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Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Hi all,
I have read the forum “Would you (or do you) take an expensive instruments to a session (http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/4968/comments#comment104646) just now. It was an interesting discussion to me.
I have experienced bad accidents caused damage to my instruments. The worst accident ever was I got my mandolin’s sound board split during the crowded session at a pub packed with many people. I didn’t even recognize how it occurred or who to be blame. All that I could was to cry over the damage… But this is not the only case for me. N and off, my instruments get some kind of damage…
If I pay good attention to my instruments, it should be ok. But the thing is that I play a few different instruments, and I put my instruments beside the table while I am playing other one. As is often the case, some people ask me if they can use my instruments if I don’t play them at the moment, you know, and some of the guys do not seem to take good care of them… Consequently, I feel so disappointed to find some dints and scratches or whatever on my instruments... I don’t want this kind of thing to happen again and again, so I keep my instruments in the hard shell case. Even so, some people still ask me if they can use it or not. If they are strangers, I can say no to them, but most of case, they are my friends who regularly come to the session, so I can’t really say no to them.
Do you have this kind of trouble? What do you do if this kind of things happens to you?
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
As a bodhran player I always get asked by non musos ( bogan drinkers in pubs in summer) to " have a go o' yer drum". Usually the answer is no as it only encourages their mates to want to try it out. I will however let other sessioners use my drum . It's usually the piper at the session and he can play. As I started out borrowing other people's drums at the session because mine was in storage, I feel karmically obliged to lend mine too.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I lent a very good and expensive paramount banjo to a musician at a session in Miltown Malbay a few years back, I haven't seen him or the banjo since, have heard numourous reports of the whereabouts of the banjo as it had a lot of decoration on it people tended to remember it. But to be honest at this stage its him I want to meet first. Be carefull, to a lot of us these things are our tools and bread and butter.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
The other day, I was playing the guitar after bouzouki, I stored my bouzouki in the hard shell case, but my friend, who is a fiddle player who didn’t bring his instrument then asked me if he can play my bouzouki or not. I reluctantly said ok, and after a while I found him playing the whistle hanging my bouzouki from his neck. My bouzouki was swinging around his body and it hits the table, chair or some people in the congested space… I really hate to see that… You know how disappointed to see this kind of thing… If you are borrowing somebody else’s instruments, you should be super-careful!!
Zina, I like that one. But the truth is most of the guys are musicians and they know there’s no such insurance available for me…
Tassiebodhran, I will let her play my whistle if she is Cameron Diaz… You know what I will do after she hand it back to me…;^)
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I especially like to lend my viola to fiddle players, just to see the delight on their faces at the sound they can get. Have I ever had any bother? I only lend it to people who can play, and people who can play look after instruments
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Being female, my experience at sessions has been that some men think they have a right over women to playing the guitar and will ask me for a loan for a song (which I don't mind because I only take my inexpensive, well used, guitar to sessions) and then they don't want to give it back until I have to ask for it's return. I hate having to do that.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
The last piece of advice from Dave is sound.
Lowdens, why do you need to bring so many instruments to the session? The biggest problem that I've experienced when bringing two or three(I never would take more than three) instruments to session is that "the borrower" will hold on to the instrument as he/she thinks your are playing away quite happily on your mandolin, fiddle or whatever.
However, you might wish to change, eg to play a slow air on the fiddle or do some backing on guitar but they've still got your instrument. So, just borrowing for one or two sets should be a good rule.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
chrislynn raises an interesting point - about dominance of character.
Regardless of male or female - I would recommend that you only lend an instrument to someone who you can either trust to give it back after one tune, or you feel sufficiently in control of the situation to simply take it back.
If in doubt, try this: Have in your mind a tune which you will start on the instrument in question immediately after they have had a "try" - so after they have played a tune, you simply reach out and take it back, saying "Lets play (insert chosen tune name here)"
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I let some of the musicians I know borrow my wooden whistle the only problem is it proves difficult to get back or they play a load of tunes I really like. I've had to carry a spare D whistle now :S
As for my pipes I don't usually let people have a shot because they're really precious to me plus the squealing and squaking noises they make (no they don't always sound like that) make me wince and occasionally swear at the person. I came back from the restroom once and some one had used the bag as a beer mat! Also some people are really bad at passing pipes across the pub, I've seen drones come off other peoples pipes when a non piper has passed them over or taken them for a shot.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
The worst sin is to when someone borrows your instrument without asking. As a guitar player, I can't seem to go to the bar or the lavatory without someone picking up my instrument, as many people can play a bit of guitar. Once I even came back to discover a broken string (fortunately I have never seen worse damage). Not a good way to make friends.
AL Brown
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I often lend my mandolin, but stick to these simple rules:
1. Only take one instrument to a session
2. Put it in its case and close the latch every time you go to the bar or bog.
Otherwise in (1) as suggested above, someone will pick up your other instrument and won't recognise when you want it back.
If someone thinks I'm being over finicky in the case of (2), I just say it's to prevent it being damaged as I can't afford another one anytime this millennium. Mostly true.
When lending, I sometimes ask for it back "cos I don't know many tunes, and they're playing one of the few I know". Only way out of the embarrassing situation where the person you've lent it to is a much better player (inevitably) and no one wants them to stop!
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
no one touches my flute, ever. if they're a responsible flutist, i'll let them hand me the flute, not play it. i let one person play it, and she did exactly what i told her not to do and i freaked out. the only time anyone has ever touched it has been when i was accross the room, and one time someone took it out of its case and i was livid. if someone asked to pick it up while i was next to them, i would let them if they did what i said. but no one has ever asked, they just pick up. or they ask to play. i have let my uncle play, and that is it. if my flute teacher or someone who was an adult and i knew to be a responible flutist asked, and i knew them or they were a friend of my uncle, i would let them touch it.
i let people that i know touch the concertina if i tell them to be gentle and i watch. i used to not, but my friend pat let me play with his pipes no problem and i realized how much of a jerk i can be with my concertina. however, i would not let anyone touch it at a session.
i guess if john williams or something asked me to play mine, i would let him, but he has so many of his own and wouldnt go to a session without it so it would never happen. and as for you other concertina players, boo you all during sessions, you're not touching my mediocre concertina!
on the other hand i dont care too much for my $6 feadog whistle, so i am not too particular about it. i still dont let ANYONE play it, cuz of germs. i like to KNOW who i get aids from, thank you very much (and yes, i know you cant get aids from a whistle. although, pipes...)
i just joined an early music society, that plays medieval and later music on authentic instruments. everyone was passing around and lending their instruments to everyone else, but thats a bit different than a session, because everyone there is a fixed member that pays dues and knows everyone else. no shady characters coming into to steal a crumhorn or anything.
compaqjohn, so sorry to hear about your banjo. i hope you get it back!
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
In sessions, I only let my fiddle be played by good players whom I can trust. In a workshop there's it little more leeway because it's a safe environment. In a pub if a member of Joe Public wants to "have a go" on my fiddle (it's only happened once) I say something to the effect, "sorry, but the insurance only covers named players" - a slight exaggeration, but it works.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Once, at a party in Charlottetown PEI (Canada), my bandmate lent his Scottish smallpipes to Joanie Madden. Watching her try to play them was worth the price of admission, but they eventually settled on a compromise where he worked the bag and bellows while she messed (ok, insert whatever verb suits your fancy) with his chanter. Anyway, it was good humour and the playing was surprisingly good.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
bren - yeah. the only reason i let my uncle play is cuz he always seems to get rid of aids the week before he sees me. or at least thats what he tells me.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Like most musicians of any experience, I have a special relationship with my instruments. Most of this is because I am so particular about them, a trait I seem to share with the majority of those reading this thread (or at least the ones who reply).
On the other hand, I will let some trusted musicians use my banjo and mandolin. I have had a bad experience doing this as a session member scratched my octave mandolin badly by playing it like a rock guitar. He never noticed and never took the hints that he should apologize so I never let him touch my instruments, even my shaky eggs, and won't buy him a (free too session musicians) beer.
Most of the time, however, I have to know the person before I lend an instrument and I expect the same from them. I have had the wonderful experience of going to a session in a strange town and have several musicians trust me with their banjos, something I treasure and I hope I paid their kindness back appropriately by not harming the instrument and trying to make it sound as good as I can. The problem is that there is not a foolproof way to determine who the jerks are and who the likeminded people are without having a relationship with them first.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Thank you all for your opinions.
It is really simple if you can just reject the wishes of the other guys who want to use my instruments. But session is also a gathering of friends, and it is sometimes inevitable to be generous to lend my instruments to the other musicians as saying no sounds like “I am not trusting you”... Maybe I should be more determined...
John J, I bring more than one instrument as I sometimes need to lead the sessions if there are not so many musicians. I am a guitarist, but I sometimes have to play the melody with other instruments like mandolin, banjo. And I also want to play the melody sometimes. I know it is safer for me to stick to only one instrument per session if the outcome is so devastating.
After saying all this, I do sometimes borrow somebody else's instruments. I will be careful of the other people's instruments as well when I swap the instruments with the other people next time. That is what I reconfirmed by hearing all your opinions.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
ok....i might be a bit late on this discussion but i have been away. it may not be the same thing but i don't even lend out my cricket bat to friends i have had for years. simply for the reason that one minor break can cause great heartache. when it comes to my banjo....well.......i dont have any friends that play the banjo....but i dont think i would lend it to them anyway. its just a courtesy thing....i get too paranoid about it. when you spend so much time working on perfecting technique and getting to know your "tool" you don't want anyone messing up your progress......so much for lurking hey!!
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I think what Oz Banjo says rings true. I don't know how much your instrument is worth, in money terms, but it's often something that you've acquired some sort of "symbiosis" with. It could look quite "rough" but that's just the marks of a well-gigged bit of kit. I know it's not a direct comparison but if my harp's anything to go by, it 's been around a bit and has all sort of knocks and bruises from being dropped in car-parks or generally through musical wear-and-tear. But it's mine, and I know what it does, and we've worked together, and there's something unique about that sort of relationship. It doesn't look like it's worth a million dollars and therefore I guess someone might think it's OK to borrow - or at least, they would if they were a player - but at the same time I'm pretty protective towards it. I've lent it to people to "have a go" but I guess most people either play or they're respectful. Let me ask you one question, Lowdens: Let's say your instrument is worth as much as a camcorder or a phone - and I'm guessing it is, to you. Would you expect someone to pick it up and start using it?
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
If you go to a session and play and talk and drink with the people at the table sooner or later you will be asked to lend your instrument and will also borrow an instrument as well. There is no point is creating an melodrama by saying NO as if the machine your playing is something like "god". Just hand it over and sit back and listen to the sound of you own instrument and learn. Life is to short to say no all the time.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Lend my precious flute, I don't think so. I've let a couple of friends try it for a couple of minutes but it's never out arms reach (my arm). They also know their life is at stake if they hurt my baby.
I was in the middle of a rousing tune one time and some dopey dacks came up and tried to taked the instrument away from me to play himself. In the middle of a tune no less...Geez! I never saw him before and thankfully never saw him again either.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
compaqjohn - where as you are right, i dont have the money to go fixing a flute. and we all enjoy a bit of melodrama, dont we? if i had a wooden flute without keys, i might let people play, even though i would love it to death. but hte problem with a silver flute is people dont know how to handle them, and grab them by the keys, thus ruining my nice key structure and my golden springs.
like i said earlier, if there was someone i judged to be responsible, and they were a good flutist, who i maybe even saw handle their own instrument, i would lend it out to them. but i would never lend it out to a non flutist. not even for a second. i would hope that a flutist might let me try their flute if i wanted to or needed to, but i would never ask unless i knew them well and i would not be offended if they said no. i have never asked my uncle to let me play his flute and i have known him my whole life! his pipes, i would ask, but not his flute. he let me borrow a burke whistle once and i almost sat on it cuz i had it in my pocket like an idiot, and he took it away right then and there. as he shouldve.
if i had another flute, i would have a different opinion of the matter, but i dont. once i fix up my old fltue and all, i wont care what the heck happens to it. its just the fact that i dont have the time or the money to fix my flute because i wasnt overly careful with it.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Compaqjohn..
where you to play a competition prior to your banjo being stolen?
I was at Milltown then and I believe I remember that....
(or just too much music and drink and not in that order!!)
Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Hi all,
I have read the forum “Would you (or do you) take an expensive instruments to a session (http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/4968/comments#comment104646) just now. It was an interesting discussion to me.
I have experienced bad accidents caused damage to my instruments. The worst accident ever was I got my mandolin’s sound board split during the crowded session at a pub packed with many people. I didn’t even recognize how it occurred or who to be blame. All that I could was to cry over the damage… But this is not the only case for me. N and off, my instruments get some kind of damage…
If I pay good attention to my instruments, it should be ok. But the thing is that I play a few different instruments, and I put my instruments beside the table while I am playing other one. As is often the case, some people ask me if they can use my instruments if I don’t play them at the moment, you know, and some of the guys do not seem to take good care of them… Consequently, I feel so disappointed to find some dints and scratches or whatever on my instruments... I don’t want this kind of thing to happen again and again, so I keep my instruments in the hard shell case. Even so, some people still ask me if they can use it or not. If they are strangers, I can say no to them, but most of case, they are my friends who regularly come to the session, so I can’t really say no to them.
Do you have this kind of trouble? What do you do if this kind of things happens to you?
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by lowdens
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
As a bodhran player I always get asked by non musos ( bogan drinkers in pubs in summer) to " have a go o' yer drum". Usually the answer is no as it only encourages their mates to want to try it out. I will however let other sessioners use my drum . It's usually the piper at the session and he can play. As I started out borrowing other people's drums at the session because mine was in storage, I feel karmically obliged to lend mine too.
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by Tassiebodhran
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I lent a very good and expensive paramount banjo to a musician at a session in Miltown Malbay a few years back, I haven't seen him or the banjo since, have heard numourous reports of the whereabouts of the banjo as it had a lot of decoration on it people tended to remember it. But to be honest at this stage its him I want to meet first. Be carefull, to a lot of us these things are our tools and bread and butter.
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by compaqjohn
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
One's instrument is sacred! If anyone damaged my fiddle I'd put a dent in their head.
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by BowHand
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
So far, Trevor's insurance dodge is my favorite: http://thesession.org/discussions/display.php/3165/comments#comment62724
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
why would anyone borrow my pipes???? kinda like borrowing someone's tin whistle, unless its a copeland and then I'll get some vodlka to sterilize it
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by I_Fel
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
The other day, I was playing the guitar after bouzouki, I stored my bouzouki in the hard shell case, but my friend, who is a fiddle player who didn’t bring his instrument then asked me if he can play my bouzouki or not. I reluctantly said ok, and after a while I found him playing the whistle hanging my bouzouki from his neck. My bouzouki was swinging around his body and it hits the table, chair or some people in the congested space… I really hate to see that… You know how disappointed to see this kind of thing… If you are borrowing somebody else’s instruments, you should be super-careful!!
Zina, I like that one. But the truth is most of the guys are musicians and they know there’s no such insurance available for me…
Tassiebodhran, I will let her play my whistle if she is Cameron Diaz… You know what I will do after she hand it back to me…;^)
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by lowdens
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Check the prescription?
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by BowHand
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I only let the cute girls in the crowd check out my Concertina with close supervision as to how it works. Hehe!
-B
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by Ani Trec-Noc
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
It's not as big as a fiddle. Meme!
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by BowHand
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Does that explain why box players seem so eager to have me try their instruments on for size...?
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by Zina Lee
P.s.
I'm kidding, of course, I don't think I qualify as a cute girl anymore...
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Yes you do Zina - (sigh)
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by showaddydadito
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Follow the rule that I apply:
Only lend an instrument in a situation where it is unlikely to get damaged.
Either:
1) to someone you know well enough to know they will take care of it
or 2) where you can control how it is treated
If you go lending instruments in situations outside your control then you risk them being damaged.
It's that simple.
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by showaddydadito
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I especially like to lend my viola to fiddle players, just to see the delight on their faces at the sound they can get. Have I ever had any bother? I only lend it to people who can play, and people who can play look after instruments
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by llig leahcim
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Oh, and "as a bodhran player I always get asked by non musos..." ... drip drip. (I couldn't resist that)
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by llig leahcim
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Being female, my experience at sessions has been that some men think they have a right over women to playing the guitar and will ask me for a loan for a song (which I don't mind because I only take my inexpensive, well used, guitar to sessions) and then they don't want to give it back until I have to ask for it's return. I hate having to do that.
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by chrislynn
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
The last piece of advice from Dave is sound.
Lowdens, why do you need to bring so many instruments to the session? The biggest problem that I've experienced when bringing two or three(I never would take more than three) instruments to session is that "the borrower" will hold on to the instrument as he/she thinks your are playing away quite happily on your mandolin, fiddle or whatever.
However, you might wish to change, eg to play a slow air on the fiddle or do some backing on guitar but they've still got your instrument. So, just borrowing for one or two sets should be a good rule.
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by John J.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
chrislynn raises an interesting point - about dominance of character.
Regardless of male or female - I would recommend that you only lend an instrument to someone who you can either trust to give it back after one tune, or you feel sufficiently in control of the situation to simply take it back.
If in doubt, try this: Have in your mind a tune which you will start on the instrument in question immediately after they have had a "try" - so after they have played a tune, you simply reach out and take it back, saying "Lets play (insert chosen tune name here)"
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by showaddydadito
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I let some of the musicians I know borrow my wooden whistle the only problem is it proves difficult to get back or they play a load of tunes I really like. I've had to carry a spare D whistle now :S
As for my pipes I don't usually let people have a shot because they're really precious to me plus the squealing and squaking noises they make (no they don't always sound like that) make me wince and occasionally swear at the person. I came back from the restroom once and some one had used the bag as a beer mat! Also some people are really bad at passing pipes across the pub, I've seen drones come off other peoples pipes when a non piper has passed them over or taken them for a shot.
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by borderpiper
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Just say No! its not that difficult, My wife says it all the time.
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by dean24
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Please not ask to borrow a bodhran or shakey eggs at a session as "acceptance" often offends.
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by John J.
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
But you could ask to borrow the bodhran, then just put it down beside you and get on with playing tunes
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by llig leahcim
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Yes yes yes! Well done Michael.
You are awarded the TheSession "Over the hills and far away" prize for the most novel solution to a problem.
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by showaddydadito
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I like it Michael - it would help if you happened to be about six foot twelve, then the thumper wouldn't dare ask for it back.
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Follow the rule that I apply:
Only lend an instrument in a situation where it is unlikely to get damaged.
Either:
1) to someone you know well enough to know they will take care of it
or 2) where you can control how it is treated
If you go lending instruments in situations outside your control then you risk them being damaged.
It's that simple.
I do agree with that
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by nualastarsmore
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
The worst sin is to when someone borrows your instrument without asking. As a guitar player, I can't seem to go to the bar or the lavatory without someone picking up my instrument, as many people can play a bit of guitar. Once I even came back to discover a broken string (fortunately I have never seen worse damage). Not a good way to make friends.
AL Brown
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by AlBrown
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
To right, AL Brown. This was covered humourously by Aidan a while back:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display.php/1402/comments#comment23276
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by Rudall the time
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I often lend my mandolin, but stick to these simple rules:
1. Only take one instrument to a session
2. Put it in its case and close the latch every time you go to the bar or bog.
Otherwise in (1) as suggested above, someone will pick up your other instrument and won't recognise when you want it back.
If someone thinks I'm being over finicky in the case of (2), I just say it's to prevent it being damaged as I can't afford another one anytime this millennium. Mostly true.
When lending, I sometimes ask for it back "cos I don't know many tunes, and they're playing one of the few I know". Only way out of the embarrassing situation where the person you've lent it to is a much better player (inevitably) and no one wants them to stop!
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by Bren
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
no one touches my flute, ever. if they're a responsible flutist, i'll let them hand me the flute, not play it. i let one person play it, and she did exactly what i told her not to do and i freaked out. the only time anyone has ever touched it has been when i was accross the room, and one time someone took it out of its case and i was livid. if someone asked to pick it up while i was next to them, i would let them if they did what i said. but no one has ever asked, they just pick up. or they ask to play. i have let my uncle play, and that is it. if my flute teacher or someone who was an adult and i knew to be a responible flutist asked, and i knew them or they were a friend of my uncle, i would let them touch it.
i let people that i know touch the concertina if i tell them to be gentle and i watch. i used to not, but my friend pat let me play with his pipes no problem and i realized how much of a jerk i can be with my concertina. however, i would not let anyone touch it at a session.
i guess if john williams or something asked me to play mine, i would let him, but he has so many of his own and wouldnt go to a session without it so it would never happen. and as for you other concertina players, boo you all during sessions, you're not touching my mediocre concertina!
on the other hand i dont care too much for my $6 feadog whistle, so i am not too particular about it. i still dont let ANYONE play it, cuz of germs. i like to KNOW who i get aids from, thank you very much (and yes, i know you cant get aids from a whistle. although, pipes...)
i just joined an early music society, that plays medieval and later music on authentic instruments. everyone was passing around and lending their instruments to everyone else, but thats a bit different than a session, because everyone there is a fixed member that pays dues and knows everyone else. no shady characters coming into to steal a crumhorn or anything.
compaqjohn, so sorry to hear about your banjo. i hope you get it back!
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by daiv
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
In sessions, I only let my fiddle be played by good players whom I can trust. In a workshop there's it little more leeway because it's a safe environment. In a pub if a member of Joe Public wants to "have a go" on my fiddle (it's only happened once) I say something to the effect, "sorry, but the insurance only covers named players" - a slight exaggeration, but it works.
Trevor
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Never lend your harmonica, not even to your best friend
'cos if the blowing doesn't get you...
the sucking's going to kill you in the end
hey you drummers - borrow someones guitar, turn it over and 'beat' the back!
# Posted on November 18th 2004 by The Cat
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I wonder if anyone ever asked to borrow the instrument of the French guy who tooted tunes from his arse....
# Posted on November 19th 2004 by Will Harmon
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Le Petomaine?
I think you're right to worry about AIDS daiv. It took me six months to get rid of the bastard thing last time. I don't wanna catch that one again!
# Posted on November 19th 2004 by Bren
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Once, at a party in Charlottetown PEI (Canada), my bandmate lent his Scottish smallpipes to Joanie Madden. Watching her try to play them was worth the price of admission, but they eventually settled on a compromise where he worked the bag and bellows while she messed (ok, insert whatever verb suits your fancy) with his chanter. Anyway, it was good humour and the playing was surprisingly good.
# Posted on November 19th 2004 by Gzeg
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
The story that really makes me shudder is compaqjohn's -- imagine absconding with someone's instrument! That's taking 'borrowing' to the very limits!
Anyway, I think Dave and Dean have it -- either just say "no" initially or don't be afraid to simply take the thing back.
# Posted on November 19th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
bren - yeah. the only reason i let my uncle play is cuz he always seems to get rid of aids the week before he sees me. or at least thats what he tells me.
# Posted on November 19th 2004 by daiv
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Like most musicians of any experience, I have a special relationship with my instruments. Most of this is because I am so particular about them, a trait I seem to share with the majority of those reading this thread (or at least the ones who reply).
On the other hand, I will let some trusted musicians use my banjo and mandolin. I have had a bad experience doing this as a session member scratched my octave mandolin badly by playing it like a rock guitar. He never noticed and never took the hints that he should apologize so I never let him touch my instruments, even my shaky eggs, and won't buy him a (free too session musicians) beer.
Most of the time, however, I have to know the person before I lend an instrument and I expect the same from them. I have had the wonderful experience of going to a session in a strange town and have several musicians trust me with their banjos, something I treasure and I hope I paid their kindness back appropriately by not harming the instrument and trying to make it sound as good as I can. The problem is that there is not a foolproof way to determine who the jerks are and who the likeminded people are without having a relationship with them first.
Mike Keyes
# Posted on November 19th 2004 by mikeyes
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Thank you all for your opinions.
It is really simple if you can just reject the wishes of the other guys who want to use my instruments. But session is also a gathering of friends, and it is sometimes inevitable to be generous to lend my instruments to the other musicians as saying no sounds like “I am not trusting you”... Maybe I should be more determined...
John J, I bring more than one instrument as I sometimes need to lead the sessions if there are not so many musicians. I am a guitarist, but I sometimes have to play the melody with other instruments like mandolin, banjo. And I also want to play the melody sometimes. I know it is safer for me to stick to only one instrument per session if the outcome is so devastating.
After saying all this, I do sometimes borrow somebody else's instruments. I will be careful of the other people's instruments as well when I swap the instruments with the other people next time. That is what I reconfirmed by hearing all your opinions.
# Posted on November 19th 2004 by lowdens
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
ok....i might be a bit late on this discussion but i have been away. it may not be the same thing but i don't even lend out my cricket bat to friends i have had for years. simply for the reason that one minor break can cause great heartache. when it comes to my banjo....well.......i dont have any friends that play the banjo....but i dont think i would lend it to them anyway. its just a courtesy thing....i get too paranoid about it. when you spend so much time working on perfecting technique and getting to know your "tool" you don't want anyone messing up your progress......so much for lurking hey!!
# Posted on November 20th 2004 by oz banjo
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
I think what Oz Banjo says rings true. I don't know how much your instrument is worth, in money terms, but it's often something that you've acquired some sort of "symbiosis" with. It could look quite "rough" but that's just the marks of a well-gigged bit of kit. I know it's not a direct comparison but if my harp's anything to go by, it 's been around a bit and has all sort of knocks and bruises from being dropped in car-parks or generally through musical wear-and-tear. But it's mine, and I know what it does, and we've worked together, and there's something unique about that sort of relationship. It doesn't look like it's worth a million dollars and therefore I guess someone might think it's OK to borrow - or at least, they would if they were a player - but at the same time I'm pretty protective towards it. I've lent it to people to "have a go" but I guess most people either play or they're respectful. Let me ask you one question, Lowdens: Let's say your instrument is worth as much as a camcorder or a phone - and I'm guessing it is, to you. Would you expect someone to pick it up and start using it?
# Posted on November 20th 2004 by Mark Harmer
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
If you go to a session and play and talk and drink with the people at the table sooner or later you will be asked to lend your instrument and will also borrow an instrument as well. There is no point is creating an melodrama by saying NO as if the machine your playing is something like "god". Just hand it over and sit back and listen to the sound of you own instrument and learn. Life is to short to say no all the time.
# Posted on November 21st 2004 by compaqjohn
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Lend my precious flute, I don't think so. I've let a couple of friends try it for a couple of minutes but it's never out arms reach (my arm). They also know their life is at stake if they hurt my baby.
I was in the middle of a rousing tune one time and some dopey dacks came up and tried to taked the instrument away from me to play himself. In the middle of a tune no less...Geez! I never saw him before and thankfully never saw him again either.
# Posted on November 21st 2004 by keyedup
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
compaqjohn - where as you are right, i dont have the money to go fixing a flute. and we all enjoy a bit of melodrama, dont we? if i had a wooden flute without keys, i might let people play, even though i would love it to death. but hte problem with a silver flute is people dont know how to handle them, and grab them by the keys, thus ruining my nice key structure and my golden springs.
like i said earlier, if there was someone i judged to be responsible, and they were a good flutist, who i maybe even saw handle their own instrument, i would lend it out to them. but i would never lend it out to a non flutist. not even for a second. i would hope that a flutist might let me try their flute if i wanted to or needed to, but i would never ask unless i knew them well and i would not be offended if they said no. i have never asked my uncle to let me play his flute and i have known him my whole life! his pipes, i would ask, but not his flute. he let me borrow a burke whistle once and i almost sat on it cuz i had it in my pocket like an idiot, and he took it away right then and there. as he shouldve.
if i had another flute, i would have a different opinion of the matter, but i dont. once i fix up my old fltue and all, i wont care what the heck happens to it. its just the fact that i dont have the time or the money to fix my flute because i wasnt overly careful with it.
# Posted on November 21st 2004 by daiv
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Compaqjohn..
where you to play a competition prior to your banjo being stolen?
I was at Milltown then and I believe I remember that....
(or just too much music and drink and not in that order!!)
# Posted on November 21st 2004 by Eoino
Re: Would you (or do you) lend your instruments at your session?
Eoino, yes I was. no drink involved. still won the competition.
# Posted on November 23rd 2004 by compaqjohn