After reading Mr Higgin’s complaint about several kinds of people- he does not like- I begun to wonder if any of it, I mean Irtrad sessions and such, is worth the pain.
First off a flute player is NOT the rule but the exception, and in my world this one is simply a - to use the nearest suitable Irishism -‘gaubshite’.
Second even if he or any his ilk were that special and so good at music, I would certainly not want them hanging about my jams, because they scare off paying punters who want a friendly easygoing atmosphere. See on the same site GS N0 2 complaining about an English pub kicking him out while the Guitarist was allowed to stay.
And last I never seen or heard these dumbshits when Irtrad was really popular, ie 90’s; in fact back then nobody paid any attention to Phil the Fluter since it was mostly Fiddles, TWs etc that filled up bars.
On one hand, I was a beginner once too, and the people at my primary session were tolerant, helpful, friendly, and inclusive. We have too many people playing bones, spoons, bodhrans, shaky eggs…loud guitars, piano accordions, singing, etc…and it is a rare rare day that anyone grumbles about it. Eventually maybe the bones players try a whistle, the guitarist brings a fiddle and learns to scrape a few tunes out, the piano accordionist shows his extensive knowledge of the music, and the singers learn a new song. . .and everyone has a good time.
On the other hand. . .this lady shows up at session with an alto recorder, no knowledge of Irish music, and insists on trying to find the notes during a tune she’s never heard before. And she doesn’t see anything wrong with it. The singer goes for Fields of Athenry for the nth time, stretching his arms out and emoting to the back of the “theater”. The leader of the session does 75% new sets because of a buddy of his has come to visit. Or some drunk gets intrusive. . .
Solution: start a new session, maybe in your kitchen, and invite only who you want. Or find a bar that will turn off the jukebox for a few hours.
Tygress, or like the whistle player in the group I just left who had to join in even if she didn’t know the tune and then had to ornament every other note making everything else sound appalling.
I don’t have a problem that can be
shot to hell… lol I agree though , sometimes the only answer is to move. But sometimes it’s the bores who don’t know anything else but trad that make us move.
On a lighter note - did you ever try to make a TW?
Misleading stuff. If you check ou the thread link provided, the Pat Higgins in question mentioned only one guitarist, and in a bemused way. Any other “negative” references in passing pointed out one person’s take on the rigors and strictures of competion. Nothing new here…
Odd…the punters I encounter at local sessions seem to love it more when the musicianship is good and the energy is smokin’. And for the record, we are a pretty friendly and relaxed bunch. Of course, we all have our days.
OTOH, we’re all bores, of course, because all we know is trad. And you wouldn’t believe how many fluteplayers show on some nights! And from Ireland, even! I guess we’re just a bunch of substandard poseurs.
Well, anyone who ever wants to come and is in the area is always welcome to our sessions. It doesn’t matter what instrument you play, or what level of skill you have, or how authentic others (or you) consider you to be.
There is an open invite to any C&F folks who ever want to take me up on it. Pat and Sam and Paul and I would welcome you.
If you found offense on the original post, nobody else seems to have. But if you did, you should have complained in the original forum (http://www.thesession.org) instead of trying to raise the rabble here. What are we, children?
Not content with that, you bring an anti-flutite POV to a group that’s 99.95% whistlers and fluters. Are you mad? :roll:
Toasty, you wouldn’t happen to be the guy who posts as sorefingers at thesession.org, would you? Just wondering.
Let me say it again. This thread sucks. Let it die a quiet death.
