One chord. Three notes. Four minutes.

Give the room a small world

Pick one chord that everyone can comfortably play over. Choose a tempo by clapping together before anyone starts an instrument. Set a four-minute timer, agree on one clear stop signal and ask before recording anyone. This is an original creative exercise, not a rule for how every jam should work.

Minute one: build the floor

Let one player establish a repeating part. Bring the others in one at a time. Keep each entrance small enough that a listener could point to it. A singer can use a vowel, a drummer can use one surface, and a guitarist can leave most of the strings alone. When everybody is in, resist the urge to add another layer immediately.

Minute two: spend three notes

Each melody player chooses three notes and keeps them for the minute. Nobody needs to agree on the same three. You can repeat a note, move its rhythm, leave a silence or stay out for a phrase. Treat the restriction as a prompt to try possibilities you might otherwise pass over. There is no penalty for playing less.

Minute three: pass one change around

Choose one person to change their rhythm while the rest keep their parts steady. After a short stretch, pass that role to the next player with eye contact or a nod. The goal is to make one change audible. If the group loses the pulse, return to the original repeating part and continue.

Minute four: shape the whole room

Choose a leader for the last minute. Follow their hand as they guide the group down to a whisper and then bring it back. Finish with the agreed stop signal. Let the ending remain an ending before starting to explain what happened.

Listen for a particular moment

If everyone agreed to the recording, play it back once. Ask each person to name a timestamp where they noticed another player and changed their own part. Try a second round with a different first player. Keep the chord if you want; change only the order of entrances. Comparing those two attempts is the exercise. No venue, public session or event date is announced here.