Step One: Pick a Song

Agreeing on a song can be challenging, as everyone doesn’t know the same song or even have the same musical interests. For this reason, the best way to start things out is often with a 12-bar blues in a common guitar key. If that’s not familiar to you, practice it before you go, in case that’s on the menu.

If most of the people in a group know and like a song that you don’t know, it’s best to just go with it and hang in the best you can. Playing with others is a good way to learn new songs, and you don’t have to take a starring role in every song. If, however, you start feeling like you’re always in the background, make an effort to suggest songs or ways to play them. Collaborate!

Then, Pick a Key

Once you’ve agreed on a song, you’ll need to determine a key.  Even if all of the participants know the song in the same key (unlikely), it might be one that’s uncomfortable for the majority of the singers. Here again, majority rules. To get comfortable with an unfamiliar key, you can use the information in this article, which tells you how to change the key of a song.

For help with understanding and using the capo, go to lesson G7 in the Virtual Studio; If you already have experience with the capo and understand how it works, you’ll want to watch the video lesson, R6. If the capo doesn’t provide the solution you need, use lesson Th23 to learn or brush up on transposing.

Add Interest to the Accompaniment Patterns

Once you’ve settled on a key, you’re ready to choose your accompaniment style. Look for ways for different guitars to play different styles. Although everybody in the group can strum together in the same way, variety improves the performance and makes everything more fun!

The first thing you can do to expand and enrich the sound is to play higher (or lower) on the fretboard than the other guitars, either by using barre chords or the capo. For example, if one or more guitar players are playing in the key of G in the first position, you could capo at VII and use the chord shapes in the key of C.

The next thing you can do is mix up the right-hand styles. If the other guitars are strumming, try a fingerpicking pattern and vice versa. You can find fingerstyle instruction and fingerpicking patterns in lessons T7 and T9. Use lesson T6  for ideas and help with strumming.

If you can’t keep up with the chord changes on the hardest parts, feel free to lay out for some or all of them until you build strength and speed. The most important thing is to hang in and play even the smallest thing while you build confidence.

Throw in Some Fancy Stuff

If you’ve been learning and creating with scales and melodies at home, a musical get-together is a chance to exercise your skills in a fun way. Nothing you do has to be impressive or even right, but be open to new possibilities. It’s great to be the rhythm guitarist in the group, but you may also want to try your hand at leads.

If you’re just stepping out into playing single notes, the easiest and most effective thing to do in your group is create a bass line. This video (R10 in the Studio) will help you do that. While you’re in the Virtual Studio, check out any lessons in the music theory category that call to you. You can also find the information you need in the theory book. That information will enable you to choose the relevant scale in any situation and more.

If you’re more experienced with single note playing and are itching to add some riffs to the mix or even to take a solo, go for it! Jam night is a perfect time to conquer any lack of confidence and exercise your lead guitar skills. The lessons in the “Lead Playing and Scales” category in the Studio are good for preparing you for that, as is “the red book.”

One last tip: Remember to watch, listen, and ask questions. Don’t be intimidated by the more advanced players. Be inspired and grateful for them! Playing with others is an opportunity to pick up on new information and skills from other musicians. That’s priceless if you’re not taking guitar lessons, but still valuable if you are. Your guitar teacher can’t predict the challenges that you’ll face in every situation!

Access the Information You Need

Most of the lessons I’ve linked to in this article are in the Virtual Studio, so if you haven’t signed up for it yet, this is a good time. You can use it free for a whole month and if you don’t want to keep a subscription at the $9.95/month price after that, it’s really easy to cancel. (It won’t hurt my feelings.😊) You can learn the skills that will enable you to play well with others in less time than a month and you’ll probably have some time left over to check out more lessons and courses.