamming with a Friend Matter?
You can only learn so much playing by yourself on acoustic guitar, electric guitar, or electric bass.
If you play music with others, keep your mind open to new ideas, you will learn more about your instrument and playing with others.
So jam with a friend, colleague, bunch of people whenever you can do it. Just keep it a little structured 🙂
Thanks for Visiting Shoshin Guitarist Today
Yes, Shoshin is a Japanese word for learning with a Beginner’s Mind. Thanks for visiting today.
So today, I learned a lot.