School children have now been advised to wear goggles while playing conkers to avoid eye injury. Are there any aspects of playing traditional music in a session which could have potential dangers, ie flying bodhran sticks, protuding flutes, violin bows etc? How can we overcome such problems?
Comments may be serious or otherwise.
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Don't sit in line of the trajectory of a piper's bellow's release valve. You know, that round thingie on the bellows. It could pop out and come flying at any time.
Also, there are some violinists you cannot sit next to. Either you get elbowed in the head or they try to pick your nose with the tip of their bow.
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
The winter heating season is upon us, which means it's also uilleann pipe pop-off/drop off season. The room air gets dry, and my husband's pipes get loose. The least dramatic event is the end of his drones falling on the floor. The most dramatic is the wood fitting on the intake valve on his bellows shooting across the room. Don't sit to his right! I think I recall one time the top of the wind cap on his chanter flew off as well. That has a better chance of getting Himself in the nose, than hurting the rest of us, though it could get one of us on the downward plummet.
"Thank God there's no smell!" (Oscar Wilde, on the subject of bagpipes)
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
haha, the best insurance policy is sit on the other side of the room. this works well for bodhran players, mandolinists, percussive guitarists, and people who try to bring in non trad instruments.
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Well there must be some really serious dangers - because all Comhaltas branches (in England in any rate)have to pay £300 per year in insurance fees to CCE. At least we can sleep safe in our beds in the knowledge that we are protected from all the terrors that the rest of yous have to brave.
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Daiv
the bodhran is more of a trad instrument than post - at least here in Ireland. I one sat beside a piper in Milltown Milbay and I accidentally knocked that thingie off the end of his pipes and got an ear bashing - didn't help that the piper was my husband at the time!
We have brought the danger of people playing the bottle at sessions to the notice of the pub owners as we consider it a health & safety violation!
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
One of our fiddlers has recently taken up banjo and brought it to the session for the first time. She hadn't clipped or curled up the ends of the strings, which were coming dangerously close to the face of the person between us. He grabbed a french fry (chip) and a green bean from my dinner plate (I was playing a set of tunes, watching my food getting cold and stolen), and placed them on the ends of the two longest strings, where they dangled for the next hour or so. Too bad it's only a tenor banjo, not a five-string; it can't hold all five of the major food groups.
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
am slightly deaf from an encounter with a deranged bag-piper. nearly swallowed a pick before (no dirty jokes) got me fingers caught in my accordion case once. on a cold day. AWwwww. dunno if any lady-accordion players ever got their *** caught in the bellows before. ya know what I'm talkin about! not pleasant
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
My personal fave was standing in front of our rhythm guitar player, when he started doing the rich white boy pickup shimmy onstage, and guitar neck came perilously close to checking my prostate...er, you get the drift. (We forbade him to drink that much at the gigs ever again )
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Always sit on the left side of flute players and give fiddlers about a foot on either side for the bow. Broken beer glasses are very dangerous because if they are full when you break them you will get a thick ear as wellas the danger of sharp glass.
Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
School children have now been advised to wear goggles while playing conkers to avoid eye injury. Are there any aspects of playing traditional music in a session which could have potential dangers, ie flying bodhran sticks, protuding flutes, violin bows etc? How can we overcome such problems?
Comments may be serious or otherwise.
# Posted on October 4th 2004 by John J.
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Yes. Condoms on the ends of flutes and whistles. Biohazard.
# Posted on October 4th 2004 by grego
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Don't sit in line of the trajectory of a piper's bellow's release valve. You know, that round thingie on the bellows. It could pop out and come flying at any time.
Also, there are some violinists you cannot sit next to. Either you get elbowed in the head or they try to pick your nose with the tip of their bow.
# Posted on October 4th 2004 by Jode
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
There should be special insurance policies offered for Paddy's Day and New Years Eve gigs.
# Posted on October 4th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
The winter heating season is upon us, which means it's also uilleann pipe pop-off/drop off season. The room air gets dry, and my husband's pipes get loose. The least dramatic event is the end of his drones falling on the floor. The most dramatic is the wood fitting on the intake valve on his bellows shooting across the room. Don't sit to his right! I think I recall one time the top of the wind cap on his chanter flew off as well. That has a better chance of getting Himself in the nose, than hurting the rest of us, though it could get one of us on the downward plummet.
"Thank God there's no smell!" (Oscar Wilde, on the subject of bagpipes)
# Posted on October 4th 2004 by bogeyman
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
haha, the best insurance policy is sit on the other side of the room. this works well for bodhran players, mandolinists, percussive guitarists, and people who try to bring in non trad instruments.
# Posted on October 4th 2004 by daiv
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Blobulent, globulent, sparkling silver shafts of salivating saliva oozing from the non-business end of Mr Flutie onto me.
Jim
# Posted on October 4th 2004 by Worldfiddler
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Well there must be some really serious dangers - because all Comhaltas branches (in England in any rate)have to pay £300 per year in insurance fees to CCE. At least we can sleep safe in our beds in the knowledge that we are protected from all the terrors that the rest of yous have to brave.
# Posted on October 5th 2004 by mad mike
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Err... Kate, I think I've heard enough complaints from wifes about their husband's pipes getting loose thank you.
# Posted on October 5th 2004 by Phantom Button
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Daiv
the bodhran is more of a trad instrument than post - at least here in Ireland. I one sat beside a piper in Milltown Milbay and I accidentally knocked that thingie off the end of his pipes and got an ear bashing - didn't help that the piper was my husband at the time!
We have brought the danger of people playing the bottle at sessions to the notice of the pub owners as we consider it a health & safety violation!
# Posted on October 5th 2004 by MollyB
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Bri, I wouldn't have a clue. ;¬)
# Posted on October 5th 2004 by Conán McDonnell
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
You need ear protection if you're sat next to a certain class of banjo player...or box or concertina player.
Come to think of it, you need a hard hat as well cos they do your head in.
# Posted on October 5th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
One of our fiddlers has recently taken up banjo and brought it to the session for the first time. She hadn't clipped or curled up the ends of the strings, which were coming dangerously close to the face of the person between us. He grabbed a french fry (chip) and a green bean from my dinner plate (I was playing a set of tunes, watching my food getting cold and stolen), and placed them on the ends of the two longest strings, where they dangled for the next hour or so. Too bad it's only a tenor banjo, not a five-string; it can't hold all five of the major food groups.
# Posted on October 5th 2004 by GaryAMartin
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
I was sitting beside a 5 string banjo one night and one of the strings broke and caught me just below my eye. Could have been serious!
# Posted on October 6th 2004 by MollyB
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Yes, Molly, you can actually be blinded by a flying broken string. Maybe string manufacturers should warn to turn the head away
# Posted on October 6th 2004 by Cath
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
am slightly deaf from an encounter with a deranged bag-piper. nearly swallowed a pick before (no dirty jokes) got me fingers caught in my accordion case once. on a cold day. AWwwww. dunno if any lady-accordion players ever got their *** caught in the bellows before. ya know what I'm talkin about! not pleasant
# Posted on October 6th 2004 by anniejryan
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
My personal fave was standing in front of our rhythm guitar player, when he started doing the rich white boy pickup shimmy onstage, and guitar neck came perilously close to checking my prostate...er, you get the drift. (We forbade him to drink that much at the gigs ever again
)
# Posted on October 7th 2004 by lovelylydia
Re: Playing in a session. Health and safety issues.
Always sit on the left side of flute players and give fiddlers about a foot on either side for the bow. Broken beer glasses are very dangerous because if they are full when you break them you will get a thick ear as wellas the danger of sharp glass.
# Posted on October 7th 2004 by snowyowl