NEWBIE notes

I love to encourage new musicians.

But, when you come into a group of players, it is important to realize that you can help US help YOU if you remember a few strategies for making music with other people.  Like everything else in life, there are certain things to attend to which make a session more enjoyable for everyone.

Here are some things that you should know and put into practice:

1) Know how to tune your instrument and make sure it is tuned before you start. REtune as needed.

2) Play SOFTLY in the background if you do not know the song, the chord progressions, or the chords themselves. Listen! If you are not in tune with the other players or out of beat, make sure YOU are the only one who knows. (Note: everyone hits a wrong note or chord here and there, and that is never a problem.... but if you are not fairly sure of the song, please play quietly until you know the song)

3) Know how to form the basic chords and how to go from one to the other while staying in beat (HINT: get a metronome, set it to a slow pace, and change chords when the first beat of the measure happens.... if you don't know what that means, ask any of us, and then go *practice*.)

4) PRACTICE. That means doing it again and again (and again and again and again) until it sounds like music, in the privacy of your own home. When it sounds like music, bring it to the group. The song circle is not where you practice, it is where you *perform*.

5) Being able to play riffs is just that.... playing riffs. Learn the whole song.

6) You can take a couple minutes to learn the chords/progression from the person leading the tune, but don't make the rest of the players wait while you get one-on-one tutoring for longer than a couple minutes. We *all* come together to make music, our gatherings are not lessons.

7) The song is the important thing. Songs have a rhythm, melody and words. Try to respect all three. Make your sounds fit into the song. Let the song be your guide.

8) The person who calls the song, leads it. They decide how fast, what key, where the breaks are, and when and how to end it. *You* are expected to do all that when it is YOUR turn to call a song. Be prepared to lead us when your turn comes around :)

9) LISTEN and PAY ATTENTION to the other players. Play softer when someone is singing. Play softer when you don't know the song. Play softer when someone is doing a solo. Playing softer is almost *always* better than playing louder.... (remember-- WE can hear you way better than you hear yourself)

10) Have FUN making JOYFUL noise!!!