Hey gang, it's getting near the end of another year, and I thought we could have a little wrap-up of everyone's favorite threads. If you can find the link to help us remember, that's great, but don't sweat it, one of us can dig it out I'm sure and tack it on.
Time for a trip down memory lane! What do you have for us?
(Personally, my favorite thread is the one that doesn’t come unraveled from my shirt.)
"I remember once hearing about a house session that started on a weekend among long-standing best friends and their families. Kids and spouses filled the house while the musicians lit into tunes and bottles of fuel. A piper fell asleep in his chair, woke up hours later and joined right back into the sets. This went on and on, players taking turns while meals were dished out and naps taken. Finally, eons into the craic, someone pointed out that the sun was coming up. "Jaysus, how long have we been playing?!" someone asked. "Well, by the morning newspaper on the stoop, it's Wednesday." -Will
There were many great comments on this thread by the likes of Llig and Coyotebanjo.
Keep 'em coming! Good call Chrishty. Who could forget the immortal Battle of the Concertina Rolls? [overly dramatic voice] The trail of tears from Ennistymon still stains the ground. [/overly dramatic voice]
Oh, I know. How about that mess I got into with the whole non-biological Padraig thing? OK, that was on the Worst Threads of 2008, wrong list, sorry.
"You've got McKracky Whacky and the Flaming Shamrocks with electric guitars and kilts and someone... usually one player who may have an idea of a jig or reel but not really, thrashing out noise for the McMoshers and the O' I Luv Me Pints crowd. Who's on the freakin high horse? Me? Because I say that traditional music is good enough the way it is???? Come down to the barn floor and shovel the sh*t with me because Im right where I want to be!"
So I'll go further back . . .
You can now print out your tunebooks
July 18th 2001 by Jeremy http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/32
It was brief, but who could have imagined where it would lead?
answers the question about where all the money goes.
As many, many people have been abducted and probed by aliens over the decades & centuries (especially in the US it would seem) this must include a lot of Trad Irish music players.
Do you think it is possible that this alien influence is detectable in "the music" as we hear it now?
Could it be the aliens that originally introduced the pipes to the players hundreds of years ago? And that accounts for their fabulous and beautiful ethereal other-worldly sound that they produce.
Has anyone here ever been abducted & probed by aliens?
# Posted on October 28th 2008 by Krick Stahlschwanz
Whats with all this nicey nicey stuff with fiddles latelY? Whats this dark tone crap? This softy softy gut sound is wrenching my gut... its like my addiction to chiles... I NEED I NEED I NEED to hear that treble instrument speak! And this groovy woovy garbage... what in hell is this computer mimicing jazzy flat lined heart monitor stuff that sounds like a midi mcgoldrick poisoning my brain? Take your suzuki classic gut stringed eco-polluter and throw it in the river and pee on it.
Fifty thousand so-called members, but only a hundred or so active.
A sprawling tune section where more than 90% of it is useless and the rest is riddles with inaccuracies. (not to mention that you shouldn't be sharing tunes with strangers via notation alone anyway) discuss ....
Helping my dear wife with her after-school arts club I asked her what the objectives were, what did she hope for her children. Her first response was merely "less is more!" ~ for them to understand and appreciate this... She then described how these little ones would pile everything possible onto a project, the 'everything and the kitchen sink approach', quantity having the greater value with a young mind. The example she offered was a project for next week, decorating a flat green foam Christmas tree, as a picture for a wall or as the frontispiece for a Christmas card. They will be gluing the tree onto a red rectangular background and then will have all kinds of spangles, sparkly bits, ribbons and do-dahs to give it a little added interest and bling. She mentioned how she and her helpers had to continually repeat with the work they did in this art club ~ "less is more!" ~ and helping the children to understand... It seems it also applies to the use of glue...
The seed for this philosophical distraction, 'less is more', is not a new subject for us. Here's hoping for stories and examples in the reel and personal world, and especially with regards to 'tradition'...
There was a thread the other day that touched on music as a kind of convesation and the aspect of listening came up as well. Then I happened to find this in a column by Ciaran Carson on Ceili Bands on the JMI.
Is he right? Would sessions themselves benefit a bit more from treating the music more like a conversation as opposed to the [sometimes] head down, isolationist fury that sometimes seems to prevail?
Carson writes:
Ongoing Conversation
We knew a great many of the tunes played by the Spells musicians because we’d spent some time, from the 1970s onwards, playing around in the Sligo-Leitrim-Roscommon area, .... We happened to hit the tunes with the same pace and rhythm as the Spells musicians: we seemed to get the gist of their musical conversation, and they ours. Listening out for each other, we shaped our playing to that of the others. We spoke the same kind of musical language, and we talked about the tunes in the same way, when there was a break for verbal conversation. And it seemed to us that a good ceili band is the result of an ongoing conversation that pays heed to similar conversations shaped over many years. It’s a team effort: the personnel might change over the years, but the band remains the same, because it recognises the same rules. "
I get a kick out of some of the weird stuff that gets deleted, like the
dude who thought Sen. Obama was the antichrist.
There are some great Salvador Dali moments on the yellaboard.
There was a guy said 'I've been playing fiddle for nine hours and based on my experience' ... etc etc or words to that effect. And
there was another guy who warned us he had high level Karate skills
(or something like that). Maybe it's all from the same person, the legendary tradpiper?
Seriously though, just search for willcpt or llig leahcim - it's probably
paying attention to.
The threads with peoples favourite youtube videos. The actual tunes, not the regurgitated pish discussions on dots and theory is what attracts me to the site. I've learned countless tunes and taken interest in lots of players I didn't consider before from watching folks favourite youtubes. Therefore Bannerman is contributor of the year in my book.
I'm still partial to the alien abduction thread though.
In all seriousness, one of the greatest things is when we remember those who have passed on. Learned of so many great folks and their wonderful music that way. Kitty Hayes, thanks to Kilfarboy, for example:
Looks like I'll start the festivities with the best thread ever-I think the best thread EVER was Mornington Crescent (alias Lark in the Morning) way back in 2006.
Are we allowed to vote for our own threads which we posted ourselves? Or is that illegal on this web site? If I am allowed to vote for my own threads, I will be sure to vote early and often.
Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Hey gang, it's getting near the end of another year, and I thought we could have a little wrap-up of everyone's favorite threads. If you can find the link to help us remember, that's great, but don't sweat it, one of us can dig it out I'm sure and tack it on.
Time for a trip down memory lane! What do you have for us?
(Personally, my favorite thread is the one that doesn’t come unraveled from my shirt.)
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Ian, mine would have to be one posted by WillCPT called "Marking Time" found here on how time can disappear as Ciaran Carson wrote:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/19009/comments#comment397521
Sample from thread:
"I remember once hearing about a house session that started on a weekend among long-standing best friends and their families. Kids and spouses filled the house while the musicians lit into tunes and bottles of fuel. A piper fell asleep in his chair, woke up hours later and joined right back into the sets. This went on and on, players taking turns while meals were dished out and naps taken. Finally, eons into the craic, someone pointed out that the sun was coming up. "Jaysus, how long have we been playing?!" someone asked. "Well, by the morning newspaper on the stoop, it's Wednesday." -Will
There were many great comments on this thread by the likes of Llig and Coyotebanjo.
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by skin&bow
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
ps.Ian, I know a good tailor....call me. ;)
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by skin&bow
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
(Will CPT) "Time spent playing music is not deducted from your alloted time on the planet."
LOL! Love it, good one Michael, lots of gems in there.
OK, I'd better do some work, I'll check in on y'all later.
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
I liked the one that went "Please identify this tune." That was a timeless classic.
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by robharper
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/19215/comments#comment401547
I suppose this is really a vote for best post -- the rest of us just awed at its brilliance.
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by Chrishty
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/20021
because is a compendium of the best posts. Or wiill be. I expect so.
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by Ramiro
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Keep 'em coming! Good call Chrishty. Who could forget the immortal Battle of the Concertina Rolls? [overly dramatic voice] The trail of tears from Ennistymon still stains the ground. [/overly dramatic voice]
Oh, I know. How about that mess I got into with the whole non-biological Padraig thing? OK, that was on the Worst Threads of 2008, wrong list, sorry.
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
...and by non-biological I mean synthetic, of course. Put those torches out, people. Sheesh. [hugs, kisses]
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Anything I participated in...
And I have the best quote of 2008:
"You've got McKracky Whacky and the Flaming Shamrocks with electric guitars and kilts and someone... usually one player who may have an idea of a jig or reel but not really, thrashing out noise for the McMoshers and the O' I Luv Me Pints crowd. Who's on the freakin high horse? Me? Because I say that traditional music is good enough the way it is???? Come down to the barn floor and shovel the sh*t with me because Im right where I want to be!"
And don't worry... I'll still be around in 2009.
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by McCracken
That could be self incrimination
So I'll go further back . . .
You can now print out your tunebooks
July 18th 2001 by Jeremy
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/32
It was brief, but who could have imagined where it would lead?
answers the question about where all the money goes.
# Posted on December 11th 2008 by Ben Steen
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
...and rightly so, too. Nice time machine trip!
How about this 2008 classic from the great beyond?
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/19572
Abducted & Probed by Aliens.
As many, many people have been abducted and probed by aliens over the decades & centuries (especially in the US it would seem) this must include a lot of Trad Irish music players.
Do you think it is possible that this alien influence is detectable in "the music" as we hear it now?
Could it be the aliens that originally introduced the pipes to the players hundreds of years ago? And that accounts for their fabulous and beautiful ethereal other-worldly sound that they produce.
Has anyone here ever been abducted & probed by aliens?
# Posted on October 28th 2008 by Krick Stahlschwanz
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
All Hail the McCracken!
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/18250
Wimpy Fiddles
Whats with all this nicey nicey stuff with fiddles latelY? Whats this dark tone crap? This softy softy gut sound is wrenching my gut... its like my addiction to chiles... I NEED I NEED I NEED to hear that treble instrument speak! And this groovy woovy garbage... what in hell is this computer mimicing jazzy flat lined heart monitor stuff that sounds like a midi mcgoldrick poisoning my brain? Take your suzuki classic gut stringed eco-polluter and throw it in the river and pee on it.
# Posted on June 27th 2008 by McCracken
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Perhaps Zen Master Llig?
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/19322
www.thesession.org
Discussions of inconsequential trite.
A myriad of sessions no longer in existence.
Fifty thousand so-called members, but only a hundred or so active.
A sprawling tune section where more than 90% of it is useless and the rest is riddles with inaccuracies. (not to mention that you shouldn't be sharing tunes with strangers via notation alone anyway) discuss ....
# Posted on October 6th 2008 by llig leahcim
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Ah, perhaps Professor C?
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/19832
"Less is more!?"
Helping my dear wife with her after-school arts club I asked her what the objectives were, what did she hope for her children. Her first response was merely "less is more!" ~ for them to understand and appreciate this... She then described how these little ones would pile everything possible onto a project, the 'everything and the kitchen sink approach', quantity having the greater value with a young mind. The example she offered was a project for next week, decorating a flat green foam Christmas tree, as a picture for a wall or as the frontispiece for a Christmas card. They will be gluing the tree onto a red rectangular background and then will have all kinds of spangles, sparkly bits, ribbons and do-dahs to give it a little added interest and bling. She mentioned how she and her helpers had to continually repeat with the work they did in this art club ~ "less is more!" ~ and helping the children to understand... It seems it also applies to the use of glue...
The seed for this philosophical distraction, 'less is more', is not a new subject for us. Here's hoping for stories and examples in the reel and personal world, and especially with regards to 'tradition'...
The topic is 'open' for discussion...
# Posted on November 23rd 2008 by ceolachan
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
It's too bad the "Discussions Submitted" thing on the member bios go back further in time, I see I'm only going so far back with these.
mtodd reminding us of the important 'conversation' analogy:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/19787
Listening & Conversation in sessions
There was a thread the other day that touched on music as a kind of convesation and the aspect of listening came up as well. Then I happened to find this in a column by Ciaran Carson on Ceili Bands on the JMI.
Is he right? Would sessions themselves benefit a bit more from treating the music more like a conversation as opposed to the [sometimes] head down, isolationist fury that sometimes seems to prevail?
Carson writes:
Ongoing Conversation
We knew a great many of the tunes played by the Spells musicians because we’d spent some time, from the 1970s onwards, playing around in the Sligo-Leitrim-Roscommon area, .... We happened to hit the tunes with the same pace and rhythm as the Spells musicians: we seemed to get the gist of their musical conversation, and they ours. Listening out for each other, we shaped our playing to that of the others. We spoke the same kind of musical language, and we talked about the tunes in the same way, when there was a break for verbal conversation. And it seemed to us that a good ceili band is the result of an ongoing conversation that pays heed to similar conversations shaped over many years. It’s a team effort: the personnel might change over the years, but the band remains the same, because it recognises the same rules. "
# Posted on November 18th 2008 by mtodd
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
OK, I have to go finish cooking dinner before my anklebiters take that nickname literally. Someone with a decent memory post some, please.
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
ceoláchán explaining an affliction . . .
" If brains were taxed you'd be due a rebate... "
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/1690/comments#comment351596
March 4th 2008 by ceolachan
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by Ben Steen
* * typo
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16903/comments#comment351596
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by Ben Steen
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
I get a kick out of some of the weird stuff that gets deleted, like the
dude who thought Sen. Obama was the antichrist.
There are some great Salvador Dali moments on the yellaboard.
There was a guy said 'I've been playing fiddle for nine hours and based on my experience' ... etc etc or words to that effect. And
there was another guy who warned us he had high level Karate skills
(or something like that). Maybe it's all from the same person, the legendary tradpiper?
Seriously though, just search for willcpt or llig leahcim - it's probably
paying attention to.
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by Hup
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
... worth ...
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by Hup
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
The never-ending dots vs ear debate has been, em, enjoyable? :P
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by dee.
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
The threads with peoples favourite youtube videos. The actual tunes, not the regurgitated pish discussions on dots and theory is what attracts me to the site. I've learned countless tunes and taken interest in lots of players I didn't consider before from watching folks favourite youtubes. Therefore Bannerman is contributor of the year in my book.
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by bogman
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
I know what my worst favourite threads were -
the ones that everyone gushed on about how bad this year's Geantraí is! They'd be complaining if there were no music programmes to watch...
Ho Ho Ho
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by Britney Spears
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
I would agree with you there Lara. There was some revolting vitriol spewed in these threads. Attitudes that should have no place in traditional music.
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by bogman
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
that "Fave video thread" is here Bogman:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/19217/comments
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by skin&bow
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Thanks for that Mtodd, that's my day taken care off
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by bogman
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
bog, grand! enjoy.
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by skin&bow
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
By far the most sensible contributions to this board on musical matters are made by Michael and Dow. Learners, look out for these guys.
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by Steve Shaw
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Hear hear Mr. Shaw!
I'm still partial to the alien abduction thread though.
In all seriousness, one of the greatest things is when we remember those who have passed on. Learned of so many great folks and their wonderful music that way. Kitty Hayes, thanks to Kilfarboy, for example:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Kilfarboy
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Is this the prelude to the end-year-thread: Old favorites of all time?
(That would be threads that survived deletion.)
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/3855/comments#comment78270
Humbly submitted,
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by Michele Sims
Threads of 2008
" Itzhak Perlman learning Klezmer at sessions "
May 27th 2008 by lazyhound
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17892/comments#comment372747
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=DkmFgQ9fM94
Just cruising the stacks & found this thread.
# Posted on December 12th 2008 by Ben Steen
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Looks like I'll start the festivities with the best thread ever-I think the best thread EVER was Mornington Crescent (alias Lark in the Morning) way back in 2006.
# Posted on December 14th 2008 by I_Fel
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Funny ~ anyone can play by those rules.
Forgot i was still online. I meant LOL
# Posted on December 14th 2008 by Ben Steen
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Oh, I had forgotten Mornington Crescent! That was excellent.
# Posted on December 15th 2008 by Michele Sims
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
We need to start that in the New year. Have it as an ongoing thread when it pops up every soften
# Posted on December 17th 2008 by I_Fel
Re: Best Threads of 2008? What's Your Vote?
Are we allowed to vote for our own threads which we posted ourselves? Or is that illegal on this web site? If I am allowed to vote for my own threads, I will be sure to vote early and often.
# Posted on December 21st 2008 by fauxcelt