Carroll Jams

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

In-person acoustic jams! Folk, rock, blues, pop, traditional and more!
RSVP if you plan on attending. Click on "Read more" below!
Bring a tablet and a stand. Vocal amplification provided if you want it.

WE ARE NOW MEETING ON THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH!

We’ll be meeting on the second Sunday of every month at The Stables at Westminster restaurant. If you want to buy a meal, arrive at 12:30. We’ll be jamming from 2:00 to 4:00.

The Stables address is 452 East Main Street, Westminster, MD (at the corner of East Main Street and Rt. 97). Here is their website: thestablesatwestminster.net

We post our songs at  bit.ly/cjsongs
Please note: all provided lyrics and chords are for educational use only.
You do not need a Dropbox account in order to view the song files.
If you're an Apple user with MAC OS Monterey 12.3, click **here **for help with Dropbox.
Questions about viewing Dropbox files? Click here.

If you've never been to a jam, here's what happens: a bunch of musicians show up and play. You'll see that some of the musicians already know one another and that others are new to the group. That doesn't matter much because in a jam everybody is considered a friend. We follow a kind of "jam etiquette" to make sure that everything runs smooth as silk. Our jam isn't a practice session and we're not looking to perform anywhere.

Our goal is to have fun playing and singing together.

In addition, we play from the online songbook. We have a few digital tablets to share, but we recommend that you consider purchasing a tablet (screen size 10.1" or larger).
I use a Kindle Fire HD 10 10.1" screen (without ads).

You'll have an opportunity to pick out a song from the online songbook. Bring a music stand if you have one. If you want to lead a song that's not in the book or in our Meetup files, bring at least 20 copies of the song with lyrics and chords. A lot of our musicians do not read music.

If you'd like, you can perform a song for the group. It's up to you-- just let Laurie know when you get to the jam that you'd like to perform one. And then remind her because she forgets stuff.

We welcome acoustic guitars, ukuleles, mandolins, banjos, fiddles, violas, cellos and stand-up basses, recorders, concert flutes, penny whistles, harmonicas, accordions or concertinas, woodwinds (clarinets, saxophones, melodicas), hammered dulcimers (lap dulcimers if you can accompany a guitar). If you play electric keyboard, please bring your own. Drummers who can play delicately with brushes are invited to bring a small drum. Handheld percussion instruments such as rasps, shakers, and bones are welcome, too.

Singers are much needed! We will provide a mic on a stand if you would like to use it.

We are beginner-friendly although participants will be expected to be familiar with the basics of their instruments (for example, string players should be able to easily manage the following chords: A, Am, A7, Am7, B, Bb, Bm, Bm7, C, C7, D, Dm, D7, E, Em, E7, F, G, Gm, and G7 or should be able to pick out the melody by ear).

Friends and family can come "just to observe," but we bet that they'll get in on the singing before the jam ends! Well-behaved children over the age of six are welcome if they sit with their parents.

Please bring some money with you if you want to order something yummy to eat. We eat from 1:00 to 2:00.

No pets. No drugs. No vaping or smoking in the circle. No intoxication. No weapons. Just plain fun.

JAM ETIQUETTE:
-Listen while you play. Good listeners make better players.
-Buy an electronic clip-on tuner. Tune up before you come inside the circle.
-Your volume should match the group's volume.
-Likewise, your tempo should match the group's tempo. No need to rush things!
-I'll ask folk before we start the jam if they'd like to solo. It's OK to pass.
-If the song leader calls you out to solo, give the song leader a "heads up" when you're done soloing.
-When someone is soloing, it's mighty polite to drop your volume a little so that you can hear the solo. Also, it's understood that when someone is soloing, all the other players lend support by playing a simpler line.
-The jam's organizer will pick out and lead the first song. After that, we'll go around the circle to pick songs. (Note: If you've picked a song, but you don't want to lead it, that's OK. The jam organizer will lead it.)
-We like it when everybody sings along!
-To keep up the energy, we respectfully ask that players don't "noodle around" between songs.
-The circle is for playing. If you're conversing while others are playing, kindly find a cozy place outside of the circle and out of earshot where you can continue your conversation.
-Although we are beginner friendly, the purpose of the jam is to play... not to practice. If you are still a beginning beginner, make sure that you can easily shift between the chords listed above. If you need help learning these, you might consider taking some lessons (even self-taught Internet lessons) before you wade into playing in the jam. Practice, practice, practice! If you're learning how to play the uke, I might suggest www.doctoruke.com and www.ukuleletricks.com/11-must-know-ukulele-chords-for-beginners/
Questions? Contact Laurie Precht, organizer, at laurieprecht@gmail.com