Hawkeye gets started in this series with this lecture style lesson explaining just what a blues jam is, and how your typical jam session works.
Taught by Hawkeye Herman in Jamming With Others seriesLength: 14:38Difficulty: 0.0 of 5
Are you tired of just playing in your bedroom? Are you thinking of putting yourself out there in a jamming situation? If so, this series from Hawkeye Herman is just the one for you! Hawkeye has been a professional musician for more than 40 years, and has facilitated hundreds of jams. Benefit from his vast experience in this series, Jamming With Others.
Lesson 1
Join Hawkeye as he introduces his series, Jamming With Others.
Length: 5:14 Difficulty: 0.0 Members OnlyLesson 2
Hawkeye gets started in this series with this lecture style lesson explaining just what a blues jam is, and how your typical jam session works.
Length: 14:38 Difficulty: 0.0 Members OnlyLesson 3
Remember, it's not all about you! Hawkeye discusses a major part of jamming with others: etiquette!
Length: 19:33 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 4
Learning how to be on stage during a jam is super important! In this lesson, Hawkeye gives us a picture of what it's like on stage, and he coaches us on one of the most important aspects of all: How to...
Length: 14:50 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 5
Chris Liepe joins Hawkeye in this lesson, giving you a practical look at playing with another person with no rehearsal!
Length: 11:15 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 6
Now, Chris will lead a song and Hawkeye will back him up! Then they will both explain the process they went through to make this jam successful.
Length: 8:37 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 7
One more collaboration between Chris and Hawkeye. In this one, they explain the process of complimenting each other musically, when both are playing rhythm guitar.
Length: 12:40 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 8
Now that Hawkeye has discussed all of the elements of a Jam, he gives you a detailed look at a Jam Night, from being a jammer to being a facilitator of the jam.
Length: 10:35 Difficulty: 0.0 Members OnlyLesson 9
Having your own regular, private jam session can be a great way to build a musical community. In this lesson, Hawkeye shares is extensive knowledge that comes from years and years of hosting his own private...
Length: 29:42 Difficulty: 0.0 Members OnlyLesson 10
Hawkeye wraps up his series on Jamming With Others with a review of his key points: Jamming in a club situation, and starting your own private jam.
Length: 11:33 Difficulty: 0.0 Members Only
About Hawkeye Herman
View Full Biography
""One of America's finest acoustic guitarists and blues educators."
Cascade Blues Association
"Herman plays with a sensitive, reflective touch that continually draws
attention to his vocals, which are effectively understated and free of
affectation... Herman can rock with the best of them. A solid choice for fans of
traditional acoustic blues."
Living Blues Magazine
" ...plays haunting music on a mournful guitar."
Los Angeles Times
"The only thing better than hearing this live album is seeing Hawkeye Herman
in the flesh. Whether adding his own spin to blues classics or offering his
own songs, Herman is a one-man history of blues, noteworthy guitar player and
inimitable communicator. Miss him at your peril."
Blues Access
With over 40 years of performing experience, Michael "Hawkeye" Herman
personifies the range of possibilities in blues and folk music. His dynamic blues
guitar playing and vocal abilities have won him a faithful following and he leads
a very active touring schedule of performances at festivals, concerts, school
programs and educational workshops throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
His original music has been included in video dramas and documentaries and in
four hit theatrical productions.
In 2000, Hawkeye was awarded Philadelphia's
Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre for best original music in a
theatrical production. "Everyday Living," Hawkeye's first nationally released album
from 1987, now reissued on CD, features the late blues giants Charles Brown and
"Cool Papa" Sadler, and established the demand for his now long-standing
festival and concert touring. His latest CDs and DVD, "Blues Alive!" (CD), "It's
All Blues To Me" (CD), and "Hawkeye Live In Concert" (DVD) have been greeted
with rave reviews. Hawkeye's journalistic efforts have been published in numerous
national and regional blues and music-related periodicals.
In 1998 he was the
recipient of the Blues Foundation's "Keeping The Blues Alive" award for
achievement in education. He served on the Board of Directors of the Blues
Foundation for six years. Hawkeye was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of fame in
2004. In September of 2005, Hawkeye composed, at the request of the British
Broadcasting Company (BBC), "Katrina, Oh Katrina (Hurricane Blues)," detailing the
hurricane disaster on the Gulf Coast. The song was aired to over 7 million
listeners on the popular "BBC Today" program. He is the cofounder of the Rogue
Valley Blues Festival, Ashland, OR.
This musician has definitely carved out a
spot for himself in the contemporary acoustic blues/folk field, and has earned a
reputation as one of the most accomplished artists in the genre, and
audiences throughout the US/Canada/Europe have come to know and appreciate Hawkeye's
talent, dedication, and captivating performances.
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
Lesson 40 takes a deeper look at slash chords. Mark discusses why they're called slash chords, and how they are formed.
Free LessonSeries DetailsIn lesson 6, Kaki discusses how the left and right hands can work together or independently of each other to create different...
Free LessonSeries DetailsPamela brings a cap to her first 13 JamPlay lessons with another original etude inspired by the great Leo Brouwer. This is...
Free LessonSeries DetailsTyler Grant is back with an introduction to his new series "Classic Country Chops." In this series, Tyler goes in-depth...
Free LessonSeries DetailsWelcome to the Phil Keaggy Master Course! In this series introduction, Phil shows and tells us what we can expect from this...
Free LessonSeries DetailsJamPlay is proud to introduce jazz guitarist Peter Einhorn. In this lesson series, Peter will discuss and demonstrate a way...
Free LessonSeries DetailsMiche introduces several new chord concepts that add color and excitement to any progression.
Free LessonSeries DetailsJim discusses the importance of setting goals. He provides some tips that will help steer your practicing in the right direction.
Free LessonSeries DetailsOur electric guitar lessons are taught by instructors with an incredible amount of teaching experience.
Guns N' Roses guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal pulls out all the stops in his blistering artist series. Dive into the intense,...
Free LessonSeries DetailsJoin Joe as he shows one of his favorite drills for strengthening his facility around the fretboard: The Spider Technique.
Free LessonSeries DetailsKnown around the world for his inspirational approach to guitar instruction, Musician's Institute veteran Daniel Gilbert...
Free LessonSeries DetailsSteve McKinley talks about evaluating your bass and keeping it in top shape. He covers neck relief, adjusting the truss rod,...
Free LessonSeries DetailsDavid MacKenzie introduces the tapping technique and teaches a fun exercise. This lesson includes a backing track.
Free LessonSeries DetailsJoel Kosche talks about creating and composing a guitar solo. He uses his original song "Sunrise" as an example.
Free LessonSeries DetailsBilly starts his artist series off with a lesson on something he gets asked the most to explain: right hand 3 finger technique.
Free LessonSeries DetailsDave "David J" Weiner returns with a lesson on how to play with style and attitude. He covers all the basic techniques you'll...
Free LessonSeries DetailsSignup today to enjoy access to our entire database of video lessons, along with our exclusive set of learning tools and features.
Take a minute to compare JamPlay to other traditional and new methods of learning guitar. Our estimates for "In-Person" lessons below are based on a weekly face-to-face lesson for $40 per hour.
![]() |
||||
Price Per Lesson | < $0.01 | $4 - $5 | $30 - $50 | Free |
Money Back Guarantee | Sometimes | n/a | ||
Number of Instructors | 88 | 1 – 3 | 1 | Zillions |
Interaction with Instructors | Daily Webcam Sessions | Weekly | ||
Professional Instructors | Luck of the Draw | Luck of the Draw | ||
New Lessons | Daily | Weekly | Minutely | |
Structured Lessons | ||||
Learn Any Style | Sorta | |||
Track Progress | ||||
HD Video | - | Sometimes | ||
Multiple Camera Angles | Sometimes | - | Sometimes | |
Accurate Tabs | Maybe | Maybe | ||
Scale/Chord Libraries | ||||
Custom JamTracks | ||||
Interactive Games | ||||
Community | ||||
Learn in Sweatpants | Socially Unacceptable | |||
Gasoline Needed | $0.00 | $0.00 | ~$4 / gallon! | $0.00 |
Mike H.
"I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar!"
I am 66 years young and I still got it! I would have never known this if it had not been for Jamplay! I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar! Ha! I cannot express enough how great you're website is! It is for beginners and advanced pickers! I am an advanced picker and thought I had lost it but thanks to you all, I found it again! Even though I only play by ear, I have been a member a whopping whole two weeks now and have already got Brent's country shuffle and country blues down and of course with embellishments. Thank you all for your wonderful program!
Greg J.
"With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace"
I'm a fifty eight year old newbie who owns a guitar which has been sitting untouched in a corner for about seven years now. Last weekend I got inspired to pick it up and finally learn how to play after watching an amazing Spanish guitarist on TV. So, here I am. I'm starting at the beginning with Steve Eulberg and I couldn't be happier (except for the sore fingers :) Some day I'm going to play like Steve! I'm self employed with a hectic schedule. With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace, rewinding and replaying the videos until I get it. This is a very enjoyable diversion from my work yet I still feel like I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. Thanks a lot, Greg
Bill
"I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students."
I am commenting here to tell you and everyone at JamPlay that I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students. I truly enjoy learning to play the guitar on JamPlay.com. Yes, I said the words, ""enjoy learning."" It is by far the best deal for the money.
Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.I don't get what it matters the style of blues on the list? Are you playing with people you've never played with or are you playing solo or with a friend, in which case you would play one of your songs...
I need to give you a big thanks for onr thing you said in this video. Most guitar instructors I have ever seen or talked to are constantly saying that you have to go out and play with other people or you are just wasting your time. I am very pleased that you actually say it is perfectly fine to not want to do anything but play for your self. Many, such as myself, suffer from very severe social anxiety, and may never want to or be able to overcome the fear to play at a jam or anything.
You're most welcome, Erik. Art, like music/guitar playing, can be a collaboration with others, or not. If you're uncomfortable with others in social artistic situations, like a jam or band/ensemble, don't participate. You don't have to. THERE ARE NO REQUIREMENTS, technically or socially in learning/creating/playing musics. Whatever 'floats your boat' is fine. It's about being happy on your path in life, not about abiding by the requirements' of others, regardless of their status as a player or teacher. Those that have no problems/issues with 'socializing,' in general, or in art, generally find that playing with others is good for them, and playing with others who are 'better' than they are helps them learn faster. Even so, socializing/playing with others is NOT REQUIRED ... The only requirement for playing the guitar is to have an instrument... What you do with it is up to YOU ... Like painting (any art form) ... The only requirements are for you to have the paints/brushes/canvas/media needed to create ... What one does with the tools of the art form, regardless of how basic or advanced, is up to the artist ... And NOBODY else. Thre are 'rules' in music theory that are very helpful to learn in order to understand how music 'works' and how to create music ... but, as the old blues players of the past, and many folk artists have illustrated, knowing the technical side/rules of any art form is not necessary in order to create beautiful art. Do whatever you wish ... And enjoy the journey. Happiness is not somewhere up the road, happiness is right now. Enjoy your guitar, and understand that one can ignore ALL THE RULES and still personally enjoy the arts ... and even be successful in the eyes (ears) of others. Thanks so ouch for your kind comments and for enjoying these lessons. I hope you continue to enjoy these lessons, and that your skills on the guitar continue to improve, regardless of the 'social nature' of your practicing and/or playing.