Sessions - how do you learn?

Subject: RE: Sessions - how do you learn?
From: alex s
Date: 08 Nov 10 - 07:06 AM

There are some very good session tunebooks by Mally which will give you a good repertoire of popular tunes, assuming you've got time. Otherwise, keep going along and you will start to hear "patterns" and become more able to anticipate. But the golden rule is - if you don't know it, don't play until you do!

Subject: Sessions - how do you learn?
From: autoharpbob
Date: 08 Nov 10 - 06:38 AM

I was at a great session yesterday - thanks to all at the Dog and Bone Lincoln. Now this is not what I do. I sing, and play autoharp solos. I don't know many tunes, and playing fiddle tunes up to speed on the autoharp is difficult anyway. The autoharp is also limited in the chords it has available, especially my diatonic harps, so often modal tunes and minor tunes and tunes in E or B are particularly difficult for me. But I really enjoy playing with others, and the autoharp can add a lot to sessions - good bass, good rhythm, full bodied sound. But this post isn't really just about autoharps. What I want to know is how do you learn how to play in a session? How do you learn the tunes, how do you learn how to fit in? I suppose just by going along. But does anyone run any "beginners sessions"? The one I attended was certainly to me very advanced!