Dear members,
recently I came across a couple of CDs including sets of tunes where every tune is played only once (including repeats).
So you get four jigs, polkas or reels within two minutes.
Is this a good idea? Should we arrange our sets accordingly when playing live? Or is it just done to get as many of your tunes onto a sampler?
There's no right or wrong answer here although I think most musicians at a session would be very frustrated if tunes were played just once over. At the majority of sessions tunes are usually played 3 times (or 4 for single tunes such as Drowsie Maggie, Glass of Beer, Red Haired Lass, etc). This gives a lot more satisfaction if you're enjoying the tune while also helping people less familiar with the melody to pick up when repeated.
I'll practice my sets in this fashion when time proves short. ( Which is all to often.) Knowing that I have only one shot at each tune also invokes a false sense of performance anxiety. I find however, that too much of this keeps me from playing WITH the music, toying with ornaments and various tempos.
There's nothing more annoying to find that as soon as you're just getting into the swing of a tune that it changes to the next too quickly (applies for both listener and player).
It's usual to play the first section twice, play the second section twice and then repeat the whole lot, but with variations to add some spice.
I prefer to play each tune just once - firstly, I can remember enough tunes to do it and secondly, life and session time is too short to repeat tunes - there are just too many to fit in to a session.
Needless to say, I am fair on the learners and do teach tunes to the session by playing them slowly half a dozen times at intervals of an hour, through the evening.
I think it was Tom Anderson said Shetlanders thought it was unlucky to play the tune more than once - my thoughts too!
I couldn't agree more, Zina! And I would think it would be a more enjoyable experience for the audience as well, to be allowed to hear the melody a few times, to become at least slightly familiar with it, before jumping off to another.
The trouble with playing tunes once only is that you never get to hear the transition from the end of the b part into the beginning of the a, which is part of the tune...
"Bleargh?"
Hail Zina, queen of gross but endearingly appropriate bodily noises (aka Princess of Snort).
Geoff's usually got good ideas, so this one caught me off guard. One time through each tune? That's not a session, that's an assembly line.
I'll admit to occasionally playing once through some tunes in the privacy of my home, just to keep them from sailing into the Bermuda Triangle, but in a session even twice through each tune is not enough. If time is so short, then I'd vote for far fewer tunes, but more of them, if you get my drift. Play each tune 4-5 times at least and get full measure of it before moving on. Then play entirely different tunes next week. Quality over quantity. Long-term patience over short-term numbers.
I think that a lot of the beauty that resides in a tune is developed in how it can change from one repitition to the next. A good backing will never bring out the same things in a tune. With one time through, I don´t get a chance to develop any variations. Also, it may just be my experience, but it usually takes until the b part of any tune before everyone comes together and it sounds really good.
On CD´s, artists don´t have the luxury of time that we are afforded in a session. You wouldn´t slug down a nice pint so why rush on to new tunes. My rule of thumb is play the tune until I notice that I´m not paying attention anymore because I´ve gone into autopilot. Then call a new tune and freshen everything up a bit.
Just so you know where I am coming from, I have a very small session (normally 2 people, up to five MAX) with a limited reptoire. For us, one time through every tune would mean a very short evening. It´s a lot more fun to get people involved and let each tunes individual character come through than to race through the whole shebang.
Finally, I find that changing the tempo sometimes is really fun and gives an incredible kick to the music. Play the tune slow a few times and when you speed it up people will really notice.
Zina et al.
I did say I prefer - in practise I try to fall in line with session practise.
When new to this particular session (like recent postings), I was leant on by someone who knew enough tunes to follow me, that it was too much like hard work if the tune was unfamiliar as he couldn't pick tunes up first time around. I bowed to his request and (grudgingly :-
One of the best sessions I was ever in was down in Kerry where they played each tune about 10 times round untl it became an unbelieveably reaxing mantra.
Now 10 times round all the time would be too much for me but each tune should be played at least twice round. The rule of thumb here is twice for three [or more] part tunes like the moving cloud, Kesh jig etc., three times round for nearly everything else.
It allow you to get into the rhythm of the tune and savour it's flavours.
I mean what's the bloody hurry anyway or is about 'look at me I can play a million tunes once round' ? Geoffwright says he does it because he can. Perhaps that might work in a two hour session but if you were to join our mob on a fleadh where we play 18 hours a day for four or five days [in fact one session which I missed lasted 26 hours non-stop!] you might be after repeating yourself???
There's also the fact that because you don't exhaust your repertoire the sessions are never the same thing twice. When you are playing regularly [generally twice a week for a 5 or 6 hour session for our crowd] it keeps the session fresh.
Now Breandan, just 'cos you're an oul' fluter doesn't mean to say that us piano-box players are fair game! I'm going to have to speak to Maria Rafferty and dig up some dirt on ye. :¬)
If a tune's worth the effort to play once then it's worth playing it 15 times!! Or so I heard once.
For a start you can explore some of the possible nuances if you play it more than once. (15 times may be a little OTT!)
John Kirkpatrick recomends getting to know a tune by playing it for half an hour. He thinks that's how a lot of multi-part tunes arose. He isn't keen on medleys either. Michael Tubridy says that musicians playing for house dances in Clare would only use one tune for each figure of the set of dances and that a particular tune was associated with a dance. The dancers would be confused if any other tune was used
Sets with every tune just played once
Sets with every tune just played once
Dear members,
recently I came across a couple of CDs including sets of tunes where every tune is played only once (including repeats).
So you get four jigs, polkas or reels within two minutes.
Is this a good idea? Should we arrange our sets accordingly when playing live? Or is it just done to get as many of your tunes onto a sampler?
# Posted on February 23rd 2003 by kuec
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
There's no right or wrong answer here although I think most musicians at a session would be very frustrated if tunes were played just once over. At the majority of sessions tunes are usually played 3 times (or 4 for single tunes such as Drowsie Maggie, Glass of Beer, Red Haired Lass, etc). This gives a lot more satisfaction if you're enjoying the tune while also helping people less familiar with the melody to pick up when repeated.
# Posted on February 23rd 2003 by Bannerman
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
I'll practice my sets in this fashion when time proves short. ( Which is all to often.) Knowing that I have only one shot at each tune also invokes a false sense of performance anxiety. I find however, that too much of this keeps me from playing WITH the music, toying with ornaments and various tempos.
Gra5ity
# Posted on February 23rd 2003 by Gra5ity
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
There's nothing more annoying to find that as soon as you're just getting into the swing of a tune that it changes to the next too quickly (applies for both listener and player).
It's usual to play the first section twice, play the second section twice and then repeat the whole lot, but with variations to add some spice.
# Posted on February 23rd 2003 by Concertina Player
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
I prefer to play each tune just once - firstly, I can remember enough tunes to do it and secondly, life and session time is too short to repeat tunes - there are just too many to fit in to a session.
Needless to say, I am fair on the learners and do teach tunes to the session by playing them slowly half a dozen times at intervals of an hour, through the evening.
I think it was Tom Anderson said Shetlanders thought it was unlucky to play the tune more than once - my thoughts too!
# Posted on February 24th 2003 by geoffwright
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
Bleargh, that sounds awful to me in a session setting. I usually love the tunes too much to leave it just as the kissing starts.
Zina
# Posted on February 24th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
I couldn't agree more, Zina! And I would think it would be a more enjoyable experience for the audience as well, to be allowed to hear the melody a few times, to become at least slightly familiar with it, before jumping off to another.
# Posted on February 24th 2003 by ketida
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
The trouble with playing tunes once only is that you never get to hear the transition from the end of the b part into the beginning of the a, which is part of the tune...
# Posted on February 24th 2003 by bandjalong
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
"Bleargh?"
Hail Zina, queen of gross but endearingly appropriate bodily noises (aka Princess of Snort).
Geoff's usually got good ideas, so this one caught me off guard. One time through each tune? That's not a session, that's an assembly line.
I'll admit to occasionally playing once through some tunes in the privacy of my home, just to keep them from sailing into the Bermuda Triangle, but in a session even twice through each tune is not enough. If time is so short, then I'd vote for far fewer tunes, but more of them, if you get my drift. Play each tune 4-5 times at least and get full measure of it before moving on. Then play entirely different tunes next week. Quality over quantity. Long-term patience over short-term numbers.
# Posted on February 24th 2003 by Will Harmon
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
I´m going to have to agree with Will here.
I think that a lot of the beauty that resides in a tune is developed in how it can change from one repitition to the next. A good backing will never bring out the same things in a tune. With one time through, I don´t get a chance to develop any variations. Also, it may just be my experience, but it usually takes until the b part of any tune before everyone comes together and it sounds really good.
On CD´s, artists don´t have the luxury of time that we are afforded in a session. You wouldn´t slug down a nice pint so why rush on to new tunes. My rule of thumb is play the tune until I notice that I´m not paying attention anymore because I´ve gone into autopilot. Then call a new tune and freshen everything up a bit.
Just so you know where I am coming from, I have a very small session (normally 2 people, up to five MAX) with a limited reptoire. For us, one time through every tune would mean a very short evening. It´s a lot more fun to get people involved and let each tunes individual character come through than to race through the whole shebang.
Finally, I find that changing the tempo sometimes is really fun and gives an incredible kick to the music. Play the tune slow a few times and when you speed it up people will really notice.
Hope this has been helpful any way.
Alex
# Posted on February 24th 2003 by abush
Re: Join in, or I slip back into old ways
Zina et al.
I did say I prefer - in practise I try to fall in line with session practise.
When new to this particular session (like recent postings), I was leant on by someone who knew enough tunes to follow me, that it was too much like hard work if the tune was unfamiliar as he couldn't pick tunes up first time around. I bowed to his request and (grudgingly :-
# Posted on February 24th 2003 by geoffwright
P.S.
That's MS. Princess of Snort to you, Harmon. *snort*
# Posted on February 25th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
Never heard of such a ridiculous idea in me life!
One of the best sessions I was ever in was down in Kerry where they played each tune about 10 times round untl it became an unbelieveably reaxing mantra.
Now 10 times round all the time would be too much for me but each tune should be played at least twice round. The rule of thumb here is twice for three [or more] part tunes like the moving cloud, Kesh jig etc., three times round for nearly everything else.
It allow you to get into the rhythm of the tune and savour it's flavours.
I mean what's the bloody hurry anyway or is about 'look at me I can play a million tunes once round' ? Geoffwright says he does it because he can. Perhaps that might work in a two hour session but if you were to join our mob on a fleadh where we play 18 hours a day for four or five days [in fact one session which I missed lasted 26 hours non-stop!] you might be after repeating yourself???
There's also the fact that because you don't exhaust your repertoire the sessions are never the same thing twice. When you are playing regularly [generally twice a week for a 5 or 6 hour session for our crowd] it keeps the session fresh.
Quality over quantity anytime for me.
# Posted on February 28th 2003 by breandan
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
All is now clear to me - geoffwright is a piano accordeon ðlayer! ;) hee hee!
# Posted on February 28th 2003 by breandan
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
Now Breandan, just 'cos you're an oul' fluter doesn't mean to say that us piano-box players are fair game! I'm going to have to speak to Maria Rafferty and dig up some dirt on ye. :¬)
Conán
# Posted on February 28th 2003 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
If a tune's worth the effort to play once then it's worth playing it 15 times!! Or so I heard once.
For a start you can explore some of the possible nuances if you play it more than once. (15 times may be a little OTT!)
# Posted on March 1st 2003 by Susie-Lee
Re: Sets with every tune just played once
John Kirkpatrick recomends getting to know a tune by playing it for half an hour. He thinks that's how a lot of multi-part tunes arose. He isn't keen on medleys either. Michael Tubridy says that musicians playing for house dances in Clare would only use one tune for each figure of the set of dances and that a particular tune was associated with a dance. The dancers would be confused if any other tune was used
# Posted on March 3rd 2003 by Alancorsini