jam
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jam
An informal, spontaneous meeting of musicians who improvise together (jam session).
Nach dem offiziellen Konzert gab es noch einen spontanen Jam mit lokalen Musikern.
After the official concert, there was still a spontaneous jam with local musicians.
jam
An event where people work together creatively in a short period of time to develop something, e.g. a computer game (game jam) or software (code jam).
Am Wochenende nehmen wir an einem Game Jam teil und wollen in 48 Stunden ein Spiel programmieren.
This weekend we're taking part in a game jam and want to program a game in 48 hours.
Careful: 'der Jam' is not the same as the English word 'jam' for a fruit spread. The sweet spread is called 'die Marmelade' or 'die Konfitüre' in German.
Ich esse gerne Brot mit Marmelade zum Frühstück.
I like eating bread with jam for breakfast.
'Jam' is a word borrowed from English and is used mainly in colloquial language and in specific scenes (music, gaming, IT). It always describes a creative and often spontaneous group activity.
In der Tech-Szene sind Code Jams sehr beliebt.
Code jams are very popular in the tech scene.
In a musical context, the longer form 'die Jam-Session' (jam session) is also very common and means the same thing. You can say 'an einem Jam teilnehmen' (to take part in a jam) or 'einen Jam haben' (to have a jam).
Die Band beendete den Abend mit einer langen Jam-Session.
The band ended the evening with a long jam session.
In the meaning of a creative event, 'Jam' is almost always used as part of a compound word. Examples are 'Game Jam,' 'Code Jam,' or 'Poetry Jam.'
Unser Team hat beim letzten Game Jam den ersten Preis gewonnen.
Our team won first prize at the last game jam.
session
Session and Jam can both refer to making music together. Jam, however, emphasizes informal, spontaneous improvisation, while Session is more general and can also mean a planned period of musical work or recording. Jam is therefore more appropriate for an unplanned musical get-together, while Session fits a scheduled appointment.
Nach dem Konzert trafen sich die Musiker spontan zu einem Jam.
After the concert, the musicians spontaneously got together for a jam.
Für die Musik-Session im Studio reservierte die Band den ganzen Nachmittag.
The band reserved the entire afternoon for the music session at the studio.
