Jazz Jam Rules!

When I volunteered to co-ordinate a jazz open-stage night at a local club, I sat down and drew up some guidelines to help me organize and execute this rather challenging assignment. I also set down some guidelines for my guest players as well as myself.  I titled it “Jazz Jam Rules!” which is more palatable than “Rules for Jazz Jam Sessions”. And let’s be honest, jazz jams definitely rule.

A jam session is a two-way street, or maybe three-way. While the onus is on the musicians to play and play well, the hosts of the jam also have obligations to the venue, to the guests, and to each other. And always remember that, as the host, you are working.

Always say Hi
People like to be acknowledged. More importantly, some of your jammers may be a bit shy, and your welcome will help them loosen up and reassure them that they're in the right place.

Don't rely on sign-up sheets
Jam sessions often have sign-up sheets, usually announced at the beginning of the night and then rarely mentioned again. Some people will leave in frustration because they didn't know about the list. Others may be uncertain or are just undecided. Encourage them to get involved and get them on your list. They can always say ‘No thanks’ later.

Take smarter breaks
Take five minutes for personal TCB, then get the jammers organized. Once you’ve lined up the next set, then you can relax and mingle. 

Work the room
It doesn’t take long to spot the people sporting instrument cases and stick bags. They are your supporters, and without them your jam will fail. Learn their names and find out their skill levels. Seek them out during the breaks. You can then begin to combine people with similar abilities, but be sure to also mix it up from time to time.

Ask your jammers to prepare
It seems like a basic thing to do, but too often jammers climb on stage with no agenda whatsoever. Ask them what they plan to play to get them thinking about their set before they get on stage. And now would be a good time to tune.

Be kind, but be firm
Some people may not suit the music style or skill level of the room. Give these brave souls a fair shot -- perhaps two tunes -- then you can suggest that they're not ready yet or that this is not the best venue for their 'gift '.

Same with show-boaters and stage-hogs. Be polite, but move them along efficiently. And never  allow anyone to dictate on the stage. Make sure your event is a positive experience for everyone.

And remember that a good host is always kind, tolerant, and supportive.

All About Sticks

Expensive, breakable, liable to fly out of your hand at the worst time … love ‘em or hate ‘em, drum sticks are a fact of life. While the leg of a chair or a stick picked up on a walk would work, modern drumsticks are high-performance tools that are tailored down to the finest detail to do the job required. The vast majority of sticks are made from wood -- most often hickory -- but there are other options to try. For a real dive into the details, check out the websites of a few drum stick makers.

Wooden sticks
Hickory is by far the most commonly used wood to make sticks. Hickory is very strong and has a good balance of weight and flexibility. Maple is often favoured by drummers who are looking for a lighter stick, softer attack or both. Oak is heavier and more rigid than hickory and is a good fit for heavy players who like the feel of a more solid stick.

A recent innovation is torrified wood ... wood that has been baked in an oven. This process hardens the wood, making it stronger and more rigid. It also results in a distinctive dark hue to the wood.

Engineered wood sticks appear occasionally. Think plywood. The theory is that a sandwich of wooden plies will yield more consistent sticks that will be stronger and less prone to the variances of natural wood. There doesn't seem to be anyone making these right now, but somebody's probably working on one.

Metal sticks
These have been around in various forms since the ‘60s. The most successful are usually made from aluminum tubing with some sort of nylon tip and shoulder added. Metal sticks are extremely consistent and some drummers just love them. There are also sticks made from solid aluminum and even steel. These are very heavy and are generally intended for “weight training” on the practice pad.

Other
Nylon and other plastics and synthetics have been tried and mostly ignored by drummers, though there have been a few successes.

Profile
A taper in the stick can enhance its rebound, articulation and feel. The majority of sticks have a taper that begins a few inches from the tip, some sticks have a longer taper, and some specialty sticks have a taper that runs the length of the stick. Some sticks have a second taper starting in the grip area and running to the butt, which enhances the stick’s power.

What about the tip?
Every type of wood has its own sound. This is further enhanced by the size, shape  and profile of the tip. The other choice is nylon. This stuff is strong (Kevlar is a type of nylon) and it combines hard-wearing qualities with excellent sound quality.

Signature models
Occasionally a drummer and stick-maker will work together to create a unique model. Mostly the mods consist of tweaks to existing models, but the changes can make a noticeable difference to how the sticks feel and behave. As well as the artist's signature, the sticks sometimes feature cool graphics. By the way, the majority of sticks these days are tweaks to the 5A and 5B models.

Drum Stick Sizing
Originally, different models were given a number to signify the stick’s thickness, and a letter to represent its application: A = Orchestra, B = Band, S = Street. Sizing runs from large to small, so a 1A stick is thicker than a 7A. There is little correlation between classes of stick; e.g. a 5A and a 5B are different in length and thickness, and have different profiles. Note that some companies have created their own codes for different models, e.g. RK, HD, etc.

There’s lots to choose from, so the stick of your dreams is likely out there, although it may take some time to discover it.