Sorry for continually "banging on" about this as I often have done on The Session but nowadays, for good or ill, we have all types of sessions and arrangements.

They are certainly not all typical of the so called "traditional tune session" nor a singing "Come All Ye". Nor are they always spontaneous which I think is a shame. Many are organised and even a bit contrived and predictable...You can sometimes set your watch by when a particular tune or song gets played.

There are also specialist and/or "learning sessions" of which some people here might disapprove. They are not designed to entertain the punters and while many are held in pubs they often take place in separate rooms or when the bar would otherwise have been empty.

Jack mentions The Portobello Tap which is one of the most friendly sessions in the area. Everyone is welcome but the general standard of musicianship is usually very good. There is a good mix of music and song. It's not the deliberate intention to "entertain" the customers but most of them usually enjoy what's going on.

There is also a "so called" Intermediate session held fortnightly in Leith Depot which is also very welcoming to all players. I say "so called" because most of the music is still of good standard and not particularly slow either. However, this session is self contained in a side room and is not really for the pub customers as such. They would be welcome to come in, of course, but the room tends to be "jam packed" with actual musicians.

I enjoy going to both of the above when I can but I also like to try other things too. However, the best sessions I've experienced have usually been unpredicatable and spontaneous in terms of both repertoire and the people involved.