I'm starting to feel better about my self as one of those people with those damn bodhráns!

On the subject of tambourines, I've heard people do some amazing things with them, primarily in Middle Eastern music. The tambourine and for that matter, percussion in general is viewed as something that you can just pick up and start playing. In every beginning bodhrán class I've taught, there's been at least one person whose face fell when they realized they wouldn't have it licked in a month. Truth be told, I was that person when I was a student in the beginning class. Tambourines, shakers, triangles and bones can all be absolute murder in the hands of a novice. Especially because nobody starts out playing quietly. I would look who the session is geared towards. I periodically play a beginner's session that was started through Calliope School where I teach. I've played with people there that would probably be asked to leave some other sessions I've played at. It's a session designed for people who are just getting their feet wet. I've played at some sessions where you are expected to be at a fairly accomplished level before you sit down.


Now, this is gonna come of as defensive, but bad etiquette is not entirely the realm of the persecutionist, er I mean percussionist. I've heard accordion players who can play quietly but don't. I've heard various players of different instruments, who have their own reperetoire not in common with ANYONE else at the session and insist on playing lots of it, while the bulk of others sit and wonder why he or she doesn't learn any of the tunes that are going around. I've been to sessions where a singer will sit down at a predominantly tunes-oriented session and expect to sing 5 or 6 songs in a row. Makes me proud to be a bodhránai

Slán agat,
Rich