OK! Here goes,
I realize that this is a touchy topic, but it is one , like politics that disgusts me and fascinates me at the same time. After playing the pipes for almost 35 years there is one constant thing that I have noticed, particularly here in the United States: for some reason a large number of beginning musicians, and in this case pipers, are absolutely obsessed with either getting on stage and performing as soon as possible or getting into sessions, both before that can even play, subjecting others to their inabilities, fishing for compliments and many time ruining sessions. Most musicians are usually too polite to say anything….but that is another topic.
I have talked to quite a number of students that were playing with a so called “Band” within 6 months of receiving their pipes. When questioned about this habit, the general reply is something like “Music should be shared by all” ignoring the fact that at this point they are not playing music, but agonizingly trudging from one note to the next; or “This is America and I have the right to do as I please”.
By contrast beginning musicians in Ireland usually wait for years before they show up at a session or stage. They realize that unlike other instruments like the flute, fiddle, and even the accordion, which can be made to play with a very low volume so that one can sit back and play quietly and be unobtrusive; the pipes have one volume that is loud enough to be heard by all, which, to my way of thinking, means that you had better have your chops together before you play for others or in public.
This is the reason that I gave up on sessions long ago. I am sure that some of you have had the same experience.
Any explanations for this phenomena would be appreciated.
I was 14 when I did my first gig, in a Punk Band. I’m sure we were shit. I didn’t get laid because of that gig (my physique n good looks sorted that side out). I did it 'cos I wanted to, and the band wanted to. If you think you’re going to sit in pergatory for x amount of years 'til someone (who?) tells you you are good enough to go out and play, you might not be so enthusiastic.
Don’t tell me you’ve never cracked open a homebrew before it’s really ready???
My original post was deleted. Below is a paraphrase of the original post:
In this post I laid the foundation of my argument about performing earlier than later but doing it judiciously. I used the example that while I am a new piper, I have started to introduce the pipe gently into my regular sessions (Where I usually play Dobro and Guitar). For example I played one tune with a small group of musicians that I play with at a private rehearsal and then later at the session, played one tune but only after it was late in the evening. This way I was able to start playing the pipes live, but not in a way that disrupted the session.
…for me, hauling around a piano as a kid, and playing Beethoven, Mozart and Bach…wouldn’t have been possible, nor would it have gotten me laid…uh…not, at least, by the girls with whom I wanted to get laid. So, I played piano at home, listened to the beatles and got laid in the backseat of a friends car.
I think for a lot of people, after having waited for what seems like a lifetime, and then finally having placed within their hands the instrument about which they’ve been dreaming and obssessing for years and years, the exuberance of the moment is far too powerful to promote rational thinking. The joy experienced by these people is such that they simply cannot refrain from showing the world the precious gem that they are craddling…and get this, it makes a cool noise!
I understand and feel empathy toward them…I share their exuberance, and I have demonstrated to the world my newly unrefined inexperience on the instrument to my heart’s delight. I think that as we age, become more used to and proficient with the stick, we really begin to see a bit of ourselves in these newcomers, and it is embarrassing to us…giving rise to criticism and disdain…very similar to tolerating the thought patterns and speech of a teenager talking about what lfie is all about. What we tend to forget is, most of us have gone through this…whether we admit it or not.
Of course I was being a bit flip, although there’s more than a grain of truth in it…there is a mystique about the pipes, the instrument itself attracts a lot of attention and comment. And for someone to take up the pipes in the first place, well, that implies a certain degree of commitment. And many women tend to be attracted to those rare men who aren’t afraid of commitment. (yes, I know there are many female pipers out there too, but the only ones I’ve encountered in sessions were polished and experienced.)
As for the need to get out there and play with others, that’s something that can just as easily and perhaps more appropriately be done privately, at home, rather than in a public session. And most session etiquette can be gleaned from observing sessions rather than participating in them.
That said, every session has its own culture, and I think it’s fine for a beginning piper to show up at a session of other beginners, or a session that tends to be a free-for-all with a wide range of abilities. But it’s generally not considered good form for a beginning piper to join a session of serious, experienced players, certainly not unless he/she asks first.
And of course, I’ve been there too…not with the pipes (which I never played in a session), but with the whistle. And in fact I clearly remember helping to destroy a fine session about 20 years ago at the Village Coach House in Brookline Village (Boston) where Patrick Sky, Liam O’Flynn, Mick Moloney, and Seamus Connolly were holding court! I started out playing the Salamanca on some atrociously loud whistle, playing too fast, and I saw Mick Moloney glaring at me…and everyone else putting down their instruments and going off for a pint.
Original Post was deleted. Below is a paraphrase of my original post:
Here I was responding to Brad Hurley’s post about practing at home where I said:
“Perhaps, but that is not my experience. No matter how many records you play along with, it won’t prepare you for the nervousness you experience when you first start to play with others. The only way, in my opinion, of learning to relax and play well is to actually play with others.”
Sorry, I meant playing with others in your home (like inviting a fiddler or flute player over for tunes), not playing with recordings.
I totally agree that playing in front of other people is the best way to overcome performance anxiety, but I also agree with the point that for a beginning piper, playing in front of others shouldn’t really be the primary goal. The primary goals should be learning the instrument and understanding the music. I think we should learn to be musicians first, and then learn to be performers (if we even want to be performers; many great pipers have little or no interest in public performance). Sorry if I’m sounding preachy, I don’t mean to.
This is my favourite one. What do you do with the person who still doesn’t clue in and continues to blare away, even though they’re now the only one in the session?
My Original Post was deleted. Below is a paraphrase of my original post:
Here I brought up the timeline for Patrick Sky’s own playing. Using his tutor as a guide I showed that he went from hearing the pipes in 1971 to writing a tutor for the instrument and making pipes by 1975. I then said "“Mr. Sky; are you telling me that you DIDN’T play in a session within 6 months of playing the pipes?” considering all he accomplished in that 4 years.
As to why it’s more prevalent in the U.S. than in Ireland, my theory is that it’s a product of the United States’s culture of celebrity worship. We’re encouraged to become famous for something here, and the well-worn paths to being well-known are sports, movies and music. One can even become famous for no other reason than wanting fame badly enough- Paris Hilton has become a celebrity for doing a lot less than learning how to stumble through An Phis Fluich. Fame, even in small quantities, equals status. And everyone knows you have to get out your face out in public in order to become famous. The idea of humbly working in private for years to master a skill before displaying it in public is anathema to American pop culture. Go to the coffeehouse open mic nights and you’ll quickly get your fill of songs, poems and performers not yet ready for public consumption. Perhaps the beginning American players see no difference between sessions and open mic nights.
Me too… how do you tell someone politely that the session isn’t where you learn tunes but where experienced musicians play their latest repertoire additions? Nobody would dare sit in on a jazz jam if they didn’t know what they were doing would they? Maybe this is the reason some pubs over here have their “sessions” on stage… to scare off the unworthy That’s all well and good as long as their is money involved IMO.
There was, ironically, a piper around these parts that would do that (start playing and everyone else would stop). A few of the other players at the session I go to told me that after he would play something they would do a fine rendition of “If I Only Had A Brain,” but he still didn’t get the hint.
And for what it’s worth, I heard three absolutely horrible pipers at sessions while I was in Ireland. The difference was that they had all apparently been playing for years.
I would however guess that overall, people at sessions in the US are more tolerant and inclusive towards beginning musicians in general than at comparable sessions in Ireland.
Entering a room full of strangers is not easy for many people, let alone with an instrument as stigmatised as the pipes, add to that the feeling that you may not be welcome., pretty shattering I think, give 'em a break… This stretches further, to being exclusive because of the tunes, styles etc., or which ‘lodge’ you belong to (and I kid you not).
I have played with sterling musicians who have been the biggest un-fun night out, and played in the most appalling sounding sessions that have become treasured memories. Ah well, each to their own I s’pose.
I didn’t quite see the relevance of your timeline, however what Pat seems to be wondering is why performance is an integral part of learning an instrument here in the US. He didn’t claim that he didn’t play in sessions. Plus, anything that Pat did to promote piping when it was on the verge of extinction would’ve been a good thing. That’s not true now. To echo, Mr.
D’Arcy squeaking and sqwauking in public is a disservice to piping in general. I agree with this.
I for one have been guilty of what Pat describes. When I entered the Irish music scene, particularly in NYC, I felt that you didn’t “belong” until you could play most of the tunes in sessions. Beyond that, I played in Central Park several times a week, in part because I liked the attention.
Funny thing is, I no longer care for the noise that is a session. And I’m bored with giving my spiel about the uilleann pipes and hearing about how “haunting” the sound is. Ho hum.
But then again, we all go through stages in our relationship with the instrument. So Pat’s consternation is probably just the griping that goes hand in hand with playing Irish music.
I am convinced, that as long as there are new people picking up the pipes (or any instrument for that matter), there will always be ‘disturbances’ at sessions…unless they’re ‘closed’ sessions, which could send a message that is, perhaps, not conducive to sessions being looked favorably on by outsiders. I’ve said it before, a good way to avoid having to constantly tell new players that they ougth to listen or learn the tune before playing it and distracting the others is to either:
a). shoot them (not a good idea for spiritual, social and legal reasons)
or: b). hold forth in somebody’s private home, switching it weekly or monthly.
