Sandra
Do use the word “tunes” instead of songs when you mean the material you’ll be playing on an instrument. You’ll “fit in” much nicer that way. Honest.
That said…sounds like you’re a “reader” in that you can play from the “dots,” as they say. That’s okay. I started that way, coming from a drum corps background, many years ago.
A good resource of the basic session tunes you’ll hear most places is the Mel Bay book “Irish Session Tunes”
I came by a copy from a friend who passed it to me as a gift (not knowing that I had most of them, but I collect tunes anyway, so why not).
It’s actually not too bad.
Another great resource for the more advanced session tunes out there are the Bulmer & Sharpley books, if you can find them.
May youtube.com videos now have the tunes out there so you can hear them.
Best, though, is buy a reliable digital tape recorder with a good mic and show up to your local, get permission to tape the session, and order a pint, turn it on and relax.
Then burn the session onto CDs and go from there.
If you don’t know tune names, learn the first few bars by ear, learn ABC notation and transcribe them onto the websites out there with the search function. You’ll likely find them pretty quickly. (I do this a lot).
Don’t make the most common mistake among beginners: learning too many tunes too quickly. You’ll end up forgetting most and repeating many bad habits.
Also, find someone in your session who’s clearly got a good grasp of the music (and if you can’t tell, ask around…others will know) and make friends. Learn from him/her. Sit next to them (or behind them, as appropriate).
One last tip: learn some tunes strictly by ear. It helps with the aural tradition of it (and your ability to pick up tunes while they’re being played) and gives you a better sense of your instrument with the others around you. I can pick up a flute player from across the session despite the others around me…but I can still zero in on a fiddle or banjo (hardest for a flute, in my mind) and learn the tune.
Have fun. You’re in for a fantastic life-long adventure.
dm
