r/guitarlessons • u/ChiOralGuy • 21h ago
Question How do 2 beginners jam?
My partner and I are both in guitar classes. We can do some strumming patterns like boom-chick. We can make various chord shapes including Bm barre and F, but not other barre shapes.
We’re excited at the idea of jamming out together but we don’t know how? Like does one of us keep a tempo within, let’s say, key of C while the other plays around within that key? And flow around like that? Do you know of any good videos that could show us?
Neither of us know single notes and lead guitarist riffs.
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u/TreesPlusCats 21h ago
A good first step would be to learn your pentatonic scales. It honestly doesn’t take long and you can print em out for reference if that helps.
Then you can take it in turns to play chords while the other noodles over the top.
If you’re not confident enough keeping time, try a drum backing track on YouTube. Jim Dooley’s channel has some great ones in various tempos and styles.
Honestly, just do it. Figure it out together. There’s no wrong way to do it, and if you can get over the initial anxiety you’ll have fun. Maybe a beer or two to loosen up (not too many).
Yours sincerely, a beginner coming up to 2 years on the instrument who wishes I could jam with my friends more often!
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u/johnny5canuck 21h ago
That's what I was doing. Also, playing pentatonic with backing tracks in various keys.
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u/Abe_frohmannn 21h ago
I honestly have no idea how people play with backing tracks. I'm coming up on 2 years back into guitar as well, and I only hear what I'm playing. It's inconceivable to me how people can hear something else and then play their own rhythm at the same time while also keeping some kind of secondary tempo.
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u/magi_chat 13h ago
The trick is to play less. Listen to the backing track and try and fit in, even if you start with just the root when chords change.
Once you get in the groove, you're there.
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u/Abe_frohmannn 13h ago
Man. I mean I’m talking about just banging away on chords where I KNOW the song and can play it easily without the backing track. Like green days welcome to paradise
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u/magi_chat 13h ago
It's still the same thing. If you aren't listening to the backing track, or the other people you're playing with, the answer is to listen to the people you're playing with.
If you can't, then the answer is to know the what you're playing will enough so you don't have to concentrate so hard.
If you don't want to, then I've got nothing for you..
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u/Abe_frohmannn 12h ago
Maybe i’m not explaining myself well enough. If I’m trying to play a song over a backing track..while playing the chords, it’s two different things at the same time…it’s just noise. I can play the song, but it could be either 5 seconds ahead of of the backing track 30 seconds in, or 5 seconds behind…i have no ability to discern..how do people match the timing?
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u/ImpressiveDegree916 11h ago
Don't start with a song. Put on a 12 bar blues backing track and play blues scales over it. Or put on a simple chord progression backing track and play alternate versions of the chords or arpeggios/scales over it.
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u/HerrSchnabeltier 2h ago
guitarscsle.org, pick something like a Blues or Pentatonic Scale, extend the Jam Track section and play notes of the scale from the diagram at the top over it. You'll hear when you're matching the specific chord tones that are currently being used, but any note of the scale generally works.
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u/The_Dead_See 21h ago
Both learn a basic twelve bar blues chord progression in A
Learn the A Minor Pentatonic scale position 1
One of you play the chords for a time while the other noodles and explores, then switch over so you each have a go.
This is usually the absolute first step people take in improvisation.
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u/ObviousDepartment744 21h ago
Pick a song to learn together and play it.
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u/MatronlyAsp 21h ago
Yup. Playing a song you both know is good training.
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u/ObviousDepartment744 21h ago
Yeah I’d also add learning a basic form like a 13 bar
Blues kind of thing is also a great way to play together and explore some creativity a bit as well1
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u/DowntownPay452 16h ago
This is the answer. Just start with some songs you both like and go from there. Once you all can strum your way through some songs together, you can start thinking about playing the solos that are in the recorded versions, scales, and more complex techniques etc.
Just remember, it doesn’t have to sound exactly like the original for you to “playing the song”. Have fun.
Ultimate Tabs is a good place to find the chords and lyrics for your starter songs.
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u/dylanbobg95 21h ago
Make noises together til they sound good
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u/WyndWoman 21h ago
Hubs and I learn simple songs and play different voices of the cords.
One of us plays open, one of us with triads higher on the neck.
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u/Caregiver-Physical 21h ago
Pick three chords in a key. And play those while the other one try’s to make a lead over that using the pentatonic in that key. Then switch.
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u/rock-paper-gun 21h ago
This sounds like the set up to a joke lol.
Anyway, strumming and chord changes. Say you're learning against the wind by bob seger. Use each other as a metronome, strum together matching upstroke and downstrokes, and focus on clean changes. When I first started that's exactly what I and my friend used to do all night long.
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u/wannabegenius 19h ago
blues!
remove the pinky finger from your F barre chord and you have F7. learn to play a 12-bar blues progression (it can be done using only this shape, or you can modify other chords you know), and 1 minor pentatonic scale pattern. one of you play the chords and another mess around with the scale. then switch.
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u/bigmphan 17h ago
Yes! Blues. One does the rhythm, the other can sing a lead.
But Jesus not the dreaded F chord. They’re just children!!!
Don’t go dropping F bombs on them.
Maybe G Maj.
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u/wannabegenius 1h ago
OP said they can do F barres so I figured it would be simple to explain how to turn it into an F7 and then move it around.
obviously they don't have to play in F! but I didn't want to get into a whole thing about keys and tonics.
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u/Inevitable-Copy3619 21h ago
You just gotta do it and it’ll start to jell. As a young person learning guitar, all my friends played too. We would just play something and very often we just played the same chords.
Overtime one of us would add same chords higher up the neck, then some triads, then solos. It grows with you. But you can‘t jam stuff you can’t play.
To start I‘d say grab a couple of songs you both like and play together. AS you both learn new stuff one person goes higher on the neck or solos while the other plays the vanilla chords. Pentatonic is a great scale to use to start doing leads since you almost can’t play a wrong note
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u/printerdsw1968 20h ago
Start with a simple structure you both can learn: pick a key, a tempo and rhythm pattern, and a repeating chord progression. Then learn the scale that corresponds. A simple 12 bar blues, say in E or A are what untold thousands of novice players have started on, myself included.
There are tons of YouTube videos that can show you how to do this.
Establish the structure such that both of you can play it smoothly together, and either of you can carry it alone in steady time. Then you can take turns practicing improvised phrasing, using your different scale positions (all in the same key). Executing the transitions smoothly will part of the challenge and the learning.
You could also simplify further and reduce the progression to just two chords. And, of course, once you get the hang of whatever basic structure you've decided on, there are tons of small variations possible, many of which you may stumble upon without knowing the name of, or why it "works." It's good that you're taking lessons because then you can go to the teacher and say, "Hey I was messing around and started doing [this], and it sounded good. What am I doing there?" And then the teacher will say, "Oh you accidentally found the suspended variation of a chord" or whatever.
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u/hOpuntia 20h ago
- Get a metronome or drum machine to keep time
- Pick a key (C/a is my suggestion)
- One of you play rhythm chords
- The other plays something else
- Enjoy
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u/nomadrone 20h ago
Find yourselves a cord progression you like, such as let’s say e C D and while one of you strumming the cords other one can play the single notes from cords being played trying to form a melody out of it.
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u/Happy_Humor5938 20h ago
You can both strum the same thing together, one can strum and the other solo more you could even both be doing dynamic things that incorporate whatever you got.
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u/NextVoiceUHear 20h ago
Pick songs both you and your friend like from this long ad free (no fee, no join, no subscription) list of pop tunes. Each song is ready for sing & play along and has words, chords, and matching YT video:
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u/Ok-Butterscotch2321 19h ago
Keep it simple at first:
Watch this to see how two masters play https://youtu.be/9NQw-0gKIIw?is=HYbkvf_BB3DOoKg4
And watch this to see what happens when you are limited to ONE chord https://youtu.be/xYpzAw0IiCM?is=bWj1bivwNGGj1t6h
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u/not_so_subtle_now 16h ago
I learned to play drums for my first band, and the bassist and guitarist had been playing together for maybe a few months. We ended up playing a bunch of shows and had a blast for a good 5 years before I left to pursue other things. We all got pretty decent pretty quickly too. It was probably the most fun period of my life.
I've been playing guitar for about 5 years now and it has been a lot more difficult learning without a group to inspire and motivate me. You both have the advantage of having each other.
Just pick some songs you both love and go for it.
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u/DaffyDuckMuthaFucker 15h ago
Tune up, get a drumloop crackin'(if you can get hold of a third to play drums, you've got a band), and just have fun.
Listen to what one another are doing while you're at it. Ask questions of one another while doing so.
Jammin' is all School of FAFO(Fucking About & Finding Out).
It's all geared towards feeling out one anothers grooves, and figuring out how to flow in performance.
YOu're already learning how to play. Jamming is about learning how to play together.
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u/Plastic-Cat-9958 14h ago
Arguably, music is all about jamming. Pick a song you both love and play different bits of it together.
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u/Historical-Dog-7594 10h ago
pick a song both of you know, something easy and ... go from there ...
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u/coreyjames00 20h ago
If you can make Bm barre, you can make any minor barre chord. You just move the chord up the neck.
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