The Secret Language of Musicians

I’m a fingerstyle guitar enthusiast! So much so that I volunteer to write the Toronto Fingerstyle Guitar weekly newsletter. I’ll post my articles here for your musical pleasure. Be sure to check us out online at http://www.fingerstyleguitar.ca

If you can’t help tapping rhythms on a table or humming in your sleep or whistling harmonies, then you can jam and you should join us at one of our Pickin’ Parties on the Chalker’s Stage on Tuesday nights or at the new College Street Studio space. Learning how to play with others is great fun. Taking your inspiration from another player and creating something unique to that moment in muscial time is one of the most thrilling things you can do as a musician.

Jamming is an exciting word for an exciting kind of music - spontaneous music made without a written score or tab… music that goes beyond what’s written down.
So how do you get started? Well, you’re going to need at least one other player (you can find lots of guitar playing friends at one of our open stages!). Each jam session starts with a familiar tune or theme. When the mood warms up and the players feel inspired, each one takes a solo. Each plays off the theme, adding their unique style to the melody and rhythm. Some guitarists will race their fingers across the fretboard in a flurry of musical activity. Others will slow down the melody and touch you with their melodic passages.

The truth is, jamming is the secret language of musicians. It is rarely understood or appreciated by the non-musical world. In every memorable jam session, each musician is inspired to give everything they have. The music that emerges is only for the moment — it will never be heard in just that way again. Few artistic forms allow this kind of collaboration. That’s why an exalted jam session is a rare thing indeed. It can be magical, intensely emotional and rewarding for the players, as well as the lucky listeners.