How to "Jam" Online using Zoom (Patreon)

{Patron-only post}

Aloha, Patrons!

First, a reminder for Intermediate Patrons.  On Thursday, I'm hosting a special Patron-led Zoom Jam at an earlier time so that UK/ Europe friends can join us live!  Intermediate Patrons, please submit a chord chart by tonight (Tuesday night) if you'd like to lead a song - more info in this post.  If you'd like to see a Zoom Jam in action, you can review our first Patron-led Zoom Jam from May.  The screenshot above is from our May Patron-led Zoom Jam, where we had about 50 people in the Zoom Room!

Like many of you, I've been learning how to use online platforms to play music with folks during the pandemic.  Zoom is a popular online meeting software that works well for virtual ukulele group meetups.  With Zoom, it's relatively easy to get your ukulele group logged on and playing songs together online, using features like screen-sharing and group muting settings.  Below, I'll share with you some tips for how to use Zoom for an online "jam."  

Also, please note that I put "jam" in quotes because, with internet latency and delays, folks aren't actually playing together in real time.  One person leads, and everyone else is muted and playing along at home - much like my Patreon Live Jams.  Playing together with other people in real time is still not possible - if you watch my livestream with Ukulenny, you can see we're still figuring out how to do it.  On any platform, if everyone plays at once, you will all be out of time with each other, so it's better to have one person leading and everyone else muted.

The highlights of a Zoom Jam are: 

• your uke squad can all see each other on video in the meeting.
• you can unmute in between songs to chat.
• you can take turns leading songs.
• you can display the chord charts on the screen.

Read on for my favorite Zoom tips and tricks, and comment below with any of your favorites I've left out!

Tips for Hosting a Jam

1. The Host will need a professional account or be limited to 40 minutes for each meeting.  If  you don't want to pay for an account, just end the meeting for a 1-minute break, and you can restart the same meeting link.

2. To protect your meeting from getting Zoom-bombed (internet trolls invading your meeting), Zoom automatically adds a password to your meeting and enables the Waiting Room.  Be aware that you'll need to admit people into the meeting from the Waiting Room, or you can disable the Waiting Room.  Definitely use the password, but do not post your meeting link with the password in a public place.  Email directly to your squad.

3. Assign another member or two as Co-Host.  A Co-Host can help admit folks from the Waiting Room, mute and unmute the entire group, or track down anyone who hasn't muted.

4. The Host can use the green Share Screen button on the bottom menu bar to share chord charts - open the chord chart pdf on your computer, and you can choose to share that screen.  The Host can also go to Advanced Sharing Options and allow Participants to share their screens as well.  That way, someone else can share a chord chart.

5. Mute everyone but the song leader -- If multiple people are unmuted, audio can overlap and get garbled, due to different processing speeds and internet signal strength. It's nice to start the meeting with everyone unmuted so you all can chat and say hello, but before the first song, the host/co-host should go to the Participants window and hit the button to Mute All, and then scroll to the song leader to Unmute only his/her audio.  Some groups enjoy unmuting all participants between songs to allow for discussion and chat, so the Host would have to hit the Unmute All button.  Remind folks to check if they are muted, and to learn to mute themselves as well.  There's also a chat window for folks to message while muted.

6. Send charts to everyone for reference, as well as sharing on the screen.  In case there are issues with the screen share, the jam can still go on.

Tips for Participating in a Jam

1. Zoom does a great job of getting you set up for a meeting even if it's your first time - just click the meeting link, and Zoom will prompt you to install the software and open up the meeting.  Take a little time to get familiar with the basics of Zoom.  

2.  Set your screen view to "gallery' mode  - Zoom often defaults to "active speaker" view, which will show one participant (whomever is unmuted and making the most noise) on screen at a time. To see many (smaller) faces in a tiled grid format, select "gallery view" by toggling on the little grid icon on the upper right.  If there are too many people to fit on one screen, you will be able to flip through multiple pages in gallery view.

3. Try to find a nicely-lit, quiet place - so folks can see you well, and so when you unmute, they won't hear too much background noise.

4. Be conscious of muting yourself.  If you're not muted, then Zoom will by default focus on you.

5. You can hit the camera button to "Stop Video" if you don't want to be seen.

6. For fun, try using a Virtual Background.  Play with the Video Settings by clicking the arrow next to the camera button.  You can be "on the island" as you strum!

Tips for Leading a Song

1. Test your Audio and check these audio settings.  

• Click the arrow next to your microphone on the bottom left corner and go to Audio Settings
• Click Test Mic, play and sing a little bit, and listen back to make adjustments.  Unclick 'Automatically adjust  the microphone'
• Click Advanced button in the bottom right corner
• Click "Show in-meeting option to "Enable Original Sound" from microphone"
• Choose "Disable" for "Suppress Persistent Background Noise" and "Suppress Intermittent Background Noise" 

2. Practice leading your song - practice counting in, showing the strum pattern you're going to use, and make sure you know the words to the song you're leading!  If you're going to share your screen, practice that as well.  It gets easier, and remember that everyone is playing along at home and not necessarily paying close attention to what you're doing - but you will only hear yourself playing, which is different than a real jam. 

3. Do a sound check with the Host before the meeting officially starts.  

4. Optional - Enable Original Sound, and then click "Turn on Original Sound" on the upper left -- Zoom will default to processing audio in a way that can muffle the sound. You will need to opt out of this in your account, via a web browser, and can then choose original sound when creating or entering a meeting. Read more about how to do this here. 

5. Consider using a plug-in USB mic for better sound.  Do some experimentation. Some folks have found that plugging headphones with an integrated mic in helps their sound, as the headphones mic is less likely to pick up the computer speaker’s output. 

6. WiFi can be another complicating factor. Try plugging your device directly into your router/modem with an Ethernet cable (hard-wiring to the internet) if your wireless connection seems slow.

Have fun with it!

Now is a time for experimentation, so why not? :)  One club leader shared on Facebook that they invited players to volunteer to sing different verses of a song, with the leader muting them and unmuting them. This started with two players agreeing which verse each would sing and evolved into the host muting and unmuting volunteers without prearranging on which verse each would be featured. Another club leader uses the "polls" function on their pro account to survey members anonymously.  You could certainly use this format for an Open Mic as well.

Please share below if you've been Zoom-jamming, and what you've learned from your experience.  If you're leading Zoom Jams for your local group and want to invite your fellow Patrons to join you, please post below how they get in touch and participate.

Happy jamming, and maybe I'll see you in the Zoom Room!

xo cynthia.