Just a comment really, but feel free to discuss if you want.
But I'm not long after clicking on the latest session to be submitted, the Bent Brief, in Southampton, to dicover I could have made it to that on some occasions last year. But to be fair to quinauj, who submitted it, it may not have been in existence then, or (s)he may not have been a member of the session then. Also thanks to quinauj for submitting it anyway. To save you the trouble of clicking on this link:
"I wish I'd known about this last summer & autumn. I had spent some time in So'ton learning up some work stuff up at the Yoonie, so quite nearby to this sesh, going down on Thurs. am, and crashing out at a B&B, then coming back Fri. evening, about once a month. It would have been ideal, cos a fair few times I was stuck for things to do of an evening, and solo drinking in pubs, or solo going for a meal, or telly watching in a B&B are hardly substitutes for sessioning.
On the strength of this posting I'll try & wangle another trip!
So all you closet session runners out there, get your sessions posted! You could be denying someone a sesh if you don't - it's your moral duty!"
- so as I say, could all make sure they submit all sessions, however good, bad, ugly or ephemeral.
I agree, I have been amazed by the number of sessions posted
in USA, Australia etc., until I found this site I didn't realise how
popular ITM was outside of British Isles.
But surely there are more sessions in UK? we need to know!
Perhaps this site has fewer links from British/Irish sites and more
from US?
Come on you Brits are you keeping them secret on purpose?
Re: Please submit and comment on your session in thesession
There are numerous sessions listed with no details or comments at all. We don't know if they are good/bad/indifferent sessions and what is played there. We may also want to know when they are!.
So come on boys and girls, get some comments on these sessions after you have got them posted.
I'm going to try to be honest here.
Yes, I'm afraid that some of us are keeping them secret.
This is something that has played on my conscience since I started visiting this site. My first instinct was to do my duty and post descriptions of sessions I go to... but here are the dilemas I faced....
For years now I've played in various sessions in Oxford. From the great Sunday Afternoons at the Jude the Obscure, with Danny Lenahan leading a great inclusive session that drew people from all over the South of England, to the big chaotic almost-all-Wednesday-night sessions in the candle-lit gloom of the Elm Tree, then to The Lamb and Flag, then The Half Moon on St Clements. All these sessions are now defunct, and by the time the rump of these sessions arrived at the Half moon, there weren't enough of us to musically overpower the annual influx of students arriving back from their holidays. When there were enough musicians, the arrival of the students could be viewed with equanimity, because we could power over the jazz chords, strange percussion instruments brought back from their travels, and the strains of their oboe (pick any instrument here) playing friend who was studying to be a classical player and who could "Play along with anything". But last year, when the seven of us who had played there all summer found ourselves trying to compete with three guitarists strumming simultaneously, but not in time with each other, one playing Jazz Chords, one playing wrong chords and one having his first bash at DADGAD. Needless to say our resident guitarist gave up. Shortly they were joined by three chums who had spent the Summer learning obscure Balkan tunes on the whistle, who sat down in a row and proceeded to amaze each other with the number of semitones they could produce on such a humble instrument. Needless to say, in the great student tradition, none of these polite sessioneers even said hello to us when they arrived, sat down and started playing - After all, it was a session, wasn't it? They had as much right to be there as us! Well, it WAS a session, because we moved our Wednesday night fun to another pub. The rule now is that it's not advertised, but that we can invite anyone we like. Maybe this means it's no longer a session.. It's a real shame, because I really believe very strongly in the idea of musical inclusivity, but speaking just for myself (and I'm one the least vitriolic on the subject), I can't be arsed to drive all the way to Oxford after a day's work and have to deal with some creep who won't even deign to speak to me drowning me out with duff jazz chords. There, I've said it!
Another session I play in once a month is at a pub I shall call the Jar Oven. It has a great history, and is where Lucy Farr played when she lived at Thatcham, before she became too infirm to get out much. A motley crew of us have played and sang Irish songs there for years. Sometimes other people turned up and occasionally it even got quite lively. To say the pub is in the middle of nowhere would be an understatement, so there is nil 'passing trade'. Everyone who goes there is either local or coming specially to visit that pub. The lovely man who edits the local folk newsletter put us in his session listings, and now I can hardly get in the front door for millions of melodian players, all of whom claim to want to play Merrilly Kiss the Quaker at a slothful speed, but who really want to play Three Around Three, the Galopede, and selections of their favourite Morris Dances. (This is a bit hyperbolic, but there was a time a month or so back that Jerry and I had to stand at the bar for half an hour before space could be made for us by forcing the Melodirous players to shuffle up, which they greatly resented, having got there early to secure a good spot).
Another session is at the Hxxxxxll Arms in Slough. This is a great and, I think, well known session, always fast and furious, with lots of musicians who are passing through the area dropping in, and I think that it would probably be ok to post it. But it isn't my session, I'm not a local, and I wouldn't want to turn up there on one of the rare occasions I manage to make it, only to find the regulars pissed off with me because I'd done something that attracted the Maidenhead Bodhran Orchestra or something equally unwelcome.
So you get the picture.
I think also that maybe Sessions in England are not being advertised because of the possible changes in the law. Do we want to provide Tony Blah's culture police with a list of places to shut down?
Very well, and amusingly, put, Ottery. Even last night I was getting hassle from members of our local egg and spoon ensemble that our session, The Woodman, was becoming less and less inclusive for "learners"**** (just a few months after we'd managed to banish most of their kind to a "session?" more appropriate to their needs!). I managed to convey to them, as diplomatically as I am able, that we are a small, but pretty well formed, sesh, for intermediate to advanced players, but welcome genuine "learners"****, but we can just about survive without a nestfull of eggs and a drawerfull of spoons, thanks anyway.
("learners"**** here I would define as people with, _mostly_ melody instruments, who play what they can, will join in quietly, so as not to deflect the momentum of the sesh, and who when not at the sesh, spend time learning the instrument with discipline and enthusiasm. "learners"**** in MY view, do not include persons incapable of learning, but who wish to make a noise at a session which they consider musical, but few other participants do.You may want to disagree with me - this is just a back-of-an-envelope definition for this post.)
There are ways round this dilemma. Was speaking to someone else last night, a classy banjo player, who helps run a roving session in his county. If someone wants to join in they have to email him and if they're a reasonable player he'll return email them the details. Sounds a bit draconian, but the alternative is what you've described. There probably are other creative solutions to the problem, but so far for us, we haven't had to create them cos as I said, the ensemble has now mostly colonised other places.
I still tend to think that 'thesession' should be a musician-friendly enough repository to post a session, after all most eggist and spoonists can't even spell "PC", let alone know how to access 'thesession' through one.
Yes you're right Ottery, sessions are easily and unfortunately, usually, ruined by the motley crue lacking sensitvity to basics and indeed any embarrassment genes at all. So we are back to the secret society method. Folkie sessions used to remind me of the Gay scene twenty years ago, before both sessions and the Gay movement came out into the mainstream. Gays used to have secret pubs and bars which no-one else would know about. Sometimes you'd come across them by mistake and if not Gay retreat in horror. Now a Gay clientele is a great selling point for mainstream pubs and straights can go and learn to dance and get advice on their dress sense( and pay more for the drinks and there will be no real ale-Gay CAMRA is very small).
Back to the point...... It is very difficult to have a welcoming inclusive session that doesn't suffer as above. It is difficult to even
maintain a basic Irish session without appearing to give carte blanche to any form of spontanous semi musical self expression.
Perhaps a few basic principles could be put on a board or even powerpoint presentation to make things clear, because there are not enough tough Session Dons around to do it personally. Eg
This is basically an ITM tune session.
Three songs a night max after 10.30.
% of English tunes (bluegrass,old timey) allowed.
Percussion rules, number of Bodrans shakey eggs spoons etc.
Some Key rules on Keys- how many weird ones, encouraged or not.
Learn but no dillettantes! Ask to join in!
Reminds me of the guitar shop where they had a board on the wall, with a tariff of fines for playing certain tunes: Smoke on the Water, Stairway to Heaven, the House of the Rising Sun, etc...
Not a bad idea, timjellies - kind of a Highway Code for sessions...
Hey, ottery, what's so bad about melodeons? Yeah, actually they can become like morris tune-playing-pianolas, in the hands of those guys.
But anyway, you're a brave man for posting that sesh after what you'd posted above! But, let's face it, if you're description is anything to go by, posting it on this site can surely only improve matters.
Some of my best friends are melodeon players, honest!
A melodeon in the right hands can be a wonder to behold, but it's an awfully loud instrument to get into the wrong hands...
So, glauber, this session you want to start up - a few tune suggestions (from the tunes list on this site):
The Fairy Queen
Strike the Gay Harp
Corney is Coming
Roaring Jelly
The Red Box
The Gold Ring
The Battering Ram
Queen of the Fair
Cock of the North
The Fairy Hornpipe
I was shocked that someone wouldn't post their session for fear that having it listed here would attract the wrong kind of people. After all we're such a high quality crowd, aren't we?
Oh yes, terribly exclusive. Of course, if you're not careful, Glauber, I'll send you-know-who up your way and YOU can deal with the jingle-jangle. Then you'll be up for high quality all right. Heh.
Oh, any flute player will do. It's more the thought, you know?
Please submit your session in thesession
Please submit your session in thesession
Just a comment really, but feel free to discuss if you want.
But I'm not long after clicking on the latest session to be submitted, the Bent Brief, in Southampton, to dicover I could have made it to that on some occasions last year. But to be fair to quinauj, who submitted it, it may not have been in existence then, or (s)he may not have been a member of the session then. Also thanks to quinauj for submitting it anyway. To save you the trouble of clicking on this link:
http://www.thesession.org/sessions/display.php/287
here are the comments I submitted about this:
"I wish I'd known about this last summer & autumn. I had spent some time in So'ton learning up some work stuff up at the Yoonie, so quite nearby to this sesh, going down on Thurs. am, and crashing out at a B&B, then coming back Fri. evening, about once a month. It would have been ideal, cos a fair few times I was stuck for things to do of an evening, and solo drinking in pubs, or solo going for a meal, or telly watching in a B&B are hardly substitutes for sessioning.
On the strength of this posting I'll try & wangle another trip!
So all you closet session runners out there, get your sessions posted! You could be denying someone a sesh if you don't - it's your moral duty!"
- so as I say, could all make sure they submit all sessions, however good, bad, ugly or ephemeral.
# Posted on February 7th 2003 by Rudall the time
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
I agree, I have been amazed by the number of sessions posted
in USA, Australia etc., until I found this site I didn't realise how
popular ITM was outside of British Isles.
But surely there are more sessions in UK? we need to know!
Perhaps this site has fewer links from British/Irish sites and more
from US?
Come on you Brits are you keeping them secret on purpose?
# Posted on February 7th 2003 by timjellies
Re: Please submit and comment on your session in thesession
There are numerous sessions listed with no details or comments at all. We don't know if they are good/bad/indifferent sessions and what is played there. We may also want to know when they are!.
So come on boys and girls, get some comments on these sessions after you have got them posted.
# Posted on February 9th 2003 by geoffwright
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
I'm going to try to be honest here.
Yes, I'm afraid that some of us are keeping them secret.
This is something that has played on my conscience since I started visiting this site. My first instinct was to do my duty and post descriptions of sessions I go to... but here are the dilemas I faced....
For years now I've played in various sessions in Oxford. From the great Sunday Afternoons at the Jude the Obscure, with Danny Lenahan leading a great inclusive session that drew people from all over the South of England, to the big chaotic almost-all-Wednesday-night sessions in the candle-lit gloom of the Elm Tree, then to The Lamb and Flag, then The Half Moon on St Clements. All these sessions are now defunct, and by the time the rump of these sessions arrived at the Half moon, there weren't enough of us to musically overpower the annual influx of students arriving back from their holidays. When there were enough musicians, the arrival of the students could be viewed with equanimity, because we could power over the jazz chords, strange percussion instruments brought back from their travels, and the strains of their oboe (pick any instrument here) playing friend who was studying to be a classical player and who could "Play along with anything". But last year, when the seven of us who had played there all summer found ourselves trying to compete with three guitarists strumming simultaneously, but not in time with each other, one playing Jazz Chords, one playing wrong chords and one having his first bash at DADGAD. Needless to say our resident guitarist gave up. Shortly they were joined by three chums who had spent the Summer learning obscure Balkan tunes on the whistle, who sat down in a row and proceeded to amaze each other with the number of semitones they could produce on such a humble instrument. Needless to say, in the great student tradition, none of these polite sessioneers even said hello to us when they arrived, sat down and started playing - After all, it was a session, wasn't it? They had as much right to be there as us! Well, it WAS a session, because we moved our Wednesday night fun to another pub. The rule now is that it's not advertised, but that we can invite anyone we like. Maybe this means it's no longer a session.. It's a real shame, because I really believe very strongly in the idea of musical inclusivity, but speaking just for myself (and I'm one the least vitriolic on the subject), I can't be arsed to drive all the way to Oxford after a day's work and have to deal with some creep who won't even deign to speak to me drowning me out with duff jazz chords. There, I've said it!
Another session I play in once a month is at a pub I shall call the Jar Oven. It has a great history, and is where Lucy Farr played when she lived at Thatcham, before she became too infirm to get out much. A motley crew of us have played and sang Irish songs there for years. Sometimes other people turned up and occasionally it even got quite lively. To say the pub is in the middle of nowhere would be an understatement, so there is nil 'passing trade'. Everyone who goes there is either local or coming specially to visit that pub. The lovely man who edits the local folk newsletter put us in his session listings, and now I can hardly get in the front door for millions of melodian players, all of whom claim to want to play Merrilly Kiss the Quaker at a slothful speed, but who really want to play Three Around Three, the Galopede, and selections of their favourite Morris Dances. (This is a bit hyperbolic, but there was a time a month or so back that Jerry and I had to stand at the bar for half an hour before space could be made for us by forcing the Melodirous players to shuffle up, which they greatly resented, having got there early to secure a good spot).
Another session is at the Hxxxxxll Arms in Slough. This is a great and, I think, well known session, always fast and furious, with lots of musicians who are passing through the area dropping in, and I think that it would probably be ok to post it. But it isn't my session, I'm not a local, and I wouldn't want to turn up there on one of the rare occasions I manage to make it, only to find the regulars pissed off with me because I'd done something that attracted the Maidenhead Bodhran Orchestra or something equally unwelcome.
So you get the picture.
I think also that maybe Sessions in England are not being advertised because of the possible changes in the law. Do we want to provide Tony Blah's culture police with a list of places to shut down?
# Posted on February 10th 2003 by Ottery
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Very well, and amusingly, put, Ottery. Even last night I was getting hassle from members of our local egg and spoon ensemble that our session, The Woodman, was becoming less and less inclusive for "learners"**** (just a few months after we'd managed to banish most of their kind to a "session?" more appropriate to their needs!). I managed to convey to them, as diplomatically as I am able, that we are a small, but pretty well formed, sesh, for intermediate to advanced players, but welcome genuine "learners"****, but we can just about survive without a nestfull of eggs and a drawerfull of spoons, thanks anyway.
("learners"**** here I would define as people with, _mostly_ melody instruments, who play what they can, will join in quietly, so as not to deflect the momentum of the sesh, and who when not at the sesh, spend time learning the instrument with discipline and enthusiasm. "learners"**** in MY view, do not include persons incapable of learning, but who wish to make a noise at a session which they consider musical, but few other participants do.You may want to disagree with me - this is just a back-of-an-envelope definition for this post.)
There are ways round this dilemma. Was speaking to someone else last night, a classy banjo player, who helps run a roving session in his county. If someone wants to join in they have to email him and if they're a reasonable player he'll return email them the details. Sounds a bit draconian, but the alternative is what you've described. There probably are other creative solutions to the problem, but so far for us, we haven't had to create them cos as I said, the ensemble has now mostly colonised other places.
I still tend to think that 'thesession' should be a musician-friendly enough repository to post a session, after all most eggist and spoonists can't even spell "PC", let alone know how to access 'thesession' through one.
# Posted on February 10th 2003 by Rudall the time
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Yes you're right Ottery, sessions are easily and unfortunately, usually, ruined by the motley crue lacking sensitvity to basics and indeed any embarrassment genes at all. So we are back to the secret society method. Folkie sessions used to remind me of the Gay scene twenty years ago, before both sessions and the Gay movement came out into the mainstream. Gays used to have secret pubs and bars which no-one else would know about. Sometimes you'd come across them by mistake and if not Gay retreat in horror. Now a Gay clientele is a great selling point for mainstream pubs and straights can go and learn to dance and get advice on their dress sense( and pay more for the drinks and there will be no real ale-Gay CAMRA is very small).
Back to the point...... It is very difficult to have a welcoming inclusive session that doesn't suffer as above. It is difficult to even
maintain a basic Irish session without appearing to give carte blanche to any form of spontanous semi musical self expression.
Perhaps a few basic principles could be put on a board or even powerpoint presentation to make things clear, because there are not enough tough Session Dons around to do it personally. Eg
This is basically an ITM tune session.
Three songs a night max after 10.30.
% of English tunes (bluegrass,old timey) allowed.
Percussion rules, number of Bodrans shakey eggs spoons etc.
Some Key rules on Keys- how many weird ones, encouraged or not.
Learn but no dillettantes! Ask to join in!
# Posted on February 10th 2003 by timjellies
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Reminds me of the guitar shop where they had a board on the wall, with a tariff of fines for playing certain tunes: Smoke on the Water, Stairway to Heaven, the House of the Rising Sun, etc...
Not a bad idea, timjellies - kind of a Highway Code for sessions...
# Posted on February 10th 2003 by Nell
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
How long until we have gay sessions, i wonder?
# Posted on February 10th 2003 by glauber
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Ok, I've done it, I submitted a session. It's not gay I'm afraid. Glauber, so you'll just have to wait for another one that is.
# Posted on February 11th 2003 by Ottery
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
glauber:
How long until we have gay sessions, i wonder?
ha! how can you be sure that you don't have them already?
sarah
# Posted on February 11th 2003 by sarahc
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Hey, ottery, what's so bad about melodeons? Yeah, actually they can become like morris tune-playing-pianolas, in the hands of those guys.
But anyway, you're a brave man for posting that sesh after what you'd posted above! But, let's face it, if you're description is anything to go by, posting it on this site can surely only improve matters.
# Posted on February 11th 2003 by Rudall the time
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Well, we often have very gay sessions around here. Very happy people. Everyone smiling and laughing. Jokes. You know. What's so unusual about that?
*snort*
# Posted on February 11th 2003 by Zina Lee
Gay sessions
Gay sessions ...
Given the current state of tension in the world, some of us are keeping our heads down for fear of an Enola Gay session ...
# Posted on February 11th 2003 by Aidan Crossey
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Some of my best friends are melodeon players, honest!
A melodeon in the right hands can be a wonder to behold, but it's an awfully loud instrument to get into the wrong hands...
# Posted on February 11th 2003 by Ottery
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
So, glauber, this session you want to start up - a few tune suggestions (from the tunes list on this site):
The Fairy Queen
Strike the Gay Harp
Corney is Coming
Roaring Jelly
The Red Box
The Gold Ring
The Battering Ram
Queen of the Fair
Cock of the North
The Fairy Hornpipe
and so on.....
...you started it, mate!
# Posted on February 11th 2003 by Rudall the time
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Er... the Star of Munster?
# Posted on February 11th 2003 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Lannigan's Ball?
# Posted on February 11th 2003 by Rudall the time
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Stop, stop, STOP...! LOL
# Posted on February 12th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Silver Spear
Mason's Apron
The Fairy Dance
Never Was Piping So Gay
This is probably as good time as any to say that i'm *not* gay. (Not that there's anything wrong with it!)
# Posted on February 12th 2003 by glauber
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Then there's
The Convenience Reel,
The Cottage in the Grove.......
No need to worry , glauber, I was just messing, as it was you who made the suggestion.
# Posted on February 12th 2003 by Rudall the time
The daddy!
How could you forget ....
Johnny With The Queer Thing
# Posted on February 12th 2003 by Aidan Crossey
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Aidan, you make that up, didn't you?
I just don't want to raise expectations that i can't meet.
Domhniaill, not that there's anything wrong with it.
# Posted on February 12th 2003 by glauber
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Raise what?
......Very drole, glauber.
I thought you wanted to demonstrate your embouchure.
# Posted on February 12th 2003 by Rudall the time
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Well, THAT's going to give me an interesting mental picture next time I look at a flute player. *smirk*
# Posted on February 12th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
No, sorry to disappoint you, Domhniaill.
Zina, any flute player or did you have someone in mind?
# Posted on February 12th 2003 by glauber
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
S'awright! Just trying to get some mileage out of this thread before it gets relegated to the anonimity of the second page.
Just remember to post All your sessions, gay or straight!
# Posted on February 12th 2003 by Rudall the time
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
I was shocked that someone wouldn't post their session for fear that having it listed here would attract the wrong kind of people. After all we're such a high quality crowd, aren't we?
# Posted on February 12th 2003 by glauber
Re: Please submit your session in thesession
Oh yes, terribly exclusive. Of course, if you're not careful, Glauber, I'll send you-know-who up your way and YOU can deal with the jingle-jangle. Then you'll be up for high quality all right. Heh.
Oh, any flute player will do. It's more the thought, you know?
# Posted on February 12th 2003 by Zina Lee