what is a session?

Subject: RE: what is a session?
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 11 Dec 14 - 01:49 PM

Same as most have said but re Ireland, they have open and closed sessions. Open being part instrumentals but interjected with locals and visitors wishing to do a song or two/poem etc, usually very entertaining nights. Closed most often are a group of local musicians playing trad instrumentals, often a range of tunes getting increasingly fast with each round of playing. Visiting musicians are often, but not always invited to play along, but really for adept experienced players only. And both are normally vry enjoyable affairs. Enjoy

Subject: RE: what is a session?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 11 Dec 14 - 03:40 PM

"Tradition" doesn't mean "how we used to do it but don't any more", it's "how we still do it", including things that we didn't use to do.

Much of our present way of doing it is a recent tradition, which is another way of saying a living tradition. Playing a range of instruments together is very much an example of this.
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I personally find a bunch of musicians playing together for their own enjoyment can make for a much more enjoyable social evening than a set of people trying to entertain me, even if I'm not one of them. I suspect there are quite a lot of people feel that way - the people making music over in the corner are a pleasant part of the environment, along with the others playing a darts game that I've no intention of joining in with. It's all part of what makes for a good pub.

Subject: RE: what is a session?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 11 Dec 14 - 08:06 PM

In a small digression from the current points - "what is a session?" Seems to have totally different connotations to my offspring, then in their 20s, when I said I was "going for a session"! They fell about laughing! (Your guess is as good as mine!)
That aside, a session is what you choose to make of it: I go to some where it's strictly "round the room" and others where it's "just jump in", tho' some of us will try to make sure that no-one dominates and even the shrinking violets get a turn if they want one. At most of the sessions I go to there are some who do just come to listen, and appreciate what we do.
Our local pub has had its ups and downs over the years I have been going there (maybe nigh on 20 years now): there has been a session once a month for more than 30 years. The pub has had a number of landlords, and has even been closed and boarded up in between tenancies for periods of up to 6 months. But each time there has been a new incumbent, someone from the local Folk Club has gone in and spoken to the landlord about continuing this tradition of having a session on the first Tuesday of any month. No arrogance involved, just a polite suggestion, which has always been welcomed: the pub would probably be otherwise near empty on that night. Most people live within walking or bussing distance, so the bar sales are good. All of the landlords have appeared to enjoy the music, and the current one employs other groups at the weekends to do folk or jazz nights. There is another bar on the premises for anyone who does NOT want to listen, or prefers to watch football! And there is none of this "we have to keep the TV on, if only on silent" on our session nights.
Living in a big city with lots of international visitors adds another dimension to the folk session scene here: there are some who do specialise in playing the "crowd-pleasers" and "just for the tourists" stuff, whereas others who just "do what we normally do": the latter often draws comments such as "this is the best thing I've seen in your city" and we in turn mutually benefit from the times when foreign visitors have contributed songs or tunes to such sessions.

Subject: RE: what is a session?
From: Stanron
Date: 12 Dec 14 - 06:07 AM

Now that the 'Arrogance' sidetrack has gone off the boil I'd like to repeat an earlier point that a 'session' implies playing together. A singaround is not always the same thing. A singaround where everyone is free to join in is a session but the 'one at a time around the room' singing event isn't.

I like sessions because I like taking part more than just listening. It's difficult to set a precise figure but I suspect that if I had to listen more than 50% of the time I'd get bored.

Subject: RE: what is a session?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 12 Dec 14 - 07:23 AM

What Will Fly described was going round the room taking turns to lead something off. Varying numbers of people then join in, from none to everybody. It often works well, though I prefer "just dive in when there's a gap" for smaller sessions where everybody knows each other.