Wondering How To Jam With Other People On The Guitar?

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Do You Want To Jam With Other People On The Guitar?

Have you ever wondered how musicians just start playing together all at once and everything they play sounds good? I wondered that for a long time and then I finally figured out the secret. It's the Key Concept. Everyone jamming plays chords and notes from the same key.

You can hear what it sounds like on your computer right now by clicking the yellow buttons in Jesse's Guitar Song Making Machine below. The rhythm person plays chords from the key of G (top part) and the lead person plays notes in the solo pattern in the key of G (second part). Read on for a detailed example in another key.

Jesse's Guitar Song Making Machine

Rhythm Person Strums Chords
in the Key of G below

Click On The Yellow Buttons
To Make Up A Rhythm Part In The Key Of G

Listen initially click once to activate	Listen initially click once to activate	Listen initially click once to activate	Listen initially click once to activate	Listen initially click once to activate	Listen initially click once to activate
G Major	A minor	B Minor	C Major	D Major	E minor

Play The Chords On Your Guitar
click here to learn how to play chords

Lead Person Plays Notes
in the Key of G below

Click On The Yellow Buttons
To Make Up Solos On Lead Guitar In The Key Of G

initially click each button
once to activate it

Play the Black Notes
To Make Up A Solo On Lead Guitar
In The Key Of G

Don't have anyone to jam with right now?

You can download a back-up jam track that I recorded in the key of G. Right click here and choose "save target as". Save it to your desktop. Then double click on it so it starts playing. Then come back to this page and click on any buttons in the note pattern or play the notes on your guitar and you're jamming.

Here's an explanation of the secret:

The Secret
-The Key Concept-
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The majority of songs that you hear are in certain "keys."
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Hotel California	Eagles	Key of D
Imagine	John Lennon	Key of C
Nothing Else Matters	Metallica	Key of G
When September Ends	Green Day	Key of G
Hey Jude	Beatles	Key of F

So what's a key?
A key is basically a group of notes (you play a note when you pluck one string on the guitar). Each key has a different group of notes. The key of D has one group of notes, the key of G has a different group of notes, etc.

Each key also has a group of chords. A chord is three or more notes played at the same time. Chords have names like "C Major" or "A minor". The chords in each key are made using the notes in each key.

When musicians make up a song, they pick a key and then "mainly" use notes and chords that belong to that key. So Hotel California by the Eagles (in the list above), mainly uses the notes and chords in the key of D. Imagine by John Lennon mainly uses the notes and chords in the key of C. For a more detailed explanation of notes, chords and the key concept click here.

An easy way to immediately start jamming with another person is to pick a key for your jam, and then have one person play a rhythm part and the other person play a lead part. Then you can switch off.

The rhythm person strums chords from that key and the lead person plays notes from that key. Here are 3 steps you can follow:

3 Steps To Jam With Other People

Do You Want To Jam With Other People On The Guitar?

1 PICK a Key for Your Jam

2 RHYTHM Person Strums Any Chords From That Key