I don’t know, you get to know these little facts about tune names, no big deal: Floggin-Flagon, Heather breeze- Heather Braes, they are usually Scottish tunes that had their names maltreated on emigration to ireland.
the were fife and drum bands, a bit of a Northern thing, but the fife [as well as the piccolo] was played, you can hear them on old 78 rpms [Dan Sullivan’s Shamrock Band] and see them on old photographs. Denis Murphy’s father played the fife, Josie Mcdermott was a fifeplayer. There is an lp of a man whose name escapes me for the moment who plays the fife [or was it the piccolo, I tend to take the two together as the one thing], from the 70s/early 80s I’d say.
Good points all Eric. Especially this anti-session sentiment. I can’t imagine not going to sessions…I started going before I was even really into the music (was just going to watch my then-boyfriend play). Now I wish I could go to sessions more than once a month! I’d go all the time if I could! I look at the avoidance of sessions and ONLY learning the music from recordings like only listening to symphony recordings of the world’s top symphonies but never ever playing in an ensemble yourself because it’s just “not as good”. That would definitely be sad!
How does one define “crappy sessions”? I would have defined it as one that was hostile to newcomers, wasn’t friendly in general, or was rude to people of “lesser” abilities or who were newer to the music.
A possible description for a crappy session is a session where music is not played well. A session is not by definition good and some are not worth coming near to, joining others can detrimental for your playing. Ofcourse there are good ones too.
Considering this constant obligation for session to be friendly to everybody and anybody who walks in unannounced, look at another side. So often it happens you sit down with one or two friends just to have a quick tune among yourselves that someone walks in sit down and completely bolloxes up things with a total disregard for the situation.
An example. Last year I was at a piper’s tionol in Spanish Point, having a few quiet tunes with a woman from Maine, we were having a tune because we hadn’t seen eachother for over a year and it would be nice to have a few tunes to enjoy the company and the music. After a while out of nowhere a guy appeared who shouted ‘I have a C set too’ ran off to get his pipes and sat down between us and tore into his own stuff. He was out of tune, played too fast, had no rhythm and didn’t particularly pay attention to why we were sitting in a back corner or whether or not he would have a contribution to make. Are you in such a situation ‘crappy’ for not being thrilled someone parachutes into your midst, uninvited, without even introducing himself? After all who comes in and spoils the nice music you are having by butchering good tune after good tune? There’s that too Crysania. No doubt he left with a feeling he encountered a few rude snobs but you can wonder who was rude in the first place, was in fact extremely rude in the first place. I think in most situations courtesy and welcome will be extended but it is something that will have to work both ways, it is given, not something that can be demanded just because you walk into a place carrying an instrument
I would second Peter’s position. It is very difficult as a newbie to fit in, but it is up to the newbie to recognize when a session is beyond their abilities, and not impose. I always appreciate it when more accomplished players will slow down for me for a couple of tunes, but I do not expect them turn the whole session into a personal lesson for me. “Sitting in” on a session can be as much sitting back and listening and learning as it is playing.
Ok yes…that would be a crappy session. That deals with rudeness in an entirely different way. I only go to session that are “posted”…basically ones that are advertised as open sessions. If I bopped in and a couple people were off in a corner playing, I might go sit near them and listen…maybe ask if I could join in if they noticed I was interested in their music. But I certainly wouldn’t just walk in, grab my instrument (esp. one as loud as pipes!) and start to play with them. If the session is advertised, I expect people to be welcoming of newcomers. The one I used to go to was very welcoming and also topnotch. There were several excellent players there, but they were all welcoming to newbies. I really miss that session. I haven’t found another one like it yet!
I think also…re: newbies…I suppose it’s my arrogance, but when I started playing at a session, only about a month after I started playing the music, I had people ask “oh how long have you been playing?” I’d tell them, they’d offer to start a tune I knew…and then they’d start it…slooooowly. I think the first time it happened, I pulled all my arrogance out of my ass and said “play it at the tempo you normally would.” At another one, my then-boyfriend would start tunes I knew at a speed he usually did and I’d just play along. Despite being new to the music, I could keep up with the tempos easily (after playing Weber concerti on clarinet, the basic technique of whistle was easy…I can whip around that thing like a bat out of hell). While my ornaments were very basic at that time (some rolls, nothing more), the tempo and lilt was there (some find it hard to do the “lilt”…I found it fairly easy…especially when others play…rhythmic feel has always been one of my strong points and I just fall into whatever else is going on around me). So I guess…hmmm…not sure what my point is! Don’t always assume a newbie needs things slow? Maybe they usually do…and I’m just exceedingly arrogant.
