Let’s talk jargon, shall we?
We’ve all been in music spaces that use jargon— whether at a music store, in a discussion board, or when playing live.
Jargon is specific terminology used in a particular field or profession. Here are a few examples:
Non-profits— “capacity-building” or “organizational sustainability”
Education— “flipped classroom” or “ungrading”
Psychology— “heuristic” or “CBT”
If you don’t know what those words/acronyms mean— don’t worry! That, my friend, is the point!
What are some examples of jargon in the music gear community? I’ll specify even further to the guitar community, as each sub-community seems to have its own jargon:
True bypass
Transparent
Dumble
Tonewoods
JFET/MOSFET
Compound radius
EL34s
DAW
Insert your most/least favorite piece of guitar jargon (which I am forever calling “guitargon”!).
(I made a call to Mid-Riff’s Instagram followers and here were a few other common ones: creamy, point-to-point, ohms, axe, GAS, PUPS, tubes vs. solid state, germanium vs. silicon, “master” and “slave”. Yipes. I’ll save the gender-focused examples for another time.)
If you are reading this, there is a good chance you’ve used at least some of these words before. And in most cases, these are descriptive terms used to help someone learn more about a piece of gear— what it does, what it sounds like, or what components it uses. In and of itself, it can be a useful tool.
But, jargon serves a few purposes:
It increases efficiency and/or nuance in in-group communication
It signals in-group membership
It demonstrates knowledge (and therefore power and position)
It excludes out-group members
The problem is that while jargon can help connect in-group members, it can also signal to out-group members that a particular space is not for them.
So, instead of using jargon, how do we create spaces where folks are brought IN rather than kept out?
Starting broad to narrow:
Create a learning environment— Everyone is learning from everyone else in your space. People who know a lot about one thing might not know a lot about something else. That might even mean that people who might not know a lot about one particular area (like the specific difference between “bubble font” and “tall font” green Russian Big Muffs), but they might have more personal, lived experience in another area (like common problems experienced by BIPOC folks in workplaces and retail, and potential ideas solutions to make those spaces better). (As a side note for hiring: skills and knowledge can be learned, but lived experience cannot.)
Do not focus on perfectionism— Perfectionism is a tool of white supremacy and patriarchy. We don’t need to share how much we know or how perfect we are by sharing jargon that keeps people out.
Don’t assume someone’s knowledge level— This connects back to the issue of mansplaining. You have no idea what someone knows or does not know. If someone comes into your retail space or up to your booth with questions, ask them what they are looking for and what they might want to do with it. You should be doing less talking and more listening.
Share if requested— If someone DOES ask you a question, that’s great! Now you know a bit more about what they know and they trusted you enough to ask your opinion. Feel free to share relevant info, with jargon matching their knowledge level!
Provide external resources / multiple ways to learn— Someone might be coming to you from a variety of different entry points— whether through your website, social media, at a store, or a show. On social media, you could make a useful, clear explainer video about a topic or point folks to others or include a glossary or blogs on your website with more information. If in-person, you could post a glossary on the wall, or you could include simple diagrams explaining common labels on pedals or amps, or how pickup selectors work, for example.
If you have done the things above, and created a warm, trusting, non-judgmental space to ask questions, then much of the concern about jargon might be a moot point. But unfortunately, many spaces do not feel that way to many folks, and jargon reinforces that experience. So, consider making it a goal to come up with a plan to make positive changes in your space, whether it’s a workplace, a venue, or an online space.