The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Howzitgaun, firm?
Been out of circ a few days, now I'm back with ye's for a few days, so I'm going to attempt to get 2 threads in on either side of the UK 24-hour barrier. Here's the first:
The recent thread about the worst tunes (revisited), and other recent ones about, eg, the most horrendous remarks, ridiculous instruments, most wally people etc., has prompted me to ask the firm to relate, hopefully humourously, about...
...What's the worst session you can remember attending? -- with anecdotes regarding the most ridiculous points of the experience....
...And to show that I'm not trying to eek out people's negative vibes, tell us about your best sessions, those gems of memories, where some stars turned up and transformed the thing into an unforgettable occasion, or just when things seemed so tight, that you and your mates felt as if bless
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
I've been lucky in that respect - I've never had any really bad experiences, but there was one session that happened about 3 years ago which was pretty bad - I cringe whenever I think about it. Everything was going fine until this hippy-dippy flute player turned up with some (university) friends and started to "play". He didn't know any of the tunes, and thought that the session was an informal jam. He was quite odd-looking and wore a sort of poncho type thing draped over his shoulders with tassles dangling everywhere, and he looked really spaced out. He played a very loud metal flute. That was all well and good, but he didn't know any of the tunes, so instead of playing the tune he would try and play a "harmony". Basically this involved hanging on to a note for a couple of bars or so, with added tasteless vibrato, and steamrollering right over what everyone else was playing. We played a few more tunes, but the pub was noisy, and all you could hear were these long, sustained notes. He seemed to move a lot to the music, and he reminded me of something out of a fairy tale skipping through a forest trying to entice the elves out to dance. Every so often he would deliberately overblow at the end of a phrase, and rattle the keys a bit, creating flamboyant flourishes that would leap out at you. We were really suffering by this stage, and then the worst thing happened. He gave us his slow rendition of The Butterfly. I can't even describe what it was like - it was so bad. I feel weak even thinking about it. Then it got even worse. Immediately after The Butterfly, he made up a tune on the spot. Shortly after that, we packed up and went home.
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
The Best Session I never attended:
Three weeks ago, I skipped the session at the Victory Cafe because my wife & I were accompanying our lovely 2-year old son to the airport at dawn the next day. We were flying to Vancouver to attend my brother's wedding. When I entered the establishment the next Thursday, people were saying "Where WERE you last week?". Feeling all chuffed that they missed the octave mandolin/banjo player that much, I just blushed and said "Aw shucks, I had to go to a wedding out of town, etc.".
As it turns out, the Pierre Schryer Band just happened to drop by and play tunes with the gang all night! (If you haven't heard these folks play yet, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of "In the Heat of the Moment", which I posted in the recordings section a while back.) Everyone just felt sorry for me that I missed out on such an amazing night of tunes. Not half as sorry as I felt!
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Talking about Tweetybirds, I'm reminded of another session in which there was a visiting whistle "player". He also didn't know the tunes, and would literally "tweet" like a bird, moving his fingers randomly up and down on the holes. Maybe he thought nobody would notice that he wasn't playing anything like the tune, and that people would think he was doing like incredibly complex ornamentation or something You know, I think it's great that there's this "joining in factor" and sharing and all that, but some people cross the line and cause the whole session to come apart at the seams, and that spoils it for everyone present. But then on the other hand, everyone has to begin somewhere. When I was a beginner I went over to Ireland and played at some great sessions, and looking back now, I shudder to think how shocking my playing must have sounded to the other musicians. And yet people were friendly to me, and it was that friendliness & craic that's kept me interested in the music. I often think it's up to me to pass on that same karma even if someone's playing is pretty much insufferable.
Pachelbel meets Paganini - but no clue, what the spirit of a sesh is
my very first visit at willie week, which happened to be this year, left visible&audible marks ( to name one: I overstress downbeat accentuated bowing at the moment and hope soon it sits steady but more in the background ) ...
I realized one phenomenon from time to time before, but not that obvious as in miltown: there I met some amazing classic violin players and I wish to be able to pick up tunes in their basics and in all their dressed up appearance as quick and brilliant as they do - but I often felt sorry when I saw some of these violinists in sessions, because they somehow missed the point completely: the sesh plays a bunch of easy to almost hackneyed tunes and the violinist sits there not joining in and with some expression of questionmark to boredom on his/her face while everybody else has fun. then the violinist starts a tune .... mostly some pachelbel frolics spiced with paganini upper neck acrobatics. everybody else is silent and listens in growing amazement. and at the end the violin gets a big hand, but never gets into the sesh and leave early instead....
... what is not making a good session bad - and I just told this to introduce you into my last saturdays experience: due to summer vacation time a lot of musos at my favourite session did not show up - so we where mainly the banjo player who is not very beat steady, me, who is overstressing beatsteadiness at the moment (as one of the results of having classes at the Week), a whistle, a box and a bodhran. we started easy playing and sipping on our pints when these three guys showed up: a traverse flute, a fiddle (or shall I say violin?) and this great bouzouki-player .... next sets of tunes we played where disturbed by the violinist asking the fluter for the tune
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Last Wednesday, we were at a session near Selby, playing Northumbrian hornpipes and a flute player walked out complaining all the "fast stuff" had ruined the session. (For fast stuff, read tunes he cant play).
Last Thursday, I was at an ITM session (Star Inn, Moss), repeated the tale and they all fell about laughing and said thats why they don't go to the Wednesday session.
My favorite sessions must be the ones where everyone is better than me - gives me something to learn/aim towards.
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Sorry Dow!
Not that I'm a loudmouth... but have just got back from playing at the Trowbridge Festival in Wiltshire this weekend ...there was a stall there waith a large basket full of multi-coloured shaky eggs. They must have wondered why I was laughing quietly to myself. I had to leave.
I'm off to practice my rain stick technique. It's all in the wrist, apparently, like many things.
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
My worst session was one years ago in Brixton, S. London, where, besides an infinite number of egg and spoon types, boddraann (as they would pronounce it) hitters, the odd out of tune whistle and fiddle, there was a geezer wielding a green plastic mass-produced concertina-like device on which he kind of made an occasional noise when the tune came round to one of the three notes he knew. (That's when one was able to discern what the tune was.)
So it came as a relief when a stoned dreadhead tried to steal my flute from under my nose! Because this gave me the perfect excuse to pack up and head off....after only 40-odd minutes...whew! Was I glad to be out of there!
Strangely enough, some months later it metamorphosed into a pretty good session, and I got on the 'booked' players list! Nowadays, in keeping with Brixton's new trendy image it has become a tapas bar.
The best must surely have been in Lewisham, at a session we played regularly, when about 11pm in walks Paddy Glackin, Robbie Hannan, Mick McGoldrick and members of his band, plus an entourage of groupies and camp-followers. The lads had just done a gig at Blackheath Halls and got wind there was a local session going on.
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
I'm not sure about the best but last Thursday's was one of the best. After the guvnor brought us a jug of beer (not uncommon but not expected either), we had a bunch of South Africans come in from the other bar to listen and dance. Then two step dancers turned up and danced to quite a few tunes. At the end as were packing up the South Africans started singing in Swahili and Afrikaans. Quite lovely singing but unfortunately they ran out of songs after hald an hour and started calling for Beatles' songs.
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Danny why would anyone try to steal a flute of all things? He must have been stoned for sure. Mebbes he wanted to make himself a novelty bong with multiple holes for that extra oxygen rush!!!
Michael Gill, whenever you talk about diddling, I can't help but think of the other thing that that term refers to, and I find it immensely funny. Especially when you talk about many people having a group diddle session or agreeing on what makes a good diddle. I guess a good diddle just *hits the right spot*! A good diddle will cause the session to climax just at the right time... A good diddle will last long into the early hours. A diddle is always better with other people... A good didd-anyway yeah, you get the idea. I'll grab my coat and just go I think, before people start getting offended and telling me they hate me
Geoff, just remember, the rainstick is the same as the shakey egg for playing airs. That wrist has to snap back faster than the speed of sound, and you have to defy gravity. Good luck to you.
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Don't you think that a diddle is always better the longer you leave it between diddling sessions? When I diddle on Wednesday night I won't have diddled since Sunday. I can't wait!!! All that pent up energy :->
Just remember, Mark, you're walking a thin line here. By that, I mean prolonged diddling can lead to repetitive strain injuries, yet prolonged abstinence from diddling may cause you to be overeager and "hurry the beat," so to speak. Like most things, probably better to err toward moderation and practice safe diddling....
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Won't matter, Dow. Real Tradders Don't Use Dots anyway and if you need your pint topped up and can't find your way to the bar, slip some money in bb's pocket and then play a tune she can't stand.
Any computer experts out there? I hear the term "diddling" has been incorporated into your incomprehensible babble. I understand that an alternative expression for diddling is "bit-bashing". So Michael, instead of telling everyone that you diddle, you can say that you're a "bit-basher"!
Obvious answer to people who bring tune dictionaries with them. Either play tunes that aren't in his book, or rename obscure tunes so he will never find them.
Get him looking for "Michael Gorbachovs Second Farewell to Rocket Science" or something equally bizare.
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Hmm....back to the original topic, I used to attend a crappy session after my first year of playing....I won't say the place or mention people as it's a small world...The tunes played each week didn't deviate from much from Star of Munster, Swallow Tail jig, Road to Lisdoonvara, Merry Blacksmith, etc.....then almost half the tunes were old-time tunes (not played very well). There was no session leader nor etiquette....you could have sat there and diddled on the person next to you and nobody would have asked you to leave....it was a freak show really......
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Joyce, if you're going to diddle the person next to you, I hope you're practising safe diddling and keeping some sort of buffer between you and them... ;)
Honestly, though, while that's a good description of a crap session, we should keep in mind that that would be the case for an Irish session. There's a session out there for everyone, and I can see that sort of session being good for someone who needs to get a bit of confidence before wandering out to play with the bigger guns. Hopefully, though, they'll know enough not to take that for the real thing.
But, while there was no session leader, there was definitely an etiquette going on there. It just wasn't one typical for an Irish session is all (nor one, frankly, that I'd care for myself, but there, I'm an Irish session snob).
This may all sound very PC, but keep in mind that I teach a lot of beginners at our tune learning session, in a place that's not very close to the tradition. Besides teaching them tunes, we try to teach them what it'll be like in the real world sessions after they're ready to leave our rather more safe and supportive environs. I also try to emphasize the difference between our tradition and the old time or jazz or whatever jams that they might want to attend, because we are closer here to the old time traditions than the Irish, and while they should know the difference between them, there's nothing wrong with the other tradition, and I wouldn't want them to think I think that.
In my neck of the woods there was a session(?) which I attended on the basis that a session is a session, right? Except when it's not. When the organisers have in mind a singaround and tunes are to be played when the organisers feel like inviting you to play a tune. Except that no-one explained the rules (which ... if you ask me were a little like the rules of Mornington Crescent ... i.e. only known to the in-crowd who made them up as they go along).
Anyway ... the friction which resulted from fine upstanding chivalrous gentlemanly types like myself rubbing up against the backstabbing wretched miseryguts who ran the aforementioned "session" had to be seen to be believed! Until this time I thought petty was a bloke who played with a band called The Heartbreakers ...
Best?
Well, the best sessions are always your local, aren't they? They might not contain the world's best musicians, but the regular players (mostly) become among your close friends. Even the regular session terrors become less terrible through familiarity!
Having said that ... I sat in as a guest (an out-of-depth guest) at two sessions last Sunday and each in their own way was a great musical experience. The first, at the Porterhouse (dia duit, Conan) has some jaw-droppingly fine musicians in residence. The air of relaxation was very disorientating because in the midst of any given set there were no prisoners being taken! The second, at the Woodman, is a more string-driven affair and just a tad more (and I mean this in the nicest possible sense of the word) aggression.
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
I think the "worst" session I've experienced had to do mostly with anticipation-vs.-reality. Quite some years ago, my wife-to-be and I went on 10-day tour of Ireland, ending up in Dublin toward the end. We went to a local CCE session, where we apparently made a favorable impression, drawing various compliments and offers of a drink or two. One fella enthusiastically invited us to a party, at which he said would be a _fantastic_ session run by a friend of his who was a _great_ piper.
Not quite.
The session was, essentially, the two of us and the piper, who was quite liquored up but didn't appear to have much going for him in any case. One tune he could play pretty well was "The Silver Spear," so during the two hours or so we were there (anticipating, then fervently hoping for, the arrival of more musicians) he must've played it half a dozen times. Took the two of us quite a lot of time afterwards to be able to hear "Silver Spear" and not burst out laughing.
It was also disappointing because this was the last "session" we were able to get out to before returning to the US. Fortunately, during our trip we had been to our fair share of really good ones, too.
I've a lot of candidates for "Best" -- innumerable ones at Gaelic Roots, a house party session earlier this year at which half the musicians were in their teens. One of the more recent good-uns was a very small affair at the house of a family I've known for several years. Their sons, who are now full grown, are excellent and imaginative musicians, not afraid to go "outside the lines" and experiment a bit.
Between the four other guests and the hosts, we mustered accordian, piano, as many as three fiddles, bodhran and yours truly going between guitar, mando and bouzouki.
It was just damn good fun. We did mainly Celtic and contra-type stuff, exploring all manner of possibilities with the tunes: dropping instruments in and out or introducing new ones, playing around with rhythm, and even doing crazy stuff like interpolating the "Star Wars" theme into a set or singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" alongside "Calliope House."
I'm certainly more than happy to go to a more conventional play-em-twice/thrice-and-out session, but I found this experience a blast, a chance to be creative and not offend anyone in the process.
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Michael, ITM stands for "Independent Testicle Manipulation", and you're right, diddling with others is *much* better than ITMing.
Sorry, ahem, back to the topic, yes...
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Perhaps another way of dealing with a guy who uses a tune dictionary at sessions is to tell him the names of the tunes in Irish. It might also help if others at the session can also do a bit of craic in Irish. After a while said tune dictionary guy will either see the light and be converted, or you won't see him again.
Btw, I hope to attend some Irish language classes at the Clonmel Scoil
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
I was at Sidmouth one year, playing in the Anchor session. Unfortunately they also held a bodhran workshop in the Anchor garden each day between 11 and 12 am.When the workshop finished a lot of the "players" would come into the bar and join the session. It wasn't until the Thursday that a girl who could play turned up.
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Hmm, went to a shocker of a sesh last night, it was one of those situations where just the right amount of muso's turned up and we were really cranking it up and getting into the tunes. It was quiet and lovely and I felt in top form. And then a whole bunch of people decided they like the tunes so much that they would practically sit on us and because they were celebrating a christening they got really drunk and loud. End result, we couldnt even hear the uillean pipes!! And they knocked over my pint and didnt get me a new one! Needless to say I ended up losing my temper and having a *chat* to one of them! Ahh well...cant win them all
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Glad I was too hungover from Saturday to even think about going then. I kept drinking for about 5 hours after you left. By the end E.J. and I had to get a cab & couldn't walk as we'd been drinking solidly for 13 hours!
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Dow you shocker! I have to say, I felt fine on sunday. But then I had to drown out the pain I was feeling last night so I dont feel too good today. But as I said, the first couple of hours at the session yesterday were just brilliant!
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Will, the other 11 I was probably asleep/passed out I went to a session on Saturday with bb and completely forgot to eat my dinner as I was too busy playing and being a complete loudmouth, so I must have gone for about 24 hours without food, but I felt okay because I was full of Guinness, and that's just liquid bread really isn't it? Full of calories I'm told, so no problem with energy levels also. And you don't even have to bother chewing it - really it's the perfect food! Then we went to another session at a different place and met up with a whole load of sober people. Beebs that was weird wasn't it? My playing must have sounded absolutely appalling!
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
I was at a session last night out in the sticks of deepest Somerset. A cracking good one it was, too, 4 of the 9 players being pros. At about 1045 the lady fiddler's mobile went off. She answered it and passed it to her husband saying "It's our son, for you, the smoke alarm won't turn off." Whereupon her husband put down his bodhran, grabbed the phone, stood up and bellowed at the top of his voice into it "You stupid pillock! how many times have I told you NOT to smoke joints in the house!" The pub went silent, we stopped playing and everyone looked on in awe. After a few more seconds of ear-bending, Dad told his son to go outside and breathe in some fresh air and then go back in and blow it at the smoke alarm. He then switched off the mobile and returned to his seat muttering something like "stupid little pr*ck". We then resumed playing as if nothing had happened and conversation in the pub gradually got under way again.
Later on, one of our fiddlers regaled us, and the pub, with a virtuoso performance of the Huckleberry Hornpipe. He admitted it was an outrageous tune, but good fun to play. If you've heard Martin Hayes playing Pachabel and really moving it along, then that's the sort of tune it is. Not a session tune strictly speaking, but a spectacular one to excite the audience. I might post it one day.
Btw, for the benefit of our friends in the USA, "pillock" is a term of combined endearment and reproof used by the Brits, typically by a parent dealing with an erring teenager, or between mates in the workplace
Trevor
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
A bodhran player turned up tonight at our fortnightly session at the Nova Scotia in Bristol. He poked his head in the door, looked round, and went out. Later, I noticed he was playing the bodhran outside in the street and looking in through the window. Clearly a gentleman.
Trevor
The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Howzitgaun, firm?
Been out of circ a few days, now I'm back with ye's for a few days, so I'm going to attempt to get 2 threads in on either side of the UK 24-hour barrier. Here's the first:
The recent thread about the worst tunes (revisited), and other recent ones about, eg, the most horrendous remarks, ridiculous instruments, most wally people etc., has prompted me to ask the firm to relate, hopefully humourously, about...
...What's the worst session you can remember attending? -- with anecdotes regarding the most ridiculous points of the experience....
...And to show that I'm not trying to eek out people's negative vibes, tell us about your best sessions, those gems of memories, where some stars turned up and transformed the thing into an unforgettable occasion, or just when things seemed so tight, that you and your mates felt as if bless
# Posted on July 27th 2003 by Rudall the time
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
I've been lucky in that respect - I've never had any really bad experiences, but there was one session that happened about 3 years ago which was pretty bad - I cringe whenever I think about it. Everything was going fine until this hippy-dippy flute player turned up with some (university) friends and started to "play". He didn't know any of the tunes, and thought that the session was an informal jam. He was quite odd-looking and wore a sort of poncho type thing draped over his shoulders with tassles dangling everywhere, and he looked really spaced out. He played a very loud metal flute. That was all well and good, but he didn't know any of the tunes, so instead of playing the tune he would try and play a "harmony". Basically this involved hanging on to a note for a couple of bars or so, with added tasteless vibrato, and steamrollering right over what everyone else was playing. We played a few more tunes, but the pub was noisy, and all you could hear were these long, sustained notes. He seemed to move a lot to the music, and he reminded me of something out of a fairy tale skipping through a forest trying to entice the elves out to dance. Every so often he would deliberately overblow at the end of a phrase, and rattle the keys a bit, creating flamboyant flourishes that would leap out at you. We were really suffering by this stage, and then the worst thing happened. He gave us his slow rendition of The Butterfly. I can't even describe what it was like - it was so bad. I feel weak even thinking about it. Then it got even worse. Immediately after The Butterfly, he made up a tune on the spot. Shortly after that, we packed up and went home.
# Posted on July 27th 2003 by Dr. Dow
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
The Best Session I never attended:
Three weeks ago, I skipped the session at the Victory Cafe because my wife & I were accompanying our lovely 2-year old son to the airport at dawn the next day. We were flying to Vancouver to attend my brother's wedding. When I entered the establishment the next Thursday, people were saying "Where WERE you last week?". Feeling all chuffed that they missed the octave mandolin/banjo player that much, I just blushed and said "Aw shucks, I had to go to a wedding out of town, etc.".
As it turns out, the Pierre Schryer Band just happened to drop by and play tunes with the gang all night! (If you haven't heard these folks play yet, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of "In the Heat of the Moment", which I posted in the recordings section a while back.) Everyone just felt sorry for me that I missed out on such an amazing night of tunes. Not half as sorry as I felt!
btw, the flight was fine.
Greg
# Posted on July 27th 2003 by octogreg
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Dow, I beleive someone at the session nicknamed flute players like that "Tweetybirds".
# Posted on July 27th 2003 by Andee
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Talking about Tweetybirds, I'm reminded of another session in which there was a visiting whistle "player". He also didn't know the tunes, and would literally "tweet" like a bird, moving his fingers randomly up and down on the holes. Maybe he thought nobody would notice that he wasn't playing anything like the tune, and that people would think he was doing like incredibly complex ornamentation or something
You know, I think it's great that there's this "joining in factor" and sharing and all that, but some people cross the line and cause the whole session to come apart at the seams, and that spoils it for everyone present. But then on the other hand, everyone has to begin somewhere. When I was a beginner I went over to Ireland and played at some great sessions, and looking back now, I shudder to think how shocking my playing must have sounded to the other musicians. And yet people were friendly to me, and it was that friendliness & craic that's kept me interested in the music. I often think it's up to me to pass on that same karma even if someone's playing is pretty much insufferable.
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Dr. Dow
God weekends are quiet on this site. Loudmouths, come back, wherever you are. I miss you!!
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Dr. Dow
Pachelbel meets Paganini - but no clue, what the spirit of a sesh is
my very first visit at willie week, which happened to be this year, left visible&audible marks ( to name one: I overstress downbeat accentuated bowing at the moment and hope soon it sits steady but more in the background ) ...
I realized one phenomenon from time to time before, but not that obvious as in miltown: there I met some amazing classic violin players and I wish to be able to pick up tunes in their basics and in all their dressed up appearance as quick and brilliant as they do - but I often felt sorry when I saw some of these violinists in sessions, because they somehow missed the point completely: the sesh plays a bunch of easy to almost hackneyed tunes and the violinist sits there not joining in and with some expression of questionmark to boredom on his/her face while everybody else has fun. then the violinist starts a tune .... mostly some pachelbel frolics spiced with paganini upper neck acrobatics. everybody else is silent and listens in growing amazement. and at the end the violin gets a big hand, but never gets into the sesh and leave early instead....
... what is not making a good session bad - and I just told this to introduce you into my last saturdays experience: due to summer vacation time a lot of musos at my favourite session did not show up - so we where mainly the banjo player who is not very beat steady, me, who is overstressing beatsteadiness at the moment (as one of the results of having classes at the Week), a whistle, a box and a bodhran. we started easy playing and sipping on our pints when these three guys showed up: a traverse flute, a fiddle (or shall I say violin?) and this great bouzouki-player .... next sets of tunes we played where disturbed by the violinist asking the fluter for the tune
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by crannog
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Last Wednesday, we were at a session near Selby, playing Northumbrian hornpipes and a flute player walked out complaining all the "fast stuff" had ruined the session. (For fast stuff, read tunes he cant play).
Last Thursday, I was at an ITM session (Star Inn, Moss), repeated the tale and they all fell about laughing and said thats why they don't go to the Wednesday session.
My favorite sessions must be the ones where everyone is better than me - gives me something to learn/aim towards.
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by geoffwright
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Sorry Dow!
Not that I'm a loudmouth... but have just got back from playing at the Trowbridge Festival in Wiltshire this weekend ...there was a stall there waith a large basket full of multi-coloured shaky eggs. They must have wondered why I was laughing quietly to myself. I had to leave.
I'm off to practice my rain stick technique. It's all in the wrist, apparently, like many things.
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Geoff Pollitt
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
What makes a good diddle is when everone at said diddle agrees on what makes a good diddle (and vice versa of course)
But what really compounds a bad diddle is when, for some reason, you can't escape.
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by ...
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
... next time i take my rain stick with me. so if I can
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by crannog
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
My worst session was one years ago in Brixton, S. London, where, besides an infinite number of egg and spoon types, boddraann (as they would pronounce it) hitters, the odd out of tune whistle and fiddle, there was a geezer wielding a green plastic mass-produced concertina-like device on which he kind of made an occasional noise when the tune came round to one of the three notes he knew. (That's when one was able to discern what the tune was.)
So it came as a relief when a stoned dreadhead tried to steal my flute from under my nose! Because this gave me the perfect excuse to pack up and head off....after only 40-odd minutes...whew! Was I glad to be out of there!
Strangely enough, some months later it metamorphosed into a pretty good session, and I got on the 'booked' players list! Nowadays, in keeping with Brixton's new trendy image it has become a tapas bar.
The best must surely have been in Lewisham, at a session we played regularly, when about 11pm in walks Paddy Glackin, Robbie Hannan, Mick McGoldrick and members of his band, plus an entourage of groupies and camp-followers. The lads had just done a gig at Blackheath Halls and got wind there was a local session going on.
Danny.
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Rudall the time
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
How about any session where bodhrans are not outnumbered by melody players by at least a 5 to 1 ratio?
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Hanley
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
I'm not sure about the best but last Thursday's was one of the best. After the guvnor brought us a jug of beer (not uncommon but not expected either), we had a bunch of South Africans come in from the other bar to listen and dance. Then two step dancers turned up and danced to quite a few tunes. At the end as were packing up the South Africans started singing in Swahili and Afrikaans. Quite lovely singing but unfortunately they ran out of songs after hald an hour and started calling for Beatles' songs.
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Paul_draper
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Danny why would anyone try to steal a flute of all things? He must have been stoned for sure. Mebbes he wanted to make himself a novelty bong with multiple holes for that extra oxygen rush!!!
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Dr. Dow
Michael Gill, whenever you talk about diddling, I can't help but think of the other thing that that term refers to, and I find it immensely funny. Especially when you talk about many people having a group diddle session or agreeing on what makes a good diddle. I guess a good diddle just *hits the right spot*! A good diddle will cause the session to climax just at the right time... A good diddle will last long into the early hours. A diddle is always better with other people... A good didd-anyway yeah, you get the idea. I'll grab my coat and just go I think, before people start getting offended and telling me they hate me
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Dr. Dow
Geoff, just remember, the rainstick is the same as the shakey egg for playing airs. That wrist has to snap back faster than the speed of sound, and you have to defy gravity. Good luck to you.
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Dr. Dow
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Well, Mark, Brad found a new term for it today in an email...thesession.orgy...maybe that's what he's thinking of! ;)
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Hilarous Dow - I was laughing so hard my supervisor was looking at me all strange like!
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by bb
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Don't you think that a diddle is always better the longer you leave it between diddling sessions? When I diddle on Wednesday night I won't have diddled since Sunday. I can't wait!!! All that pent up energy :->
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Dr. Dow
Re: A regular diddling orgy
Just remember, Mark, you're walking a thin line here. By that, I mean prolonged diddling can lead to repetitive strain injuries, yet prolonged abstinence from diddling may cause you to be overeager and "hurry the beat," so to speak. Like most things, probably better to err toward moderation and practice safe diddling....
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Will Harmon
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Yeah whatever. And now of course you're going to tell me that too much diddling will make me go blind
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Dr. Dow
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Won't matter, Dow. Real Tradders Don't Use Dots anyway and if you need your pint topped up and can't find your way to the bar, slip some money in bb's pocket and then play a tune she can't stand.
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Tish
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Great, thanks Tish. And when I get out my rainstick and start diddling, I won't be able to see the look of horror on her face when she gets back.
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Dr. Dow
Any computer experts out there? I hear the term "diddling" has been incorporated into your incomprehensible babble. I understand that an alternative expression for diddling is "bit-bashing". So Michael, instead of telling everyone that you diddle, you can say that you're a "bit-basher"!
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by Dr. Dow
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Ha ha ha ha ha, diddling eh.
Somehow, I never seem to have as much fun when I'm ITMing
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by ...
Re: Tune Spotters
Obvious answer to people who bring tune dictionaries with them. Either play tunes that aren't in his book, or rename obscure tunes so he will never find them.
Get him looking for "Michael Gorbachovs Second Farewell to Rocket Science" or something equally bizare.
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by geoffwright
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
LOL....I love it...sounds like something Jimmy Kimmel from the Man Show would say...."yeah I like to play tunes, diddle and then take naps"...
Joyce
# Posted on July 28th 2003 by JMH
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Hmm....back to the original topic, I used to attend a crappy session after my first year of playing....I won't say the place or mention people as it's a small world...The tunes played each week didn't deviate from much from Star of Munster, Swallow Tail jig, Road to Lisdoonvara, Merry Blacksmith, etc.....then almost half the tunes were old-time tunes (not played very well). There was no session leader nor etiquette....you could have sat there and diddled on the person next to you and nobody would have asked you to leave....it was a freak show really......
# Posted on July 29th 2003 by JMH
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Joyce, if you're going to diddle the person next to you, I hope you're practising safe diddling and keeping some sort of buffer between you and them... ;)
Honestly, though, while that's a good description of a crap session, we should keep in mind that that would be the case for an Irish session. There's a session out there for everyone, and I can see that sort of session being good for someone who needs to get a bit of confidence before wandering out to play with the bigger guns. Hopefully, though, they'll know enough not to take that for the real thing.
But, while there was no session leader, there was definitely an etiquette going on there. It just wasn't one typical for an Irish session is all (nor one, frankly, that I'd care for myself, but there, I'm an Irish session snob).
This may all sound very PC, but keep in mind that I teach a lot of beginners at our tune learning session, in a place that's not very close to the tradition. Besides teaching them tunes, we try to teach them what it'll be like in the real world sessions after they're ready to leave our rather more safe and supportive environs. I also try to emphasize the difference between our tradition and the old time or jazz or whatever jams that they might want to attend, because we are closer here to the old time traditions than the Irish, and while they should know the difference between them, there's nothing wrong with the other tradition, and I wouldn't want them to think I think that.
# Posted on July 29th 2003 by Zina Lee
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Worst ...?
In my neck of the woods there was a session(?) which I attended on the basis that a session is a session, right? Except when it's not. When the organisers have in mind a singaround and tunes are to be played when the organisers feel like inviting you to play a tune. Except that no-one explained the rules (which ... if you ask me were a little like the rules of Mornington Crescent ... i.e. only known to the in-crowd who made them up as they go along).
Anyway ... the friction which resulted from fine upstanding chivalrous gentlemanly types like myself rubbing up against the backstabbing wretched miseryguts who ran the aforementioned "session" had to be seen to be believed! Until this time I thought petty was a bloke who played with a band called The Heartbreakers ...
Best?
Well, the best sessions are always your local, aren't they? They might not contain the world's best musicians, but the regular players (mostly) become among your close friends. Even the regular session terrors become less terrible through familiarity!
Having said that ... I sat in as a guest (an out-of-depth guest) at two sessions last Sunday and each in their own way was a great musical experience. The first, at the Porterhouse (dia duit, Conan) has some jaw-droppingly fine musicians in residence. The air of relaxation was very disorientating because in the midst of any given set there were no prisoners being taken! The second, at the Woodman, is a more string-driven affair and just a tad more (and I mean this in the nicest possible sense of the word) aggression.
There!
# Posted on July 29th 2003 by Aidan Crossey
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
I think the "worst" session I've experienced had to do mostly with anticipation-vs.-reality. Quite some years ago, my wife-to-be and I went on 10-day tour of Ireland, ending up in Dublin toward the end. We went to a local CCE session, where we apparently made a favorable impression, drawing various compliments and offers of a drink or two. One fella enthusiastically invited us to a party, at which he said would be a _fantastic_ session run by a friend of his who was a _great_ piper.
Not quite.
The session was, essentially, the two of us and the piper, who was quite liquored up but didn't appear to have much going for him in any case. One tune he could play pretty well was "The Silver Spear," so during the two hours or so we were there (anticipating, then fervently hoping for, the arrival of more musicians) he must've played it half a dozen times. Took the two of us quite a lot of time afterwards to be able to hear "Silver Spear" and not burst out laughing.
It was also disappointing because this was the last "session" we were able to get out to before returning to the US. Fortunately, during our trip we had been to our fair share of really good ones, too.
I've a lot of candidates for "Best" -- innumerable ones at Gaelic Roots, a house party session earlier this year at which half the musicians were in their teens. One of the more recent good-uns was a very small affair at the house of a family I've known for several years. Their sons, who are now full grown, are excellent and imaginative musicians, not afraid to go "outside the lines" and experiment a bit.
Between the four other guests and the hosts, we mustered accordian, piano, as many as three fiddles, bodhran and yours truly going between guitar, mando and bouzouki.
It was just damn good fun. We did mainly Celtic and contra-type stuff, exploring all manner of possibilities with the tunes: dropping instruments in and out or introducing new ones, playing around with rhythm, and even doing crazy stuff like interpolating the "Star Wars" theme into a set or singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" alongside "Calliope House."
I'm certainly more than happy to go to a more conventional play-em-twice/thrice-and-out session, but I found this experience a blast, a chance to be creative and not offend anyone in the process.
# Posted on July 29th 2003 by sts
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Michael, ITM stands for "Independent Testicle Manipulation", and you're right, diddling with others is *much* better than ITMing.
Sorry, ahem, back to the topic, yes...
# Posted on July 29th 2003 by Dr. Dow
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Perhaps another way of dealing with a guy who uses a tune dictionary at sessions is to tell him the names of the tunes in Irish. It might also help if others at the session can also do a bit of craic in Irish. After a while said tune dictionary guy will either see the light and be converted, or you won't see him again.
Btw, I hope to attend some Irish language classes at the Clonmel Scoil
# Posted on July 29th 2003 by Trevor Jennings
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
I was at Sidmouth one year, playing in the Anchor session. Unfortunately they also held a bodhran workshop in the Anchor garden each day between 11 and 12 am.When the workshop finished a lot of the "players" would come into the bar and join the session. It wasn't until the Thursday that a girl who could play turned up.
# Posted on July 31st 2003 by ricthewhistle
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Well, I just posted our recent session nightmare on the comments section of the Session listing for our Burlington session:
http://www.thesession.org/sessions/display.php/12/comments
I wasn't sure if I should post it or not, but I sure hope this doesn't happen to anyone else's session. It was a really appalling!
Joyce
# Posted on August 1st 2003 by JMH
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
On Thursday evening, I visited a local sesh (you will be able to work out which from the hint) and was pleased to get a
# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by geoffwright
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Hmm, went to a shocker of a sesh last night, it was one of those situations where just the right amount of muso's turned up and we were really cranking it up and getting into the tunes. It was quiet and lovely and I felt in top form. And then a whole bunch of people decided they like the tunes so much that they would practically sit on us and because they were celebrating a christening they got really drunk and loud. End result, we couldnt even hear the uillean pipes!! And they knocked over my pint and didnt get me a new one! Needless to say I ended up losing my temper and having a *chat* to one of them! Ahh well...cant win them all
# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by bb
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Glad I was too hungover from Saturday to even think about going then. I kept drinking for about 5 hours after you left. By the end E.J. and I had to get a cab & couldn't walk as we'd been drinking solidly for 13 hours!
# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by Dr. Dow
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Dow you shocker! I have to say, I felt fine on sunday. But then I had to drown out the pain I was feeling last night so I dont feel too good today. But as I said, the first couple of hours at the session yesterday were just brilliant!
# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by bb
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Only 13 hours?.And how did you let the other 11 slip by?
# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by Will Harmon
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
Will, the other 11 I was probably asleep/passed out
I went to a session on Saturday with bb and completely forgot to eat my dinner as I was too busy playing and being a complete loudmouth, so I must have gone for about 24 hours without food, but I felt okay because I was full of Guinness, and that's just liquid bread really isn't it? Full of calories I'm told, so no problem with energy levels also. And you don't even have to bother chewing it - really it's the perfect food! Then we went to another session at a different place and met up with a whole load of sober people. Beebs that was weird wasn't it? My playing must have sounded absolutely appalling!
# Posted on August 3rd 2003 by Dr. Dow
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
I was at a session last night out in the sticks of deepest Somerset. A cracking good one it was, too, 4 of the 9 players being pros. At about 1045 the lady fiddler's mobile went off. She answered it and passed it to her husband saying "It's our son, for you, the smoke alarm won't turn off." Whereupon her husband put down his bodhran, grabbed the phone, stood up and bellowed at the top of his voice into it "You stupid pillock! how many times have I told you NOT to smoke joints in the house!" The pub went silent, we stopped playing and everyone looked on in awe. After a few more seconds of ear-bending, Dad told his son to go outside and breathe in some fresh air and then go back in and blow it at the smoke alarm. He then switched off the mobile and returned to his seat muttering something like "stupid little pr*ck". We then resumed playing as if nothing had happened and conversation in the pub gradually got under way again.
Later on, one of our fiddlers regaled us, and the pub, with a virtuoso performance of the Huckleberry Hornpipe. He admitted it was an outrageous tune, but good fun to play. If you've heard Martin Hayes playing Pachabel and really moving it along, then that's the sort of tune it is. Not a session tune strictly speaking, but a spectacular one to excite the audience. I might post it one day.
Btw, for the benefit of our friends in the USA, "pillock" is a term of combined endearment and reproof used by the Brits, typically by a parent dealing with an erring teenager, or between mates in the workplace
Trevor
# Posted on August 4th 2003 by Trevor Jennings
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
LOL Trev, that's hysterical...*snort*
# Posted on August 4th 2003 by Zina Lee
Re: The Worst Sessions you can think of...And the Best!!
A bodhran player turned up tonight at our fortnightly session at the Nova Scotia in Bristol. He poked his head in the door, looked round, and went out. Later, I noticed he was playing the bodhran outside in the street and looking in through the window. Clearly a gentleman.
Trevor
# Posted on August 6th 2003 by Trevor Jennings