What is the history behind slow airs? I wondered since I see such mixed reactions in the discussions related to their being played at sessions. Were sessions traditionally for dancing, and sometimes someone would sing or play a slow air? Please tell me if and how slow airs fit into sessions (vocal or instrumental).
I never mind hearing a good slow air from a good player at a session -- wouldn't want to have an entire evening of them, but airs aren't a problem at a session, I don't think. It's a bit of a party piece, of course. But I have to admit what does make me crazy is when someone says that they're a beginner so they play slow airs. They may be easy to play because they're slow, but I was taught that they're for those who have mastered their instrument, as they are the players' equivalent to singing a song.
Also annoying is when someone starts into a beautiful rendition of a slow air, and some accompanist decides that they should come crashing in to help, or when others who know the air decide that it's a group effort. Aargh.
I agree with Zina, totally. There's nothing worse than an uninvited guitar or bodhran accompaniment to an air. I've heard that happen before and just wanted to curl up and die quietly in the corner out of embarrassment. Some people need to learn to shut the [insert swearword here] up and listen.
Shutting up and listening is one of the most important things to do (here speaks a bodhran-player!). And then imagining (or not) how your instrument will sound and then deciding if you can play what you hear. And then finding it. Or deciding to leave it out this time.
Many slow airs are in fact the tunes of songs. In a lot of parts of Ireland the Gaelic is all but dead but you will still find the airs of tunes lingerin on long after the words have been lost.
Needless to say there are also quite a few that are composed simply as slow airs.
One or two airs per session is more than enough but should generally only be attempted if you think you are going to get good order.
It is not 'easy' to play a slow air well. Although the tune is slow you still have to remember phrasing, ornamentation, breathing etc. Indeed if you play the air of a song and get the phrasing wrong you might find yourself attacked by a pedantic singer - so beware! lol
In most sessions I go to someone plays a slow air, and is listened to quietly with respect. If you're going to play a slow air that was once a song the recommendation by no less than Brendan McGlinchey at a workshop was that you should first research the words and the historical environment. And to get the phrasing of such a song right I suppose you should, strictly speaking, learn the Gaelic, although I don't think Brendan specifically mentioned that point.
Hi Breandan.
Perhaps you could post some more of the rules about what you can and can't do at sessions, this would prevent people with imagination from corrupting this ancient institution.
PP
The Belfast poet, Ciaran Carson, has written a helpful and rather tongue-in-cheek guide to 'session ettiquette' but I can't for the life of me remember what it is called.
I do play slow airs in sessions with the intention of teaching new tunes to some of the ones who listen. I do have to resort to judicious use of the foot/knee to mark the first beat of the bar, which defeats the object by giving it a beat but needs must in a session.
As far as the bodhran goes, if they join in, slow down or pull the tempo about a bit. If they persist, play even quieter.
I have only attended sessions here in Austin but I hear there pretty typical with other areas as well. You will never hear a slow air. Tis a shame because I really love a well played slow air. A properly played slow air should be without time and have breath. Much like someone telling an old sad tale.
I don’t attend sessions much any more. I dislike putting up with the snobbery that prevails at the sessions. There were two different sessions on Sundays in town. One was mainly tunes and the other allowed songs as well as tunes. I preferred the later because I like to back up singers plus it was a lot more cordial. Well the Pub that hosted the tune session discontinued that session and so tune folks have taken over the only session left on Sundays. I live out in the country so making it into town has to be an effort. I usually will attend a Bluegrass session in the afternoon and then the Irish session in the evening. It really is a night and day difference. In the Bluegrass session, everyone takes a turn at selecting a tune and all instrumentalists are given a chance to solo. At the Irish session, it is a rugby match to see who gets to play the next tune. Usually someone starts playing a tune a soon as possible after one being played has ended. Sometime two are three will try to start a tune with usually the loudest player prevailing. Likewise, a few players will be blackballed so they rarely get to play the tune of their choice. Typically it is Reels with a few Jigs but rarely a Hornpipe or Polka much less an Air or a song. For me this gets boring after about 45 minutes. Nowadays I’ll join the session if it’s smaller or if I get invited to join otherwise I’ll just sit back, enjoy a single-malt or two and listen till I get bored. Which is usually about 45 minutes.
Cheers
Sean
Yes, I was taught also that the best way for a player to learn a slow air is to learn it from a singer, because then you'll understand the phrasing and meaning of the song much better. Paul, I hadn't heard of Ciaran Carson writing a session etiquette book! What's the title, do you remember, or Breandan, if you don't mind my asking, do you know of this book your brother wrote? I'd love to have it!
I was just about to post what Zina said about learning the air from the song. I have heard recordings of airs where the phrasing obviously has missed out on what the original song conveyed. If you know the emotion that goes along with lyrics and how they are "put across" it can really help you play the air on an instrument.
It's funny TXfiddler. I have felt the pressure of those instumental sessions where the advanced players just kept going and going. They would never stop for a moment to let a beginner step in and play their list of tunes. As a beginner - it was great fun for me to actually play with the tunes that I knew. I loved those parts and I was ultimately frustrated with the folk who would not ease up and let the rest of us join in.
It feels much different nowadays - I see beginners wanting to join in all the time. They don't get much opportunity. And yet I continue, for the most part, to get my own Jolies. It's not very fair of me because I had traveled all the way down the other road.
I do know that there are beginner sessions in our area where you can play aires all day long when it's your turn. I know that there are intermediate sessions in the area (I don't know where and when or I'd post them) It's a great place for learning and playing all night long with those very familiar tunes.
I attend an advanced session where I get left behind at times because of my limited selection of tunes in common with all the others. I hold my own and have a great time nonetheless. Sometimes I have to jump in during one of those 1 moment breathers to get in a little playing time. You know what - perhaps that is my next goal. I would like to play all night long with the a great session crowd and be able to play along 50 minutes out of the hour instead of 30.
I happen to enjoy that type of session. I learn all the time and I play great music most of the time. It's all about personal preference. The pity is that there is not a variety of sessions within some towns. Some singing sessions, some beginner sessions, Intermediate, advanced - la la la. The ones that don't fit where you are at the moment are the ones you can choose not to go to. I hope that the variety opens up again in Austin.
By the way TX - would you mind posting that Austin Session in the "sessions" section. Texas has a good count of sessions but we are not represented well in the sessions section. I for one love to drop into sessions when I travel.
For me there is little worse at a session than someone launching into an unrequested slow air, often an inexperienced beginner anxious to get a tune in. I have seen it, very recently, knock a promising session right off track. I have been playing a long, long time and still find slow airs very difficult to get away with. They are not easy to play and very few musicians are good at them. I think sessions are just fine without them. Singing is a different matter and I always like to hear a song at a session. As regards giving beginners "a chance" at the session, I too was once a beginner (in Ireland) and never started a tune on my own unless I was asked to "give us one of your own" by the better musicians. Most of the really good musicians I know are very tolerant, but it can be a real session killer when every beginner is desperately trying to get his/her tune of the week in. Whether you like it or not, the better musicians are the ones who lead the session and beginners can learn a lot from simply listening, not just listening for an opportunity to get their bit in.
Longnote - It wasn't very long ago that I would have tried to blast everything you said. Nowadays - I agree with it more and more. Please pardon my misplaced defensiveness. It's been a very long while since I interjected a beginner tune into any session. My choices are generally on the Mark to keep the session up.
I have done exactly what you commented about. Putting Kesh (I love picking on that tune) into the mix. Sorry to spoil anybody's enjoyment. On the flip side, many begginers into the Irish tradition are put off by a close seamed session by the advanced folk. What is the happy mix? I have no clue unless it is to have a whole lot of different sessions around the area. If there aren't a variety of sessions - most people will be put out. If the only session in town is advanced, wave goodbye to most of the beginners. If the town has only a beginner session, some will get bored and leave. The whole event can turn into an inbred session (not much variety and midling skill levels).
About beginners wanting to get their bit in. That's why they are there. They want to play and enjoy the session as does everyone there. Is too much a session killer? Yes. Do we tolerate beginners instead of encouraging them? Yes. Did they tolerate me? Yes. (perhaps still ;)
Some of the sessioners in town ran a session that would split the session into 2 parts. Start with a slower session and beginner tunes for an hour, then pick it up for the advanced players. Not a bad solution. Beginners understood clearly that there was no need to get their licks in during the advanced session. They could join any tune that they were capable of joining which can be few and far between. When the advanced players noticed that the begginers were picking up some of those tunes, they would keep them in mind and try to play them a little more often than once a year.
Anyway - Your message is stern but I understand and appreciate it.
I think one essential is to learn the active repertoire played at the session -- tape the tunes! Most people I know have no objection to being recorded if asked by someone they know as an enthusiastic learner who makes a point of attending regularly enough to be become a fixture. The problem with so many beginners is that they learn flavour-of-month tunes or tunes from CDs that are not part of the repertoire of their session. Learn from the better musicians you play with or can hear on a very regular basis. And listen! And ask for tunes! Often, the beginner can throw in tunes he/she has learned from the session musicians but hasn't heard them play for a while. Result -- happy and grateful experienced players who have been reminded of a good tune and a valuable contribution from the novice. Also beginners need to be very realistic about their own current level of ability -- easy enough in Ireland where you are constantly reminded of your short-comings as part of the general craic.
In Bristol (UK) we have a fortnightly session where the first hour is specifically for beginners and is led by an experienced teacher who takes them through a repertoire of the simpler polkas, reels and jigs after a few minutes warming up with slow scales and arpeggios, concentrating on tone and intonation. When the hour is up the more experienced players turn up and many of the beginners stay on for the next hour or so to listen. It's a system that works well.
Ok, I was wandering from the subject a bit - sorry! Later on in the session the chances are that someone will play a slow air, perhaps a fiddle, pipes, or flute. It's usually done well by someone who knows what they're doing and is always appreciated.
Zina & Paul - I have a tiny little book by Ciaron Carson called - wait for it - "Irish Traditional Music" - which includes a couple of pages on session etiquette. This might or might not be the book you're thinking of. If you like I can send more details (publisher, etc) by e-mail tonight.
What he has to say is, IMHO, so tongue-in-cheek and dry-humoured that it isn't much use to a neophyte trying to understand how sessions "tick" but at least it gives the idea that there are rules which won't be immediately apparent to newcomers and that it's best to tread lightly!
Yes, please do send it, Tish -- I loved "Last Night's Fun: In and Out of Time with Irish Traditional Music." I found copies on sale at Barnes and Noble (a huge book retailer here in the States) and bought like ten copies to give as presents to any player friends who hadn't read it yet. Sadly, I've run out of those sale books and now have to pay full price for them again. *sigh*
Just a point about 'tradition' as an arbiter; sessions as we know them now aren't really traditional, are they? Or at least, many aspects of them are not. The most traditional precedent is probably a small group of people gathered in someone's house and taking it in turns to play a tune, sing a party piece, tell a story, dance a few steps or whatever. So that would have little to bear on most of the sessions we go to. I don't think we should necessarily be looking for a notional template for what ought or ought not to be done at a session, or using that as a justification for our own preference. There are many kinds of session, as has been pointed out in this thread - so isn't it more a case of finding the consensus for the particular one/s you go to?
Helen, there's a certain amount of sameness to session tradition across the board. The original query was partly about wondering why there's such a mixed reaction about slow airs, and I wouldn't want katiebythegate walking into a session confidently thinking a slow air would be just the thing to start up. Yes, every session is different, however, you can generally count on certain things being true for most sessions. I can walk into a session in Sydney, Dublin, Boston, Tokyo, or Mexico City and know how to handle myself in a way that won't get me condemnation from any good players in the bunch. One of those things is knowing not to play a slow air unless 1) invited, and 2) I feel confident that I will acquit myself (and show the air) well by the standards of a certain level of player. (At my current level of expertise, I'll willingly play a slow reel or a waltz, but not a slow air. Good god, one of the best fiddlers I know has only recently learned his first slow air because he didn't want to shame the music, and he's a good enough player that he and Frankie Gavin hit it off well at the last session Frankie led while in town.)
What one finds after a while of hanging about this music is that those 'who know' have certain standards that they use as "notional templates" and, frankly, to judge the worth of other players. Nobody likes this thought, but it's still true of most of the truly good players out there. One can certainly decide that one is going to see this as a bad thing, but it's one's own choice as to whether one wants to play with the big kids on their terms. You can walk outside the session norm, it's your choice, but the best thing at that point would definitely be to start your own session on your own terms, unless you want to fall afoul of the better players, sometimes in humiliating and public ways.
Hmm, I think I didn't explain myself very well - or got two ideas entangled. I was referring to a 'notional template' of what is 'traditional' and therefore Right or Wrong. I can imagine heated arguments where two protagonists waste an awful lot of energy trying to persuade one another that songs/airs/bodhrans/guitars/whatever are, or are *not*, properly traditional and valid. (Goodness, I think I've even seen it here at thesession...)
I don't think the important thing is whether something is or isn't historically traditional, but whether it fits modern session practice. You can usefully have a template of what a modern session is, and we all do. *But*... sessions do vary a lot even within that. I go to some sessions in London where there are plenty of non-Irish tunes, and others where they'd be frowned on. Some where songs are actively welcomed, and some where there is an active anti-song element. Some where beginners are encouraged, and others where they huddle completely ignored at the periphery. Depends who are the principal personalities. The point of my last sentence, about consensus, is that you really need to establish the tone of a particular session before making too many assumptions - not that you should ignore the etiquette. Quite the opposite!
Another, unrelated observation about slow airs: some people just don't get them. There are people who are great at reels and jigs, but don't like airs, because they sound like a lot of disjointed rambling about, to their ears, and leave them feeling mystified and ill-at-ease. Other people are vice-versa and find the reels much more incomprehensible than the airs. I guess it's a matter of the way your brain is made, or the early basis of your musical experiences. But I think this phenomenon is partly responsible for differing views on slow airs, and you might have critical mass one way or the other, in a particular session.
I have been playing in sessions regularly here in the UK for 20 years, and in that time I've come across all manner of different approaches and mixes of material.
For me the sessions are nearest thing I get to a spiritual experience. When things are motoring many if not all of the players are locked together in a transpersonal state having surrendered their Ego to the tune.
This process does not necessarily require great technical skill, I now people with just enough to get by, that can get into this state and maintain it easily.
Some people involved in the Irish trad session (known round here as the "Exclusive Brethren") would run a mile from this experience. They have their heads so far up their arses that they think they own the music.
Most of this music was around before I was born and will be around when I'm dust.
We carry the tunes and volunteer our flesh to bring them to life.
The arrogant attitude shown towards learners and anyone that breaks the "rules" at these sessions is unforgivable.
I regularly play with 70 and 80 year old Irish (as in born there) musicians and you won't catch any of them playing with the "Exclusive Brethren".
I hope that if I make it to their age there will still be sessions of whatever flavour for me to loose my self in.
It's in my interests and the interests of all of us that we encourage new people wanting to take up the baton of traditional session music and not scare then away with the "big Kids" public humiliation
PP.
Well-said, Piper. Some make playing an elite club you have to earn the right to enter...and some believe that passing the baton and spreading the music is what's important and welcome you with a smile.
...and how to describe the experience that carries you and your fellow musicians away from the present when you really "click" and get into a song? You came close to nailing it down, Piper. It's definitely an altered state...mentally, visually, emotionally swirling in the music. Kind of like a runner's euphoria (if you run, you know what I mean). I'd say it's the great bonus of being a musician...that bonding experience that happens in the moment of a song.
Ah, slow airs.... recently I have been motivated to learn a few new airs. Last summer I attended a flute workshop with Paul McGrattan in the Catskills (New York), and he said something about learning airs that stuck with me... "it has to grab you..." Indeed, I think Paul has articulated the the very essence of what playing airs is all about- the tune should speak to you on some deeper level. I play the occasional air at sessions. But not until I have 'sat' with it for for a good long period. I don't really know if I am doing 'it' justice, but I am trying to put my feeling and interpretation into it as an expression of the tradition, specifically, adhering to the nuances of the settings of the players' styles where I first heard the tune. I find that it is usually too noisy in a session to really pull it off. Those who are listening are very appreciative. For everyone else, the air seems to pass quietly back to its roots with little acknowledgement of its passing.
Yes, slipping an air into a full-on session takes a well-honed sense of timing (choosing the right lull in tunes to start playing it) and a bit of luck. I usually wait till the end of the evening, when the crowd thins out and maybe even the circle is smaller. Did this last night, in fact, and ended up playing two airs, with no interruptions or sudden blasts of noise. But I did this while instruments were going into cases, so there was no risk that I was preventing anyone else from finally playing that reel they'd been waiting for all night, and also I'm one of the de facto leaders of our local session. So I can do whatever I want, right?
As for playing with the "big kids" or the "exclusive brethren," I've seen normally gracious, inviting players turn aloof and even rude to people who show no sense of discretion or respect, either to the musicians or the music. But that isn't about playing the "right" tunes, or using the "proper" instruments, or necessarily even following some special unwritten code of etiquette specific to sessions. What it *is* about is manners and discretion and common courtesy. (The players I've seen shunned at a session usually appear to have unrealistically large egos.)
So in most sessions I've been to, a newcomer would be wise to think twice before starting an air because airs are typically played solo (owing to them being played freely, expressively, with somewhat less adherence to the beat or meter--it's difficult to do that with another player unless you've rehearsed it), and so starting an air would be a signal to most experienced players *not* to join in. And "not playing" isn't why most of them are sitting together in a pub in the first place.
So starting an air at a session would be akin to a football/soccer player stepping out of bounds to take the throw in, only to pick up three balls and start juggling for the crowd while the rest of the team loiters on the field staring at their shoes and wondering how to look useful.
That said, some sessions are more open to airs now and then. The risk is that the evening turns into a sequence of "performances," people pulling out their party pieces, or duos and trios polishing their pre-rehearsed airs. To me, that's a different kind of session, and not my favorite approach to the sport.
So, katiebythegate, I don't see it as either/or in terms of "making it an elite club to have to earn the right to enter" versus being welcoming and open. That's too simple. It's more like the players at any given session on any given night have a collective set of expectations about how the evening will unfold, and it's just polite to try to fathom what those expectations are before you impose your own. Yes, you can just *ask* them, but you're not guaranteed a straight answer. That doesn't mean they're trying to exclude you, but it is a hint (or stronger), suggesting you respect what the regulars are trying to pull together just then--wait and see what develops, and take your clues from that.
Paraphrasing good advice that's been posted here before, I liken it to joining an ongoing conversation--you don't sit down and change the subject or seize the pulpit. Better to listen a while, develop an understanding of what the other people are saying, and *then* join in, in a way that helps carry the collective train of thought.
It's perfectly fine to be curious about slow airs in sessions (and the fact that we're asking about it here gives me a clue that it's just not done very often (or why would you ask?)). But don't worry and fret too much about this.
Beginners (like me and many of you in this thread) don't get to start tunes in a session, just go with the flow. When you get enough "seniority" that you're starting tunes regularly, then you will also know how to tell when a slow air is appropriate.
Yes, thank you...I understand all that, Will, and it's so important to know those things and to remember them when you go.
However, I did mean what I said as simply as I said it. I understand the need for etiquette and to figure a new session group out, let them figure you out, etc. It's just that some sessions do this in a friendly way and some simply do not. One is encouraging; the other is discouraging.
If it's a question of etiquette, a simple verbal aside can cover whatever it is...and in a friendly group, it's handled that way. A more closed group will leave you to read body language and try to decipher non-verbal cues...often when there's nothing "wrong" at all, you think there is. It's most disconcerting.
Understandably, people's mannerisms and social interactions are what they are, and differ often, by culture. Still, it can put you off of a group. I try to greet folks warmly and invite their questions on the side...whisper little things to keep them on track with what's expected in the session...the common courtesies you'd use to make someone new to any group or conversation at least feel welcome and somewhat a part of it until you've both decided whether it's to continue or not.
I don't know if I've explained myself well or not, but I think you may have a better idea of what I meant?
As for the airs...I've only been to one session where someone played an air. It was later in the session when the pub had quieted, and he was asked by the other session members to play it. We musicians seemed to be the only ones to notice or care. It was beautifully done, and we were all appreciative. It seemed to be done more for the pleasure of the musicians.
I would never just pop into any tune at a session, or just start a tune, much less an air...even less chance of it with my being new.
I just wanted a better understanding of airs.
If they aren't really session tunes...then what were they traditionally used for? From what I gather, they were traditionally vocal pieces...and sad. Were they sung at funerals? Or just used to pass along a slow tale at gatherings? I assume that musicians then picked them up to share sometimes when the mood is right.
There's a couple of points about slow airs that are interesting; these came up at Toronto's recent Chris Langan Weekend. (Chris was a piper who, so far as I can tell, was the primary force in establishing the Irish Traditional scene in Toronto as we know it. He died in 1993, but the Weekend lives on as a tribute to his memory.) One point has been mentioned and the other not.
Most slow airs are based on sean nos (old-style) songs. Staunch traditionalists will assure you that you should not learn a slow air from notation, nor from other players, but from the song. You should know the words (even if they're in Irish!), and the playing should reflect that.
The other point that I learned from one of the instructors and which I found fascinating is that slow airs are the only indigenous form of Irish Traditional instrumental music. Jigs, apparently, came from Italy, polkas from Czechoslovakia; mazurkas from Poland--and I'm afraid I forget where reels came from. But slow airs are home-grown.
Stacey: agreed--some sessions are peopled by jerks. But sometimes they act that way because they've been overrun by newbies who are completely ignorant of how most sessions work. In other words, some players are rude because the newcomer is rude (even if s/he doesn't realize it). I had to chuckle at TXfiddler's comparison of his Austin session versus the bluegrass session--two totally different beasts, and I for one am thrilled that Irish music doesn't get played the way bluegrass does (and I played in a bluegrass band for years). But if you show up at an Irish session expecting everyone to take turns (and wait their turn) and invite you to play just because you brought an instrument...well, in my book, you showed up at the wrong place.
So yeah, I'm one of those guys who usually makes an effort to make newcomers feel welcome, and I run a slow session for people learning the tunes. But I've also been a jerk to a few people who showed up at the regular session with a chip on their shoulder or an ego the size and gaseousness of the Hindenberg, or who just presumed they could play whenever and whatever they wanted to without first taking the time to listen and get a sense of what the regulars were trying to do.
I agree with Will, I'm generally a friendly person but sometimes after the offending party has been talked to a million times and still is being complelty annoying I will get angry. Longnote I know exactly what you mean about starting in Ireland and knowing your place. I didnt start in Ireland but had alot of teachers from Ireland who all say the same thing. Its about respect, some sessions have been going for years, my friend runs one in smithfield that has been going for 25 years. And people wonder why these musicians get edgy if someone comes in and wants to do it on their own terms? It is not an open mic night, if they ask you to start a tune, go for it. More often than not they will. But dont just come in and think you know all there is to know and that there is nothing else to learn. That is by far the most irritating thing and happens far too often!
My favorites are those people whose egos really are like the Hindenberg--enormous, over-inflated, casting everything in their shadow, but protected only by the thinnest of skins, tethered precariously to reality, and highly combustible. One prick, and BOOM!
Thankfully, they don't drift into sessions very often. In fact, I'd say they're less common in Irish trad music than in some other genres, maybe owing to the fact that we all play together, in unison, rather than exchanging solos. Prima donnas don't like that--no chance to bask in the limelight. Which, to bring this back to the alledged theme here, is why airs are a rarity at most sessions.
Gosh, this sounds harsher than I mean it--honest, I'm not suggesting that anyone here is a Hindenberg! But I think some sessions develop a collective paranoia after a few experiences with large flaming bags of gas, and that helps explain some of the "insider" behavior you see or feel at those sessions, including nervous twitching or muttering when someone starts an air uninvited.
The name of the book C, Carson wrote is called ' Last night's fun'
and a great read it is too.His wife is a wounderfull musician, and he also play's a mean concert flute.
As "The Guy Who Plays Airs" in our local sessions I have to agree with many of the comments in this thread particularly Longnote and PP. I don't sing sean-nos or speak Gaelic, but I attempt to imitate the essence of those things from having heard both over a number of years and learning the tune from an accomplished source.
As for starting one, if you wouldn't start a jig or a hornpipe in a particular session what would possess you to start an air? If a gathering is about social status or maximum playing time or anything other than playing this music as well as possible then its a show or Little League not a session. Most people are polite to people who are polite. Anyone who isn't is a jerk and will eventually end up playing all his own versions of everything because he'll have all his time to himself.
Slow airs and sessions.
Slow airs and sessions.
What is the history behind slow airs? I wondered since I see such mixed reactions in the discussions related to their being played at sessions. Were sessions traditionally for dancing, and sometimes someone would sing or play a slow air? Please tell me if and how slow airs fit into sessions (vocal or instrumental).
# Posted on January 19th 2003 by katiebythegate
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
I never mind hearing a good slow air from a good player at a session -- wouldn't want to have an entire evening of them, but airs aren't a problem at a session, I don't think. It's a bit of a party piece, of course. But I have to admit what does make me crazy is when someone says that they're a beginner so they play slow airs. They may be easy to play because they're slow, but I was taught that they're for those who have mastered their instrument, as they are the players' equivalent to singing a song.
Also annoying is when someone starts into a beautiful rendition of a slow air, and some accompanist decides that they should come crashing in to help, or when others who know the air decide that it's a group effort. Aargh.
Zina
# Posted on January 19th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
I agree with Zina, totally. There's nothing worse than an uninvited guitar or bodhran accompaniment to an air. I've heard that happen before and just wanted to curl up and die quietly in the corner out of embarrassment. Some people need to learn to shut the [insert swearword here] up and listen.
# Posted on January 19th 2003 by Dr. Dow
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Shutting up and listening is one of the most important things to do (here speaks a bodhran-player!). And then imagining (or not) how your instrument will sound and then deciding if you can play what you hear. And then finding it. Or deciding to leave it out this time.
# Posted on January 19th 2003 by greenman
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Many slow airs are in fact the tunes of songs. In a lot of parts of Ireland the Gaelic is all but dead but you will still find the airs of tunes lingerin on long after the words have been lost.
lol
Needless to say there are also quite a few that are composed simply as slow airs.
One or two airs per session is more than enough but should generally only be attempted if you think you are going to get good order.
It is not 'easy' to play a slow air well. Although the tune is slow you still have to remember phrasing, ornamentation, breathing etc. Indeed if you play the air of a song and get the phrasing wrong you might find yourself attacked by a pedantic singer - so beware!
# Posted on January 19th 2003 by breandan
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
In most sessions I go to someone plays a slow air, and is listened to quietly with respect. If you're going to play a slow air that was once a song the recommendation by no less than Brendan McGlinchey at a workshop was that you should first research the words and the historical environment. And to get the phrasing of such a song right I suppose you should, strictly speaking, learn the Gaelic, although I don't think Brendan specifically mentioned that point.
trevor
# Posted on January 19th 2003 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Hi Breandan.
Perhaps you could post some more of the rules about what you can and can't do at sessions, this would prevent people with imagination from corrupting this ancient institution.
PP
# Posted on January 19th 2003 by Pied Piper
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
The Belfast poet, Ciaran Carson, has written a helpful and rather tongue-in-cheek guide to 'session ettiquette' but I can't for the life of me remember what it is called.
# Posted on January 19th 2003 by sergeant fox
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
I do play slow airs in sessions with the intention of teaching new tunes to some of the ones who listen. I do have to resort to judicious use of the foot/knee to mark the first beat of the bar, which defeats the object by giving it a beat but needs must in a session.
As far as the bodhran goes, if they join in, slow down or pull the tempo about a bit. If they persist, play even quieter.
# Posted on January 19th 2003 by geoffwright
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
I have only attended sessions here in Austin but I hear there pretty typical with other areas as well. You will never hear a slow air. Tis a shame because I really love a well played slow air. A properly played slow air should be without time and have breath. Much like someone telling an old sad tale.
I don’t attend sessions much any more. I dislike putting up with the snobbery that prevails at the sessions. There were two different sessions on Sundays in town. One was mainly tunes and the other allowed songs as well as tunes. I preferred the later because I like to back up singers plus it was a lot more cordial. Well the Pub that hosted the tune session discontinued that session and so tune folks have taken over the only session left on Sundays. I live out in the country so making it into town has to be an effort. I usually will attend a Bluegrass session in the afternoon and then the Irish session in the evening. It really is a night and day difference. In the Bluegrass session, everyone takes a turn at selecting a tune and all instrumentalists are given a chance to solo. At the Irish session, it is a rugby match to see who gets to play the next tune. Usually someone starts playing a tune a soon as possible after one being played has ended. Sometime two are three will try to start a tune with usually the loudest player prevailing. Likewise, a few players will be blackballed so they rarely get to play the tune of their choice. Typically it is Reels with a few Jigs but rarely a Hornpipe or Polka much less an Air or a song. For me this gets boring after about 45 minutes. Nowadays I’ll join the session if it’s smaller or if I get invited to join otherwise I’ll just sit back, enjoy a single-malt or two and listen till I get bored. Which is usually about 45 minutes.
Cheers
Sean
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by txfiddler
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Yes, I was taught also that the best way for a player to learn a slow air is to learn it from a singer, because then you'll understand the phrasing and meaning of the song much better. Paul, I hadn't heard of Ciaran Carson writing a session etiquette book! What's the title, do you remember, or Breandan, if you don't mind my asking, do you know of this book your brother wrote? I'd love to have it!
Zina
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
I was just about to post what Zina said about learning the air from the song. I have heard recordings of airs where the phrasing obviously has missed out on what the original song conveyed. If you know the emotion that goes along with lyrics and how they are "put across" it can really help you play the air on an instrument.
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by aliceflynn
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
It's funny TXfiddler. I have felt the pressure of those instumental sessions where the advanced players just kept going and going. They would never stop for a moment to let a beginner step in and play their list of tunes. As a beginner - it was great fun for me to actually play with the tunes that I knew. I loved those parts and I was ultimately frustrated with the folk who would not ease up and let the rest of us join in.
It feels much different nowadays - I see beginners wanting to join in all the time. They don't get much opportunity. And yet I continue, for the most part, to get my own Jolies. It's not very fair of me because I had traveled all the way down the other road.
I do know that there are beginner sessions in our area where you can play aires all day long when it's your turn. I know that there are intermediate sessions in the area (I don't know where and when or I'd post them) It's a great place for learning and playing all night long with those very familiar tunes.
I attend an advanced session where I get left behind at times because of my limited selection of tunes in common with all the others. I hold my own and have a great time nonetheless. Sometimes I have to jump in during one of those 1 moment breathers to get in a little playing time. You know what - perhaps that is my next goal. I would like to play all night long with the a great session crowd and be able to play along 50 minutes out of the hour instead of 30.
I happen to enjoy that type of session. I learn all the time and I play great music most of the time. It's all about personal preference. The pity is that there is not a variety of sessions within some towns. Some singing sessions, some beginner sessions, Intermediate, advanced - la la la. The ones that don't fit where you are at the moment are the ones you can choose not to go to. I hope that the variety opens up again in Austin.
By the way TX - would you mind posting that Austin Session in the "sessions" section. Texas has a good count of sessions but we are not represented well in the sessions section. I for one love to drop into sessions when I travel.
Mark
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by Mark Cordova
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
For me there is little worse at a session than someone launching into an unrequested slow air, often an inexperienced beginner anxious to get a tune in. I have seen it, very recently, knock a promising session right off track. I have been playing a long, long time and still find slow airs very difficult to get away with. They are not easy to play and very few musicians are good at them. I think sessions are just fine without them. Singing is a different matter and I always like to hear a song at a session. As regards giving beginners "a chance" at the session, I too was once a beginner (in Ireland) and never started a tune on my own unless I was asked to "give us one of your own" by the better musicians. Most of the really good musicians I know are very tolerant, but it can be a real session killer when every beginner is desperately trying to get his/her tune of the week in. Whether you like it or not, the better musicians are the ones who lead the session and beginners can learn a lot from simply listening, not just listening for an opportunity to get their bit in.
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by LongNote
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Longnote - It wasn't very long ago that I would have tried to blast everything you said. Nowadays - I agree with it more and more. Please pardon my misplaced defensiveness. It's been a very long while since I interjected a beginner tune into any session. My choices are generally on the Mark to keep the session up.
I have done exactly what you commented about. Putting Kesh (I love picking on that tune) into the mix. Sorry to spoil anybody's enjoyment. On the flip side, many begginers into the Irish tradition are put off by a close seamed session by the advanced folk. What is the happy mix? I have no clue unless it is to have a whole lot of different sessions around the area. If there aren't a variety of sessions - most people will be put out. If the only session in town is advanced, wave goodbye to most of the beginners. If the town has only a beginner session, some will get bored and leave. The whole event can turn into an inbred session (not much variety and midling skill levels).
About beginners wanting to get their bit in. That's why they are there. They want to play and enjoy the session as does everyone there. Is too much a session killer? Yes. Do we tolerate beginners instead of encouraging them? Yes. Did they tolerate me? Yes. (perhaps still ;)
Some of the sessioners in town ran a session that would split the session into 2 parts. Start with a slower session and beginner tunes for an hour, then pick it up for the advanced players. Not a bad solution. Beginners understood clearly that there was no need to get their licks in during the advanced session. They could join any tune that they were capable of joining which can be few and far between. When the advanced players noticed that the begginers were picking up some of those tunes, they would keep them in mind and try to play them a little more often than once a year.
Anyway - Your message is stern but I understand and appreciate it.
Mark
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by Mark Cordova
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
I think one essential is to learn the active repertoire played at the session -- tape the tunes! Most people I know have no objection to being recorded if asked by someone they know as an enthusiastic learner who makes a point of attending regularly enough to be become a fixture. The problem with so many beginners is that they learn flavour-of-month tunes or tunes from CDs that are not part of the repertoire of their session. Learn from the better musicians you play with or can hear on a very regular basis. And listen! And ask for tunes! Often, the beginner can throw in tunes he/she has learned from the session musicians but hasn't heard them play for a while. Result -- happy and grateful experienced players who have been reminded of a good tune and a valuable contribution from the novice. Also beginners need to be very realistic about their own current level of ability -- easy enough in Ireland where you are constantly reminded of your short-comings as part of the general craic.
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by LongNote
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
In Bristol (UK) we have a fortnightly session where the first hour is specifically for beginners and is led by an experienced teacher who takes them through a repertoire of the simpler polkas, reels and jigs after a few minutes warming up with slow scales and arpeggios, concentrating on tone and intonation. When the hour is up the more experienced players turn up and many of the beginners stay on for the next hour or so to listen. It's a system that works well.
trevor
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by Trevor Jennings
Ok, I was wandering from the subject a bit - sorry! Later on in the session the chances are that someone will play a slow air, perhaps a fiddle, pipes, or flute. It's usually done well by someone who knows what they're doing and is always appreciated.
trevor
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Zina & Paul - I have a tiny little book by Ciaron Carson called - wait for it - "Irish Traditional Music" - which includes a couple of pages on session etiquette. This might or might not be the book you're thinking of. If you like I can send more details (publisher, etc) by e-mail tonight.
What he has to say is, IMHO, so tongue-in-cheek and dry-humoured that it isn't much use to a neophyte trying to understand how sessions "tick" but at least it gives the idea that there are rules which won't be immediately apparent to newcomers and that it's best to tread lightly!
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by Tish
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Yes, please do send it, Tish -- I loved "Last Night's Fun: In and Out of Time with Irish Traditional Music." I found copies on sale at Barnes and Noble (a huge book retailer here in the States) and bought like ten copies to give as presents to any player friends who hadn't read it yet. Sadly, I've run out of those sale books and now have to pay full price for them again. *sigh*
zls
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Just a point about 'tradition' as an arbiter; sessions as we know them now aren't really traditional, are they? Or at least, many aspects of them are not. The most traditional precedent is probably a small group of people gathered in someone's house and taking it in turns to play a tune, sing a party piece, tell a story, dance a few steps or whatever. So that would have little to bear on most of the sessions we go to. I don't think we should necessarily be looking for a notional template for what ought or ought not to be done at a session, or using that as a justification for our own preference. There are many kinds of session, as has been pointed out in this thread - so isn't it more a case of finding the consensus for the particular one/s you go to?
# Posted on January 20th 2003 by Nell
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Nice one Helen, absolutely spot on.
All the best PP
# Posted on January 21st 2003 by Pied Piper
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Helen, there's a certain amount of sameness to session tradition across the board. The original query was partly about wondering why there's such a mixed reaction about slow airs, and I wouldn't want katiebythegate walking into a session confidently thinking a slow air would be just the thing to start up. Yes, every session is different, however, you can generally count on certain things being true for most sessions. I can walk into a session in Sydney, Dublin, Boston, Tokyo, or Mexico City and know how to handle myself in a way that won't get me condemnation from any good players in the bunch. One of those things is knowing not to play a slow air unless 1) invited, and 2) I feel confident that I will acquit myself (and show the air) well by the standards of a certain level of player. (At my current level of expertise, I'll willingly play a slow reel or a waltz, but not a slow air. Good god, one of the best fiddlers I know has only recently learned his first slow air because he didn't want to shame the music, and he's a good enough player that he and Frankie Gavin hit it off well at the last session Frankie led while in town.)
What one finds after a while of hanging about this music is that those 'who know' have certain standards that they use as "notional templates" and, frankly, to judge the worth of other players. Nobody likes this thought, but it's still true of most of the truly good players out there. One can certainly decide that one is going to see this as a bad thing, but it's one's own choice as to whether one wants to play with the big kids on their terms. You can walk outside the session norm, it's your choice, but the best thing at that point would definitely be to start your own session on your own terms, unless you want to fall afoul of the better players, sometimes in humiliating and public ways.
zls
# Posted on January 21st 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Hmm, I think I didn't explain myself very well - or got two ideas entangled. I was referring to a 'notional template' of what is 'traditional' and therefore Right or Wrong. I can imagine heated arguments where two protagonists waste an awful lot of energy trying to persuade one another that songs/airs/bodhrans/guitars/whatever are, or are *not*, properly traditional and valid. (Goodness, I think I've even seen it here at thesession...)
I don't think the important thing is whether something is or isn't historically traditional, but whether it fits modern session practice. You can usefully have a template of what a modern session is, and we all do. *But*... sessions do vary a lot even within that. I go to some sessions in London where there are plenty of non-Irish tunes, and others where they'd be frowned on. Some where songs are actively welcomed, and some where there is an active anti-song element. Some where beginners are encouraged, and others where they huddle completely ignored at the periphery. Depends who are the principal personalities. The point of my last sentence, about consensus, is that you really need to establish the tone of a particular session before making too many assumptions - not that you should ignore the etiquette. Quite the opposite!
Another, unrelated observation about slow airs: some people just don't get them. There are people who are great at reels and jigs, but don't like airs, because they sound like a lot of disjointed rambling about, to their ears, and leave them feeling mystified and ill-at-ease. Other people are vice-versa and find the reels much more incomprehensible than the airs. I guess it's a matter of the way your brain is made, or the early basis of your musical experiences. But I think this phenomenon is partly responsible for differing views on slow airs, and you might have critical mass one way or the other, in a particular session.
# Posted on January 21st 2003 by Nell
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
I have been playing in sessions regularly here in the UK for 20 years, and in that time I've come across all manner of different approaches and mixes of material.
For me the sessions are nearest thing I get to a spiritual experience. When things are motoring many if not all of the players are locked together in a transpersonal state having surrendered their Ego to the tune.
This process does not necessarily require great technical skill, I now people with just enough to get by, that can get into this state and maintain it easily.
Some people involved in the Irish trad session (known round here as the "Exclusive Brethren") would run a mile from this experience. They have their heads so far up their arses that they think they own the music.
Most of this music was around before I was born and will be around when I'm dust.
We carry the tunes and volunteer our flesh to bring them to life.
The arrogant attitude shown towards learners and anyone that breaks the "rules" at these sessions is unforgivable.
I regularly play with 70 and 80 year old Irish (as in born there) musicians and you won't catch any of them playing with the "Exclusive Brethren".
I hope that if I make it to their age there will still be sessions of whatever flavour for me to loose my self in.
It's in my interests and the interests of all of us that we encourage new people wanting to take up the baton of traditional session music and not scare then away with the "big Kids" public humiliation
PP.
# Posted on January 21st 2003 by Pied Piper
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Well-said, Piper. Some make playing an elite club you have to earn the right to enter...and some believe that passing the baton and spreading the music is what's important and welcome you with a smile.
...and how to describe the experience that carries you and your fellow musicians away from the present when you really "click" and get into a song? You came close to nailing it down, Piper. It's definitely an altered state...mentally, visually, emotionally swirling in the music. Kind of like a runner's euphoria (if you run, you know what I mean). I'd say it's the great bonus of being a musician...that bonding experience that happens in the moment of a song.
# Posted on January 21st 2003 by katiebythegate
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Ah, slow airs.... recently I have been motivated to learn a few new airs. Last summer I attended a flute workshop with Paul McGrattan in the Catskills (New York), and he said something about learning airs that stuck with me... "it has to grab you..." Indeed, I think Paul has articulated the the very essence of what playing airs is all about- the tune should speak to you on some deeper level. I play the occasional air at sessions. But not until I have 'sat' with it for for a good long period. I don't really know if I am doing 'it' justice, but I am trying to put my feeling and interpretation into it as an expression of the tradition, specifically, adhering to the nuances of the settings of the players' styles where I first heard the tune. I find that it is usually too noisy in a session to really pull it off. Those who are listening are very appreciative. For everyone else, the air seems to pass quietly back to its roots with little acknowledgement of its passing.
Arbo
# Posted on January 22nd 2003 by Imnotirish
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Yes, slipping an air into a full-on session takes a well-honed sense of timing (choosing the right lull in tunes to start playing it) and a bit of luck. I usually wait till the end of the evening, when the crowd thins out and maybe even the circle is smaller. Did this last night, in fact, and ended up playing two airs, with no interruptions or sudden blasts of noise. But I did this while instruments were going into cases, so there was no risk that I was preventing anyone else from finally playing that reel they'd been waiting for all night, and also I'm one of the de facto leaders of our local session. So I can do whatever I want, right?
As for playing with the "big kids" or the "exclusive brethren," I've seen normally gracious, inviting players turn aloof and even rude to people who show no sense of discretion or respect, either to the musicians or the music. But that isn't about playing the "right" tunes, or using the "proper" instruments, or necessarily even following some special unwritten code of etiquette specific to sessions. What it *is* about is manners and discretion and common courtesy. (The players I've seen shunned at a session usually appear to have unrealistically large egos.)
So in most sessions I've been to, a newcomer would be wise to think twice before starting an air because airs are typically played solo (owing to them being played freely, expressively, with somewhat less adherence to the beat or meter--it's difficult to do that with another player unless you've rehearsed it), and so starting an air would be a signal to most experienced players *not* to join in. And "not playing" isn't why most of them are sitting together in a pub in the first place.
So starting an air at a session would be akin to a football/soccer player stepping out of bounds to take the throw in, only to pick up three balls and start juggling for the crowd while the rest of the team loiters on the field staring at their shoes and wondering how to look useful.
That said, some sessions are more open to airs now and then. The risk is that the evening turns into a sequence of "performances," people pulling out their party pieces, or duos and trios polishing their pre-rehearsed airs. To me, that's a different kind of session, and not my favorite approach to the sport.
So, katiebythegate, I don't see it as either/or in terms of "making it an elite club to have to earn the right to enter" versus being welcoming and open. That's too simple. It's more like the players at any given session on any given night have a collective set of expectations about how the evening will unfold, and it's just polite to try to fathom what those expectations are before you impose your own. Yes, you can just *ask* them, but you're not guaranteed a straight answer. That doesn't mean they're trying to exclude you, but it is a hint (or stronger), suggesting you respect what the regulars are trying to pull together just then--wait and see what develops, and take your clues from that.
Paraphrasing good advice that's been posted here before, I liken it to joining an ongoing conversation--you don't sit down and change the subject or seize the pulpit. Better to listen a while, develop an understanding of what the other people are saying, and *then* join in, in a way that helps carry the collective train of thought.
# Posted on January 22nd 2003 by Will Harmon
There will be time
It's perfectly fine to be curious about slow airs in sessions (and the fact that we're asking about it here gives me a clue that it's just not done very often (or why would you ask?)). But don't worry and fret too much about this.
Beginners (like me and many of you in this thread) don't get to start tunes in a session, just go with the flow. When you get enough "seniority" that you're starting tunes regularly, then you will also know how to tell when a slow air is appropriate.
# Posted on January 22nd 2003 by glauber
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Yes, thank you...I understand all that, Will, and it's so important to know those things and to remember them when you go.
However, I did mean what I said as simply as I said it. I understand the need for etiquette and to figure a new session group out, let them figure you out, etc. It's just that some sessions do this in a friendly way and some simply do not. One is encouraging; the other is discouraging.
If it's a question of etiquette, a simple verbal aside can cover whatever it is...and in a friendly group, it's handled that way. A more closed group will leave you to read body language and try to decipher non-verbal cues...often when there's nothing "wrong" at all, you think there is. It's most disconcerting.
Understandably, people's mannerisms and social interactions are what they are, and differ often, by culture. Still, it can put you off of a group. I try to greet folks warmly and invite their questions on the side...whisper little things to keep them on track with what's expected in the session...the common courtesies you'd use to make someone new to any group or conversation at least feel welcome and somewhat a part of it until you've both decided whether it's to continue or not.
I don't know if I've explained myself well or not, but I think you may have a better idea of what I meant?
# Posted on January 23rd 2003 by katiebythegate
As for the airs...I've only been to one session where someone played an air. It was later in the session when the pub had quieted, and he was asked by the other session members to play it. We musicians seemed to be the only ones to notice or care. It was beautifully done, and we were all appreciative. It seemed to be done more for the pleasure of the musicians.
I would never just pop into any tune at a session, or just start a tune, much less an air...even less chance of it with my being new.
I just wanted a better understanding of airs.
If they aren't really session tunes...then what were they traditionally used for? From what I gather, they were traditionally vocal pieces...and sad. Were they sung at funerals? Or just used to pass along a slow tale at gatherings? I assume that musicians then picked them up to share sometimes when the mood is right.
# Posted on January 23rd 2003 by katiebythegate
lol...not a slow tale...a sad tale at gatherings.
# Posted on January 23rd 2003 by katiebythegate
Singing, etc
People used to sing to entertain themselves and family, before television was invented. People also sang at weddings, funerals, etc.
# Posted on January 23rd 2003 by glauber
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
There's a couple of points about slow airs that are interesting; these came up at Toronto's recent Chris Langan Weekend. (Chris was a piper who, so far as I can tell, was the primary force in establishing the Irish Traditional scene in Toronto as we know it. He died in 1993, but the Weekend lives on as a tribute to his memory.) One point has been mentioned and the other not.
Most slow airs are based on sean nos (old-style) songs. Staunch traditionalists will assure you that you should not learn a slow air from notation, nor from other players, but from the song. You should know the words (even if they're in Irish!), and the playing should reflect that.
The other point that I learned from one of the instructors and which I found fascinating is that slow airs are the only indigenous form of Irish Traditional instrumental music. Jigs, apparently, came from Italy, polkas from Czechoslovakia; mazurkas from Poland--and I'm afraid I forget where reels came from. But slow airs are home-grown.
---Michael B.
# Posted on January 23rd 2003 by MichaelBolton
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Stacey: agreed--some sessions are peopled by jerks. But sometimes they act that way because they've been overrun by newbies who are completely ignorant of how most sessions work. In other words, some players are rude because the newcomer is rude (even if s/he doesn't realize it). I had to chuckle at TXfiddler's comparison of his Austin session versus the bluegrass session--two totally different beasts, and I for one am thrilled that Irish music doesn't get played the way bluegrass does (and I played in a bluegrass band for years). But if you show up at an Irish session expecting everyone to take turns (and wait their turn) and invite you to play just because you brought an instrument...well, in my book, you showed up at the wrong place.
So yeah, I'm one of those guys who usually makes an effort to make newcomers feel welcome, and I run a slow session for people learning the tunes. But I've also been a jerk to a few people who showed up at the regular session with a chip on their shoulder or an ego the size and gaseousness of the Hindenberg, or who just presumed they could play whenever and whatever they wanted to without first taking the time to listen and get a sense of what the regulars were trying to do.
# Posted on January 23rd 2003 by Will Harmon
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
I agree with Will, I'm generally a friendly person but sometimes after the offending party has been talked to a million times and still is being complelty annoying I will get angry. Longnote I know exactly what you mean about starting in Ireland and knowing your place. I didnt start in Ireland but had alot of teachers from Ireland who all say the same thing. Its about respect, some sessions have been going for years, my friend runs one in smithfield that has been going for 25 years. And people wonder why these musicians get edgy if someone comes in and wants to do it on their own terms? It is not an open mic night, if they ask you to start a tune, go for it. More often than not they will. But dont just come in and think you know all there is to know and that there is nothing else to learn. That is by far the most irritating thing and happens far too often!
# Posted on January 23rd 2003 by bb
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
"...an ego the size and gaseousness of the Hindenberg"
Will you won't mind if I use that phrase myself, sometime? It's quite evocative. :D :D
# Posted on January 23rd 2003 by Andee
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
I'm still laughing...Will...why don't you just say what you mean and mean what you say? You're so darned vague! *grin*
# Posted on January 24th 2003 by katiebythegate
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Yeah Will, it's a wonderful simile, and we all know what happened to the Hindenburg!
trevor
# Posted on January 24th 2003 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
Or is it Hindenberg? I'm not sure.
# Posted on January 24th 2003 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
My favorites are those people whose egos really are like the Hindenberg--enormous, over-inflated, casting everything in their shadow, but protected only by the thinnest of skins, tethered precariously to reality, and highly combustible. One prick, and BOOM!
But I think some sessions develop a collective paranoia after a few experiences with large flaming bags of gas, and that helps explain some of the "insider" behavior you see or feel at those sessions, including nervous twitching or muttering when someone starts an air uninvited.
Thankfully, they don't drift into sessions very often. In fact, I'd say they're less common in Irish trad music than in some other genres, maybe owing to the fact that we all play together, in unison, rather than exchanging solos. Prima donnas don't like that--no chance to bask in the limelight. Which, to bring this back to the alledged theme here, is why airs are a rarity at most sessions.
Gosh, this sounds harsher than I mean it--honest, I'm not suggesting that anyone here is a Hindenberg!
# Posted on January 24th 2003 by Will Harmon
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
"...large flaming bags of gas..." Another gem of a phrase from the master wordsmith, Will.
:D
# Posted on January 24th 2003 by Andee
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
The name of the book C, Carson wrote is called ' Last night's fun'
and a great read it is too.His wife is a wounderfull musician, and he also play's a mean concert flute.
# Posted on January 29th 2003 by phil callery
Re: Slow airs and sessions.
As "The Guy Who Plays Airs" in our local sessions I have to agree with many of the comments in this thread particularly Longnote and PP. I don't sing sean-nos or speak Gaelic, but I attempt to imitate the essence of those things from having heard both over a number of years and learning the tune from an accomplished source.
As for starting one, if you wouldn't start a jig or a hornpipe in a particular session what would possess you to start an air? If a gathering is about social status or maximum playing time or anything other than playing this music as well as possible then its a show or Little League not a session. Most people are polite to people who are polite. Anyone who isn't is a jerk and will eventually end up playing all his own versions of everything because he'll have all his time to himself.
Its about the music.
# Posted on January 31st 2003 by AOG