Someone on this thread suggested that a session "etiquette" guide be posted. An Irish lass (a bona fide "colleen") passed out just such a guide last year during the weekly session I attend. I'll be happy to post it here if anyone's interested. It purports to be general "session" rules as recognized and employed in Ireland (well, maybe post parts of Ireland). A short version of the guidelines: 1) the "default" session leader is the eldest fiddler. He generally determines the sets to be played; 2) "rythym" instruments, such as bodhran and guitar (yikes! my instrument!) are appreciated more if they are heard sparingly -- generally one of each playing at any given time. If more than one bodhran or guitar player is present, it is courteous to take breaks and let the others in to play for awhile (and hopefully they will reciprocate after a spell of playing). As I said the guidelines were a bit more extensive, and I'll put them up here if anyone cares to read them. -Dan M. P.S.- the "host" of our session doesn't care a punt for the guidelines; he rather have everybody playing who wants to play (sigh!).
Dan, your sigh speaks volumes! Yes, it's tempting to want to include everyone and his ferret, but then the music goes to hell and the better players quit showing up, and the music gets worse, and soon a few people stick their heads in the door and turn around because there's no session anymore.
So please post those guidelines. They may not be "new" (Foy's Field Guide to Irish Sessions covers most everything pretty well), but I can already tell I like the tone, the way they're couched. That's the most diplomatic way yet I've heard to tell accompaniment players to back off--"are appreciated more if they are heard sparingly." Brilliant. Let's see the rest, please!
Munsondr, I think this thread has more to do with the concept of etiquette guides than bodhrans. I too would be interested in what else your Irish lass has to say. I'm all mixed up now as to whether we should start a new, more appropriately titled thread or discuss it here. Or in one of the six billion previous conversations we've had about etiquette. Maybe someone should post a thread about the guidelines for posting threads.
Anyway, I'm going to just stick to the topic of etiquette on paper for now. At our session, I usually end up speaking my mind when the music starts to suffer. I can get away with this because there are often beginners there who really want to learn and are delighted with any small nugget of advice. It's definitely a beginner-friendly atmosphere which regularly meanders out of "session" territory and into "lesson" territory (my co-host has been playing ITM for a few months and I could accurately be classified as "intermediate").
Having printed resource material would be great, but I'd feel really pretentious handing session etiquette guidelines to people whose experience and skills put mine to shame. (And since I'm intermediate, that's about half the attendees). At least if I had something though, it would be available if someone were to express curiosity about how a "real" session (what's that anyway? New thread? ;^D) is supposed to go down.
Barry Foy's book. I promise you. There's a reason why I can always find this book in my mess of a house. Heh. Love that "sparingly" thing, too...wonder if it works live?
Bodhrans: There Ought to be a law (further)
Bodhrans: There Ought to be a law (further)
Someone on this thread suggested that a session "etiquette" guide be posted. An Irish lass (a bona fide "colleen") passed out just such a guide last year during the weekly session I attend. I'll be happy to post it here if anyone's interested. It purports to be general "session" rules as recognized and employed in Ireland (well, maybe post parts of Ireland). A short version of the guidelines: 1) the "default" session leader is the eldest fiddler. He generally determines the sets to be played; 2) "rythym" instruments, such as bodhran and guitar (yikes! my instrument!) are appreciated more if they are heard sparingly -- generally one of each playing at any given time. If more than one bodhran or guitar player is present, it is courteous to take breaks and let the others in to play for awhile (and hopefully they will reciprocate after a spell of playing). As I said the guidelines were a bit more extensive, and I'll put them up here if anyone cares to read them. -Dan M. P.S.- the "host" of our session doesn't care a punt for the guidelines; he rather have everybody playing who wants to play (sigh!).
# Posted on March 4th 2002 by Munsondr
Re: Bodhrans: There Ought to be a law (further)
Dan, your sigh speaks volumes! Yes, it's tempting to want to include everyone and his ferret, but then the music goes to hell and the better players quit showing up, and the music gets worse, and soon a few people stick their heads in the door and turn around because there's no session anymore.
So please post those guidelines. They may not be "new" (Foy's Field Guide to Irish Sessions covers most everything pretty well), but I can already tell I like the tone, the way they're couched. That's the most diplomatic way yet I've heard to tell accompaniment players to back off--"are appreciated more if they are heard sparingly." Brilliant. Let's see the rest, please!
# Posted on March 4th 2002 by Will Harmon
Tragically mistitled thread.
Munsondr, I think this thread has more to do with the concept of etiquette guides than bodhrans. I too would be interested in what else your Irish lass has to say. I'm all mixed up now as to whether we should start a new, more appropriately titled thread or discuss it here. Or in one of the six billion previous conversations we've had about etiquette. Maybe someone should post a thread about the guidelines for posting threads.
Anyway, I'm going to just stick to the topic of etiquette on paper for now. At our session, I usually end up speaking my mind when the music starts to suffer. I can get away with this because there are often beginners there who really want to learn and are delighted with any small nugget of advice. It's definitely a beginner-friendly atmosphere which regularly meanders out of "session" territory and into "lesson" territory (my co-host has been playing ITM for a few months and I could accurately be classified as "intermediate").
Having printed resource material would be great, but I'd feel really pretentious handing session etiquette guidelines to people whose experience and skills put mine to shame. (And since I'm intermediate, that's about half the attendees). At least if I had something though, it would be available if someone were to express curiosity about how a "real" session (what's that anyway? New thread? ;^D) is supposed to go down.
# Posted on March 5th 2002 by Kerri Brown
Re: Bodhrans: There Ought to be a law (further)
Barry Foy's book. I promise you. There's a reason why I can always find this book in my mess of a house.
Heh. Love that "sparingly" thing, too...wonder if it works live?
Zina
# Posted on March 5th 2002 by Zina Lee