Sheila E.’s 5 Tips for Jamming With Other Musicians

Learning to play music with fellow band members is every bit as valuable as learning your own specific instrument.

Raised in a family of musicians, Sheila Escovedo is an iconic percussionist who has collaborated with icons like Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie, Herbie Hancock, and Ringo Starr, becoming a megastar after joining Prince for his Purple Rain sessions. Playing on her own version of the classic five-piece drum kit, Sheila has mastered a unique sound and been named one of the all-time greatest drummers by Rolling Stone.

Sheila E. approaches musical collaboration from a drummer’s perspective, but her insights apply to all kinds of instrumentalists and singers in band practice and live performances. Here are Sheila’s five essential tips for locking in with other good musicians during a jam night.

1. 1. Keep time. If you’re a drummer like Sheila, your bandmates count on you to drive the rhythm of the song and, hence, the entire band. If you get excited and speed up or get lazy and slow down, the band has to follow. The most important thing you can do is maintain a steady tempo in order to create a groove that allows the rest of the band to do what they came there to do. As Sheila says, “I love soloing, but I’d just as soon play time for two hours with a band where we’re all moving together.”
2. 2. Break it down. Some band practices get louder and louder as players push to be heard over one another. If you’re truly listening, however, there’s no need to ramp up the volume. A drummer may play fills, which are usually played loudly and used to bring the energy up before a change in the song. Yet when it comes to overall dynamics, Sheila urges you to find places to break it down; this means playing more softly, and the band typically follows suit in order to make space for a vocalist’s verse, another player’s solo, or band introductions in a live setting. You’d then find other places to ramp the volume back up.
3. 3. Know when not to play. Avoiding the urge to overplay is vital. Even if you’ve got the skills to drop fills into every gap, never play just to play. This especially applies if you’re in a free-flowing jam session (where every player needs to listen to the others) or hired to contribute to someone else’s session.
4. 4. Do your homework. Practice all the time. But to expand on that, be sure you know how to play different types of chord progressions, rhythms, genres, and styles, and learn your music theory. Doing so will not only open up your creativity but prepare you for a wide range of collaboration opportunities. It’ll also increase what you bring to the table during a session. Another pointer: If you’re trying out for a band or heading into rehearsal, practice the songs and setlist that you’ll be playing ahead of time— exhaustively. It’s a matter of respect to your fellow musicians, and the confidence you bring with you will be palpable.
5. 5. Just get in the room. You may not have the opportunity to play how you want to—or to play at all—in a given situation. That’s fine. You can still learn a great deal by just being in the room. When Sheila was starting out, “There was nothing beneath me,” she says. “I’ll come in, hand out waters...whatever I could do to be a part of the team.” Playing for free, handling studio chores, or sitting on the sidelines isn’t only about learning to put your ego aside. It’s a chance to educate yourself firsthand and also prove yourself to future collaborators.

Snag a MasterClass Annual Membership, pick up your sticks, and find the beat with exclusive instructional videos from GRAMMY-nominated drummer Sheila E. (aka the Queen of Percussion). Once you master the timbales and congas, expand your musical horizons with lessons from other sonic legends like Timbaland, Herbie Hancock, Tom Morello, and others.