Jam Sessions in South West London & Surrey
A jam for all music styles - Rock, Blues, Funk, R'n'B, Reggae, Classic Pop & more
Please note, this is not an open mic
session for original material unless you are a complete band. If you are a singer, you need to know
some "standard" songs as there isn't time to teach players new songs
on the fly. Original or less than standard songs are OK if there is at
least a guitarist and bassist there that already know them.
SETS Each set is two songs, or around 12 minutes.
TUNING If you have an instrument that needs tuning, please ensure that it is tuned before you get on stage to avoid wasting set time.
DRINKS No drinks on stage or on amps etc. please, we've had too many kicked/knocked over.
SETS Each set is two songs, or around 12 minutes.
TUNING If you have an instrument that needs tuning, please ensure that it is tuned before you get on stage to avoid wasting set time.
DRINKS No drinks on stage or on amps etc. please, we've had too many kicked/knocked over.
How the jam works
Pretty much anyone can play at our jams as long as you can get through a few "standard"
songs or 12 bars (see sample list below), just get your name on the player list when you arrive.
We run neither a "first come first served" nor a "pecking order" system,
but somewhere between the two. In terms of who gets to play with who and when, our priority
is to get the best balance between giving the less experienced players the best opportunity
whilst not overly limiting the scope of the more experienced players, in conjunction with
the goal of providing the best possible music for our good and appreciative audiences.
To do this, we look at the players present and try to put the best combinations together to
get both the best music, and best playing opportunity, not always an easy task with 25+ players,
frequently over 30, with a broad range of styles and experience levels.
Sometimes a more experienced player that arrives later gets to play a set quite promptly, this is because they tend to be more versatile and make a new line-up possible. There are also style & repertoire factors to fit in, some players are happy or able to play any style whilst others have a specific niche, making it harder to fit them in with other players. It can be quite a juggling act to fit it all together, but we do make a point of trying to ensure that everyone gets to play at some point in the evening. It can be the case that a player that arrives early may not get to play until later because of the "juggling" of line-ups. Occasionally we find a player has left before the end of the night thinking that they have been overlooked without checking with us first, and has missed out on a set ear-marked for them for later - don't assume you have been overlooked, check with us first!.
We try our best but unfortunately, especially on very busy nights with or nights with challenging logistics, we can't keep all of the people happy all of the time in terms of which set they get to play, but we do try very hard to make it a good experience for everyone there - within the circumstances on the night!
Sometimes a more experienced player that arrives later gets to play a set quite promptly, this is because they tend to be more versatile and make a new line-up possible. There are also style & repertoire factors to fit in, some players are happy or able to play any style whilst others have a specific niche, making it harder to fit them in with other players. It can be quite a juggling act to fit it all together, but we do make a point of trying to ensure that everyone gets to play at some point in the evening. It can be the case that a player that arrives early may not get to play until later because of the "juggling" of line-ups. Occasionally we find a player has left before the end of the night thinking that they have been overlooked without checking with us first, and has missed out on a set ear-marked for them for later - don't assume you have been overlooked, check with us first!.
We try our best but unfortunately, especially on very busy nights with or nights with challenging logistics, we can't keep all of the people happy all of the time in terms of which set they get to play, but we do try very hard to make it a good experience for everyone there - within the circumstances on the night!
Typical "Standards" List
This is not a fixed list but a sample to give you an idea of the type of songs that
crop up at the jams.
Ain't No Sunshine Bill Withers
All Along The Watchtower Jimi Hendrix
Alright Now Free
Black Magic Woman Santana
Brown Sugar The Rolling Stones
Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Free
Cocaine Cream
Come Together The Beatles
Crossroads Cream
Feel Like Making Love Bad Company
Knocking On Heaven's Door Bob Dylan/Guns'n'Roses etc.
Hard To Handle Otis Redding/Black Crowes
Hey Joe Jimi Hendrix
Honkytonk Woman The Rolling Stones
I Feel Good James Brown
Johnny B. Goode Chuck Berry
Kiss Prince
Long Train Running Doobie Brothers
Little Wing Jimi Hendrix
Messin With The Kid Rory Gallagher
Need Your Love So Bad Fleetwood Mac
Play That Funky Music Black Cherry
Rock'n'Roll Led Zeppelin
Sex Machine (Get Up) James Brown
Stormy Monday T-Bone Walker, Freddie King etc.
Sunshine Of Your Love Cream
Superstition Stevie Wonder
Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynryd
Sympathy For The Devil The Rolling Stones
The Sky Is Crying Freddie King
Tush ZZ-Top
Voodoo Chile Jimi Hendrix
Whole Lotta Love Led Zeppelin
Etc.
All Along The Watchtower Jimi Hendrix
Alright Now Free
Black Magic Woman Santana
Brown Sugar The Rolling Stones
Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Free
Cocaine Cream
Come Together The Beatles
Crossroads Cream
Feel Like Making Love Bad Company
Knocking On Heaven's Door Bob Dylan/Guns'n'Roses etc.
Hard To Handle Otis Redding/Black Crowes
Hey Joe Jimi Hendrix
Honkytonk Woman The Rolling Stones
I Feel Good James Brown
Johnny B. Goode Chuck Berry
Kiss Prince
Long Train Running Doobie Brothers
Little Wing Jimi Hendrix
Messin With The Kid Rory Gallagher
Need Your Love So Bad Fleetwood Mac
Play That Funky Music Black Cherry
Rock'n'Roll Led Zeppelin
Sex Machine (Get Up) James Brown
Stormy Monday T-Bone Walker, Freddie King etc.
Sunshine Of Your Love Cream
Superstition Stevie Wonder
Sweet Home Alabama Lynyrd Skynryd
Sympathy For The Devil The Rolling Stones
The Sky Is Crying Freddie King
Tush ZZ-Top
Voodoo Chile Jimi Hendrix
Whole Lotta Love Led Zeppelin
Etc.
Any 12 bar or
simple variant of a 12 bar shouldn't be a problem for most players.

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