Subject: Rules of the Session From: GUEST,Scratch Date: 07 Nov 02 - 03:21 PM Hi all, The following was picked up recently in a session obviously reflecting someone's personal experience of some sessions... Offered with the usual common-sense, PC-aware, non-prejudicial, con-confrontational, blah blah... because it's interesting and thought-provoking. Might even be worthy of a self-referential cautionary tale? Anyway, offered to all for what it's worth. 1 Play as loudly and as fast as you can all the time. 2 If someone new to the session ventures to start a common tune that everyone knows pefectly well (Kesh Jig, Planxty Irwin, Harvest Home, etc) just stare at them blankly and don't join in. This is a good time to talk loudly, walk away, or tune your instrument. 3 Don't play anyything with a consistent tempo. Always play the easy bits fast and the awkward bits slowly. Try not to listen to the steady tempo the others around you are trying to maintain. In fact, don't listen to anything anyone else is playing, there is no point in letting them distract you. 4 If someone starts a tune you know, see if you can take it over and increase the speed just enough that they can't manage to play the next tune they had in mind. This will give you a good chance to jump in with the one you would rather have played in the first place. 5 If someone tries to start a tune they are a little unsure about, or are a bit nervous and wobbly, be sure to enquire loudly as to whether they shouldn't be playing it in 6/8 (if it's a jig), or say something helpful like "what the **** is that? It doesn't sound like anything I've heard before!" or "He's making it up as he goes along!". 6 When you decide it's your turn to play, just jump on in and see how many tunes you can run together into a massive set, preferably using one tune from each set you know the others will want to play. Don't stop until you feel like sipping a drink, going to the bog, or everyone has left the table. 7 Try to catch the flute player's eye and gurn at them till they laugh, it does wonders for their ability to play the thing. 8 Guitarists, if your chords don't seem right for the tune, don't give up! Keep going and going. Play those three chords louder and louder. Feel free to put your own interpretation on the rhythm while randomly varying the chords. If one or more strings are out of tune, don't worry, discordancy is an important element of Irish music. 9 Feel free to talk loudly when you don't know the tune. If the person at the far side of the table can't hear you, shouting is fine. 10 There are just not enough Bones, Spoons, Rasps, Triangles, Shaky Things, Tambourines, Kazoos, Didges, Slide Whistles, Crumhorns, Saxophones, Euphoniums, Trombones, Casio Keyboards, Indian Bamboo Flutes in the key of xFlat Minor, and Practice Chanters at sessions. Bring them in and run those Flutes, Whistles, Fiddles, Boxes and Banjos out of there. 11 The rules might vary from night to night depending on who, if anyone, shows up. And for those music lovers at the next table... Be sure to extend the same courtesy to singers as you would to players of instruments by shouting and roaring with hysterical laughter all the time they are singing. And don't keep all that lovely cigar smoke to yourselves, blow some over the people playing so they all get the benefit. Hope you all find it though-provoking. |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: Liz the Squeak Date: 07 Nov 02 - 05:19 PM HEy, I've been to that session!!! Another rule - have it in a place where you can't get all the musicians in the same room and then bitch like hell when they start their own in the next bar. LTS |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: dick greenhaus Date: 07 Nov 02 - 06:03 PM Same as the Rules to a Knife Fight (there are no rules to a knife fight.) |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: The Shambles Date: 07 Nov 02 - 06:23 PM Trouble is some folk would seriously consider that the above are the rules of Knife Fighting and that these allow them to ignore the rules of polite common sense that should govern all social interactions. |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: Leadfingers Date: 07 Nov 02 - 07:28 PM And there I was all the time at all these sessions thinking everybody else was ignoring me,when you were taking notes all the time.I WAS that Box player Banjoist Talker etc etc. But really I hope I wasnt |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: Guy Wolff Date: 07 Nov 02 - 08:38 PM Very helpful (in a dark sort of way) Thanks.. When the session is good it is magic , the others can be kind of Black magic .. The better the musician the more they are able to listen and dance with you and enjoy everyone's playing.. Very easy to know when you are lucky enough to play with them .. Dave Oakley was that for me at tNelles in Beverly last year.. All the best GUy |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: Freso Date: 08 Nov 02 - 03:35 PM I've had no. 5, with "He's making it up as he goes along!", done to me kinda recently, while I was singing Lannigan's Ball... which I'm still battling with... |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: Eric the Viking Date: 08 Nov 02 - 03:46 PM Cor I'd like that session, as a guitar playing cigar smoking fast as I can out of tune 3 chord wonder I'd get on fine. Where is it? |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: smallpiper Date: 08 Nov 02 - 03:52 PM Estonia |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: Eric the Viking Date: 08 Nov 02 - 04:16 PM bin there, dun that! Tallin is a very nice city!!!!! |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: Gurney Date: 09 Nov 02 - 02:07 AM Saw one session years ago where a (large) good guitarist stood over the culprit and joined him, SHOUTING THE CHORDS and NOT SO FAST until he went elsewhere. Politeness works when you're 6'3" and 20 stone. Wish I was. |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: Bert Date: 09 Nov 02 - 02:22 AM I guess you've never been to the Philadelphia Folk Song Society 'cos you missed a couple. I had a guy come up to me and say "you played that wrong" and this was a song that I had learned before he was born. Then there's the same five or six guitarists who are so wonderful that they hog the floor and never let anyone else get a chance to play. |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: Bernard Date: 09 Nov 02 - 09:58 AM Mmmm... Years ago I used to go to a session where there were a few 'Prima Donna' types who liked to show off and play their party pieces, knowing nobody else could join in. Yet when I tried doing the same, believing that it was acceptable to do so, it was pointed out to me in no uncertain terms that I was in the wrong. So I voted with my feet!! Sessions where everyone joins in when they are able, and quietly doodle in the background when they aren't, are much more enjoyable and educational. Okay, the occasional 'party piece' is to be expected - how else will we hear tunes we haven't heard before?! There has to be some kind of balance... |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: The Shambles Date: 09 Nov 02 - 08:37 PM I have read various accounts in songbooks and the like, about the how, what and the why of sessions. The worst of these, and I think these are rapidly becoming outdated and discredited, do tend to give the impression of a 'snooty' and exclusive club for musician's to get together and show off. The problem is largely caused by the idea proposed by these, that there are such hard and fast rules and that knowledge of these overide the normal polite and common sense customs of social gatherings and enable musicians to be rude and behave badly. Some folk do not need an excuse to act badly but many can be made far worse by the idea that they can behind hide these rules and cause damage by setting a poor example for others to follow. It would be useful to see some printed examples of where these ideas originate. |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: The Shambles Date: 09 Nov 02 - 08:50 PM http://www.sessioneer.com/default.asp. Click on the bit called session etiquette. There are I am sure worse examples. |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: The Shambles Date: 10 Nov 02 - 02:46 AM A few examples of writing down 'the unwritten rules'. http://www.c7r.com/sessionbook/etiquette.html http://www.voyagerrecords.com/arjam.htm http://users.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/sess/ss4.html http://www.alpscotsmusic.org/classes/etiq.html http://www.pressbar.freeserve.co.uk/sessions/etiquet.htm < href=http://www.slowplayers.org/SCTLS/etiquette.html>http://www.slowplayers.org/SCTLS/etiquette.html http://www.webspawner.com/users/olsong/ < href=http://www.musicjammers.com/jamrsite/blooz_zone/daveon_jammers.html>http://www.musicjammers.com/jamrsite/blooz_zone/daveon_jammers.html < href=http://www.irishbanjo.com/session.html>http://www.irishbanjo.com/session.html |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: The Shambles Date: 10 Nov 02 - 11:08 AM http://www.c7r.com/sessionbook/etiquette.html http://www.voyagerrecords.com/arjam.htm http://users.argonet.co.uk/users/gatherer/sess/ss4.html http://www.alpscotsmusic.org/classes/etiq.html http://www.pressbar.freeserve.co.uk/sessions/etiquet.htm http://www.mckenna.dk/sessionetikette.htm http://www.slowplayers.org/SCTLS/etiquette.html http://www.webspawner.com/users/olsong/ http://www.musicjammers.com/jamrsite/blooz_zone/daveon_jammers.html http://www.irishbanjo.com/session.html |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: JudeL Date: 10 Nov 02 - 11:14 AM Add on to that list the musician that insists on noodling through every unaccompanied song until he is effectively dictating the timing and tune to the singer |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: KingBrilliant Date: 10 Nov 02 - 11:36 AM You're so right JudeL - and they always think they're helping....... - |
Subject: RE: Rules of the Session From: GUEST,Al Date: 10 Nov 02 - 11:42 AM If they can't figure out the three chord tune you're playing, then do one with two chords. Still a problem? Cut back to one chord. Can't play that, can't play nothing. Al |
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