Thoughts on session musicians (Local and abroad)

Whistle
1

A little while back, Azalin posted about his experience with musicians in Ireland, and said, in part:

The best musicians just DON’T know the name of the tunes, and they don’t give a darn about sheet music. They just KNOW how to play the tunes, and they don’t ask themselves senseless questions like “what key is it played in?”.

I’ve been thinking about his post since I read it, and I wonder just how much of what he was experiencing was something I’m going to call ‘outsider’s syndrome’. Of course, my entire post is just me rambling, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about. And the reason it’s got me thinking is because of something that happened to me when I started trying to break into the local sessions.

When I first decided I wanted to play at the sessions in Houston, but before I started learning any of the session tunes they play (and honestly, I haven’t learned a lot of the tunes they play still–newborn son having cut deeply into my new-tune time), I tried to introduce myself to one of the musicians I’d seen there week after week. I asked if there were any resources for sheet music, or even just a list of song names for the sessions, so that I could look up the tunes and perhaps learn enough to start fitting in.
I got much the same kind of answer Azalin mentioned here…“We don’t know the names of the tunes” “people just play them by ear” etc. About two weeks later, at a session at Slainte’s, I happened to know a couple of the songs, and pulled out my pennywhistle and joined in.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I got back from the restroom and found that and someone (I later found out it was the same person who told me that no one knew the names of the tunes) had left me a printout with dozens of pages of sheet music of the ‘common’ session tunes played in the Houston scene. Printed straight from JC’s Tunefinder no less.
Turns out that not only does the Houston session play a set of ‘common tunes’ that most folks know the names of, but it’s become such a well-worn tuneset that on more one occasion, I was implored to share new tunes if I knew them.

So, why’d I get the big brushoff? I didn’t take it personally, of course. When I first started taking kung fu, there were many hurdles to pass before moving from ‘outsider’ to ‘insider’…however, I think that in this case, the answer is probably a lot more mundane than that. I’d be willing to bet that this guy that I approached probably just wanted to play tunes and not get drawn into some long in-depth conversation about music with some guy he thought he’d probably never see again. While there’s no doubt that some musicans who learn at sessions in Ireland probably never learn the names of some tunes, I could imagine it’s just as likely that when the craic was high, people just didn’t want to waste time talking about music when they could be playing it. In that context, who could blame them? :slight_smile:

2

I think you run into that sort of reluctance to accept newcomers in many areas of endeavor (music, fishing, hunting, etc.) In my part of the country (central NC) it is just about impossible to find musicians who are willing to get together to play with new people. I’m not sure if they think the newbies are not good enough to play with them, or if they somehow feel threatened. It may just be that they are too busy to get acquainted with people they don’t already know. That’s one reason why I’m glad this web site is here.

3

That’s probably the case. I’m in a jam group, and I can say from experience it’s hard to incorporate a new person. Everyone has their own style, and if a group has found its sound or hit its groove, then they may not want to deal with bringing another into the fold.

That being said, the session players could have been a bit more gracious and shared information with you instead of treating it like an ancient Chinese (or Irish) secret. People, esp. some musicians, like to keep an air of mystery about what they do, I guess. We want to think we have a gift that effortlessly floated from above (and many do have a gift), but we also put in some hard work too!

4

Irish music magazine has a feature at the back of the magazine every month called MacSpy. The anonymous author of this piece writes about his journeys aross Ireland looking for sessions here and there to drop in on and potentially join. Over the months he has experienced everything from welcomes with open arms to outright rejection. It is an interesting exercise to go back and read a years worth of his pieces to get a local Irishmans perspective on just dropping in unannounced on a session.

Blaine

5

It seems to me that the essence of a session is its openess, new approaches, new interpretations, etc. The music is a living and growing tradition (I realize that the words “living” and “tradition” in the same sentence may be considered an oxymoron :wink:)

If people do not want new participants in a session then perhaps they should consider meeting and playing somewhere that is not public or at least where there is some kind of clear message that outsiders are not invited to participate. There is nothing wrong with this, many people need this kind of group for a variety of reasons, among them comfort and intimacy. However, traditional music is the music of the people, not the music of professional musicians (although it seems to be possible for some people to do both nowadays :wink:).

The music of the people is available to all and the session is one of the things that makes that possible. I guess what I’m trying to say is when people come to your church, oops!, I mean session welcome them with open arms. Generally, you want them to worship, oops!, I mean play with you again so they can pass on the gospel, oops! I mean music.:smiley:

[ This Message was edited by: bsykes62 on 2001-08-21 10:34 ]

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Your point is well taken Bill. Some people seem to take their music as serious as other people take their religion. There are people on this board on both sides many issues - to read or not read sheet music, learn by ear vs. using ABC/Tab, this whistle vs. that whistle, this maker vs. that maker, et. Sometimes we become quite passionate and fervant in our “evangelism” and in defense of our own particular point of view. In a number of different threads lately this has come out, and I believe that given the boad spectrum of individuals subscribing to this board, this is to be expected. If there was no dissention on this board, and everybody just coasted along happily mouthing the same happy thoughts I would begin to suspect this is not an open forum but a mind control cult. Yeah, we have had some pretty feisty conversations here in the just the few months that I have been a member. But without becoming maudlin, I have to say again, as others have said, that this is a remarkably tolerant and forgiving group of people. We get nasty from time to time, but are quick to ask for forgiveness and quick to give. Everybody give yourselves a collective pat on the back. Well, every one but old so and so, you know who I mean, the mean old… ooops, that’s me. :stuck_out_tongue:

Oh well, back to my muffled whistle for some more early morning jamming.

Blaine

7

On 2001-08-21 10:21, bsykes62 wrote:

If people do not want new participants in a session then perhaps they should consider meeting and playing somewhere that is not public or at least where there is some kind of clear message that outsiders are not invited to participate.

It seems to me that entrance barriers are a good thing if the music is to be enjoyable – that’s why there are different levels of sessions. And I can’t see how giving someone a printed copy of the standard set of tunes for a session is a “clear message that they don’t want newcomers to participate”. Playing in public, sessions or otherwise, can require a bit of a tough skin, though.

The idea that a group of players who always play together and have a very good idea of the ability of everyone in the group would be apprehensive about inviting new people in to play without getting an idea of how they play seems normal, though. Of course they’re apprehensive, and of course they’re not welcoming until they know it’s someone they want to welcome! Sessions are public in that anyone can show up at them; but “public” doesn’t mean that there’s some obligation amongst the regulars to let any hack sit down and blow through a whistle or pull a bow across some strings.

    -Rich
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I see your point Rich, however I didn’t mean to imply that handing out a printed list of tunes was a “clear message” that outsiders weren’t allowed. On the contrary I would view that as an invitation to play.

There is also the communication issue. Many places do not have different levels of sessions and it is quite unclear as to whether others are invited to participate or not.

I would not be the musician I am today were it not for the fact that a number of “experts” were willing to take some time with me and I feel I owe it to others to do the same. I would be a much better guitar player had I not been excluded because I was a beginner.

I suppose there will always be controversy over the definition of the session: a listening experience, a participatory experience, an educational experience, something else, all of the above or none of the above?

[ This Message was edited by: bsykes62 on 2001-08-21 15:28 ]

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I don’t think any novice player really wants to play with musicians who are a whole lot better than they are. Most inexperienced players would prefer to sit in with folks who are only a little better. I think the problem is that most novices don’t have an opportunity to play with any other musicians at all. What the novice musician often wants is an opportunity to network with more experienced players, find out about easier sessions, and learn tips that will help them improve.
Perhaps a few of the ‘good’ musicians came out of the womb playing ‘Irish Washerwoman’, but I suspect most of them had a mentor or two somewhere along the way. I think that in any endeavor, people a few steps up the ladder should be willing to reach back to offer a hand to those behind them.

10

One group I jammed with Was very open to new people and gave quite a lot of encouragement to beginning players, but they expected those raw beginners to get better over time. Any beginner who did not show any improvement was considered to be lazy and not practising. Then things could get a little bit intolerant. I saw some awful musicians blossom into very good ones, and saw a few lazy ones frozen out. But everyone got a chance.

11

I agree with nickb. Any group that doesn’t have the means to accomodate new members will eventually begin to suffer from atrophy – witness the pleas to introduce new material cited by some of the posters in this thread.

I had personal experience with this in a session I have begun to attend in my area. Like others, I found it difficult to get playlists and other information, but eventually succeeded when my persistence demonstrated that I was in fact serious. In most sessions, I have not been able to participate much so far because the reallygood* players dominate the selections, play at a very fast clip, and seem to be following a script I haven’t seen yet. Well, the last session I went to the reallygood* players were absent, and those who were there were somewhat shy of melody instruments and tune ideas. They were glad to see me, and I got to play a lot more. We all learned some new stuff that day. :wink:

I sympathize with those in this thread who report problems with stage fright because I have to fight it myself. Part of my solution has been to play in public whenever I get the chance. When my daughter was younger and wanted to spend evenings at the park, I would come home from work, gather up my fife and whistles, take her over there, and we’d both play until Mom called us for dinner. Fortunately, all the neighbors seemed to enjoy my efforts. When I go to my sportsmen’s club, I am now always asked if I’ve brought my instruments. Some have become sufficiently familiar with parts of my repertoire that I get requests.

Got a problem finding a session? Start one of your own. :slight_smile:

I think that Anna Martinez has done that in Deadwood, South Dakota, hasn’t she?