Encourage others to have their turn playing and vocals. You may be surprised of hidden talents that you would never have expected.

The Rochester post looks like an awful lot of rules, but it all makes perfect sense. If you can get everyone to stick to it, it would work very well.

I don't get to play in many purely cajun jams, unfortunately, so my experience is mainly in general music jams. One thing I like to stick to is a strict around-the-room rotation. Gives everyone an equal chance and the less confident ones can pass if they want to. From what I've experienced, the person running the show ( and there should be one ) should be strong willed enough to keep the rotation going, because you will always get at least one player who, as soon as one song is over, will start running through something, and the others will find it easier to join in than get him to toe the line. Then people go home not having led enough songs, and they don't come back next time.

BJ

All the advices are very helpfull. Give eachother space to play with the jam. An collegue of me, a teacher in music and a very good hobo-player once told me, "They play against eachother"

This is my take: for what it's worth...In any jam but especially in a small jam, the instruments should listen to each other and vary the dynamics behind each other's soloing. This is especially true of the accordion, which can drop out all together especially if something quiet like a mandolin or a vocalist with a not very loud voice gets in there. In Louisiana (and elsewhere) it can be frustrating if you are an accordionist, because there are just so many talented players. Too often an accordionist will play on for an hour monopolizing the jam , but one should avoid this even if others don't. I guess one should estimate how many accordionist's there are and play a half dozen songs, then passing on the solo. The idea should be to support the music of the group, not to show off. If one is jamming with players who don't know the customary order of soloing, it's a good idea for the accordion player to call out the solos and to make sure everyone gets a turn!

I`ll keep on practising

Wilfred

Saturday we can do some jamsessions in Friesland.
Don't forget your accordion.

sounds nice Ron, we`ll see what happens.

see you there