Recently I had a discussion with a friend about playing requests from punters. We both agreed that if someone wants to hear a particular song or tune, and you decide to play it, then you should give it your best effort, no matter how many times you've played or sung the song before. Naturally, this especially applies if someone is willing to pay to hear something, but it should be applicable to any request that you decide to play.
I've often read or heard comments to the effect of "We don't play that here" or
phrases that indicate a particular song or tune is "beneath" someone.
Well, what if someone is brand new to the music and they've heard some song
once before, "Fields of Athenry" for example, and they happen to be at the bar during a session and they just have to hear that song again. This person could easily be a visiting foreigner or a local younger person with little or no previous exposure to ITM. Well, if you know the song and can do it well, and it hasn't been done previously in the night, then do it, and do it well, and enjoy the experience. Don't complain or fuss about it. Just do it and ignore any annoying comments or dirty looks from the complainers at your session.
In my view, if you know something well, then when a request is made in a friendly way, then you should play and/or sing it with a smile to the best of your ability. If money is part of the request then it's a no-brainer. The only limitation I can think of now, is whether the request is related to ITM. Sometimes a non-ITM tune or song request will fit in, and sometimes it won't. This depends on the mood most of the time.
This topic is perilously close to the idea of a session as a "performance".
However, I'd like to avoid the controversy of that Pandora's box. I'm just interested to know people's opinions and experiences about "requests" that you definitely know well, but you will or won't play based upon the reactions and consensus of your fellow players.
You make a very good point about whether the request is related to ITM - I assume you wouldn't entertain requests for "Yellow Submarine", even if one of the musos was known to do the megaphone bit very nicely.
But then it becomes a question of whether the Fields is ITM or not.
It seems to me you have hit the major points already. The session has come together to share ITM and a bit of companionship.The sessioneers are playing for themselves really, not for the punters, not being hired to entertain. Anything above and beyond is charitable and sompletely at their discretion.
It might be valid for session players in pubs to simply think of themselves as fellow customers - your group is over there talking sports, that one is talking knitting, and we are over here talking music, admittedly with our instruments present. But with the same rights to good service, our own space, and a reasonable bit of privacy.
As for requests from the crowd, a gentleman would not expect a stranger (esp. one who is not being paid to entertain the crowd, I might add) to do something he hates, nor get testy when said request is not immediately gratified. Unthinkable.
However, if there is someone at the session who is motivated to fulfill a polite request, why not simply do it and have it done?
Unless it is an epic song or ballad, it only takes a couple of minutes, it makes someone happy, and hurts no one. I do not normally cover Clancy Brothers, or Bing Crosby, but some old man walked over to us at a session I was at and asked for "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling."
Everyone looked at each other like he had asked for an aardvark, but I figured, what the hell? How bad would it be?
In any case, it made an old man happy.
Some may disagree, but the rules of civility still apply. I know many of us are loath to play/sing Danny Boy or Fields of Athenry etc, but as pointed out above many more non-trad people adore thoses song. I actually witnessed an old woman come up to the edge of the circle at a session and politlely request the tune only to have a guitar player holler out "F#@# Danny Boy." Wot an @rsehole. If you don't wish to do the odd request, just politiely explain, "we're not really a band you see.." etc - otherwise, if it's no skin off your teeth, just give out a few bars, make somebody smile and get back to your tunes.
When I get requests that i would rather not play i politely apologize that i don't know the piece, ok its a bare faced lie but what the F!"£ I don't want to appear rude or condescending, and i try to keep a straight face. At the same time i don't want to play the kesh jig again!
That said, i try to recollect the enthusiasm i felt for a tune or a song when i first learnt it, after all if a tune is worth playing its worth playing well.
I happen to have "The Fields..." words printed out, plus the original broadsheet, plus the parody, but haven't learnt any of them, which solves one problem. You can always suggest the requester sing, giving them a starting chord or note ( and hopefully this will be useful ).
It's the people who drunkenly suggest " Ah, go on, it's a lovely song....". Well, so is Eleanor Rigby, but that's not traditional either.
The good news is that as most music-licensed bars don't fill in a PRS form Pete St.John don't get any royalties from you doing it, which is only fair and right.
Why would I happily sing something like Pete Coe's setting of The Gay Fusilier to the tune of Waltzing Matilda but object to The Fields ? Pure prejudice, I guess.
Last Saturday, my bandmate and I played Danny Boy, Whiskey in the Jar (twice), Wild Rover, and The Unicorn (I even showed the crowd the hand motions), all in one 40 minute set. Turns out we made quite a bit of money off tips. To me, it's well worth it if you'll make a bit more AND keep the audience happy.
I play sessions for the pure joy of playing...I play gigs to make money.
I completely agree with Rook and Justa´s posts above.
It costs nothing to keep someone happy. Danny Boy or Irish Eyes..... might bring back sweet memories to the person who requested it. We don´t know.
In the Irish pubs in Camden Town in the 60s, when the musicians were mainly from the West of Ireland, no matter how cheesey the song was, if it was requested - it was played.
However, a lot depends on who requests the song and in what state they´re in. If a bunch of half drunk twenty-somethings start roaring for the Fields of Athenry, a quick decision has to be made:
(a) Play it and get it over with in the hope that they´ll go away, or
(b) Tell them we´ll play it later and hope they´ll forget.
If the wrong decision is taken it could lead to physical ructions which would be in nobody´s interest.
Hmmm......it's not strictly irish but we got dropped 20 quid ( a 200 franc note) in advance to play Dirty Old Town when we were busking a terrace of a hotel in Britanny once............will play almost 'owt for that kinda money.........the French tend to know this one via the Pogues.
The last request i can think of , i was busking with a tin whistle, two lads approached, stinking of whiskey, asked me to play the lonesome boat man, i said ok, if you stand over there! . So I played the tune , yer one saunters over,coin in hand, reaches down, picks up my hat and legs it!
Luckily i dont smoke, only had a whistle, and had my runners on, so i caught him and got my hat and money back! When i got back there was a little crowd of busking friends...... i was the hero, after all if they had robbed the lass playing the harp, they would a got away with it.
They were'nt young uns either, A couple of hard teens. But once yer one was on his own, with an angry me in his face he coughed up pretty quick!
Anyway, sorry for the diversion.
back to the topic;
Last year at a session we were offered a round of drinks if we would play something German. We apologised explaining that we didn't know any Germans tunes. But shortley after another guy came up to us and said we could have got away with 'Wooden Heart'. Apparently its a traditional song!
With Liverpool being Capital of Culture next year we wondered whether it would be worth learning tunes/songs from all over Europe? Free drinks all night !
The guy did actually buy us a round of drinks anyway, wasn't that nice of him?
I think it makes a difference if it's an open or a closed session. A closed session can get away with doing this once in a while (for a nice punter.) If it's an open session, hearing the Fields may convince one of the punters to go home and get his guitar and bring it back (with friends) to unleash his repertoire.
I once saw this happen in dramatic fashion. The guy came back with his guitar and friends and joined us. After a few tunes, he stood up and announced to the bar "Now we're going to play a Metallica tune, and we'd like you all to join in!" and he launched into Whiskey in the Jar. The punters loved it and roared out the song, and so it continued. Happy day, us diddley players were put in our place and the crowd finally had something they could sink their teeth into. Yes, the Fields was played and so was the Unicorn, there was great applause, and a merry time was had by all. Most of the other "diddley" players seemed grateful someone had come along and created a memorable event.
Speaking of The Lonesome Boatman... I have been asked to play that more than any other tune, but I never learned it and can never fill the request. For a long time I didn't even know how the tune went to the astonishment of the person requesting. I've never had a Yank ask me for it; the people asking for this tune are always Irish. They'll say, "You can play like that and you've never heard of THE LONESOME FECKIN BOATMAN?!!?" (Mind you they're also usually drunk.)
When I finally heard it I thought it sounded more like an Andean tune than an Irish tune. It might have had to do with the particular recording of it I heard. It was a penny whistle with tremolo mandolins in the background as I recall. It reminded me on kehna and charango music. I suppose if I heard it on uilleann pipes or something like that it would have struck me differently.
But regardless of the fact that I now at least have heard the tune, I’m still disappointing Irish people who request it since I still haven’t learned it. But at least now I can tell them I’ve heard of it.
my father was at a session back in the early eighties he always kept a litle tape recorder every week for any new tunes so out of the blue sean maguire came in with a friend. they played away till my da asked him to play the boy's of the lough his favorit tune he turned his back and ignored him .so he played away he said he was brilliant but later on he asked my da to play back a bit of the tape .but he couldent resist he said he hadent it turned on .
I agree with the posts above, and I always will play a request if I know it. In my experience the people doing the requesting are kindly older people. Maybe if I had experienced the drunks prepared to go home and fetch their guitars I'd feel differently. Often the people's requests show a knowledge of the music, as they often ask for things like Roisin Dubh. But I will play Danny Boy, even though the other people at the session roll their eyes. I don't do non-Irish tunes simply because I don't know them.
About Lonesome Boatman, yes it does sound very Andean on the original Furey Brothers recording. I had to learn it because people requested it so often. Finbar plays the most amazing ornament I've ever heard in that tune. I wish I had the technology to slow it way down and figure out what it is.
Once, in my youth, travelling with an American who was busking his way through college, we were asked to repeat Oh, Susannah eight or nine times by a crowd in Istanbul. They made it worth our while, so why not?
More recently, when a merry punter requested Danny Boy, one wag had a perfect solution. He picked up an empty beer pitcher and said "fill this up, then we'll talk". It was done, and the fellow got a couple of verses of his request along with some very ad hoc accompaniment.
Similar to the old standard "Requests written on a .........(fill in the amount) bill/note will be seriously considered."
"The Lonesome Boatman" is the only tune I play on the whistle. In Norn Ireland it is the only tune punters request when they see a whistle.
After years of playing one tune, I am not too bad at it now. It is arranged of course, starts slow, speeds up, slows at the end, with carefully designated places for the guitar, then banjo, then fiddle to join in.
Quite frankly, if someone asks you to play Danny Boy and you refuse, there's something awfully wrong with you. Just try playing it instead of getting all bloody hoity-toity about it. You'll go home much happier, I promise.
Yeah, Steve. Same goes for the Unicorn. And the Men Behind the Wire. And When Irish Eyes are Smilin'. And the Sash. And the Stone Outside Dan Murphy's Door.
You call yerself musicians - shame on you all if you don't play what the punters ask for! It's really selfish of you to want to sit with friends and play those diddley tunes all night - if that's what you want - get a room!
Now, I want to hear you play the Bold Fenian Men, and if you refuse there's something awfully wrong with you.
Went into Sany Bells and a punter requested Callums Road and I was surprised none of the locals knew it. I played it and got free Guiness for the rest of the evening.
Yellow Submarine? Never played it as a request, but I have slipped it into a set of jigs to stop the sods playing Dingle Regatta.
Standard reply to silly requests - we've already played it earlier.
Now come on. You sit there all night with yer jigs and reels and someone asks you to play Danny Boy. So why not just play it, ye curmudgeon ye! And one or two more besides! Where's your sense of fun? What's a couple of crowd-pleasers in a long evening? No-one's suggesting you run a flippin' request session all night. And can we stop calling people who happen to be in the pub when we're playing "punters." Punters only attend performances.
???
Ah, hang on! I see why you don't want to play requests now!
Steve, you're one of those elderly aunts who always put the kids on the spot to do a party piece once their faces were shined up with spit. I wooooon't do it, hear??? You're not the bossame!
Thanks for all the measured responses.
Danny Boy is rarely requested at the session I frequent
but it has never been refused to a polite
request. The Lonesome Boatman is
rarely requested but occasionally played spontaneously
by musicians who enjoy it. Once someone did ask for Yellow Submarine, but I really don't know it so I could deny the request without any guilt. I still haven't learned it.
(Someone does occasionally request, "Can you play
'Over the Hills and Far Away'?" , but they are never obliged.)
I always honor requests if I can, and if I don't know a song, I will invite the requestor to sing it themselves. I will usually offer to sing along on the chorus, because like everyone, I know a lot more choruses than songs. That keeps the requestor from being belligerant--if they don't know it, how can they expect me to know it. We have a guy who has been visiting our pub lately who has been requesting things like the Irish Washerwoman, and asking us if we know tunes the way some guy named Coulter has recorded them--this guy has been a bit irritating, but even him we try to acommodate.
Playing requests
Playing requests
Recently I had a discussion with a friend about playing requests from punters. We both agreed that if someone wants to hear a particular song or tune, and you decide to play it, then you should give it your best effort, no matter how many times you've played or sung the song before. Naturally, this especially applies if someone is willing to pay to hear something, but it should be applicable to any request that you decide to play.
I've often read or heard comments to the effect of "We don't play that here" or
phrases that indicate a particular song or tune is "beneath" someone.
Well, what if someone is brand new to the music and they've heard some song
once before, "Fields of Athenry" for example, and they happen to be at the bar during a session and they just have to hear that song again. This person could easily be a visiting foreigner or a local younger person with little or no previous exposure to ITM. Well, if you know the song and can do it well, and it hasn't been done previously in the night, then do it, and do it well, and enjoy the experience. Don't complain or fuss about it. Just do it and ignore any annoying comments or dirty looks from the complainers at your session.
In my view, if you know something well, then when a request is made in a friendly way, then you should play and/or sing it with a smile to the best of your ability. If money is part of the request then it's a no-brainer. The only limitation I can think of now, is whether the request is related to ITM. Sometimes a non-ITM tune or song request will fit in, and sometimes it won't. This depends on the mood most of the time.
This topic is perilously close to the idea of a session as a "performance".
However, I'd like to avoid the controversy of that Pandora's box. I'm just interested to know people's opinions and experiences about "requests" that you definitely know well, but you will or won't play based upon the reactions and consensus of your fellow players.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by halfwaythere
Re: Playing requests
You make a very good point about whether the request is related to ITM - I assume you wouldn't entertain requests for "Yellow Submarine", even if one of the musos was known to do the megaphone bit very nicely.
But then it becomes a question of whether the Fields is ITM or not.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by grego
Re: Playing requests
i think the only request we've refused to play is Danny Boy.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by seisflutes
Re: Playing requests
It seems to me you have hit the major points already. The session has come together to share ITM and a bit of companionship.The sessioneers are playing for themselves really, not for the punters, not being hired to entertain. Anything above and beyond is charitable and sompletely at their discretion.
It might be valid for session players in pubs to simply think of themselves as fellow customers - your group is over there talking sports, that one is talking knitting, and we are over here talking music, admittedly with our instruments present. But with the same rights to good service, our own space, and a reasonable bit of privacy.
As for requests from the crowd, a gentleman would not expect a stranger (esp. one who is not being paid to entertain the crowd, I might add) to do something he hates, nor get testy when said request is not immediately gratified. Unthinkable.
However, if there is someone at the session who is motivated to fulfill a polite request, why not simply do it and have it done?
Unless it is an epic song or ballad, it only takes a couple of minutes, it makes someone happy, and hurts no one. I do not normally cover Clancy Brothers, or Bing Crosby, but some old man walked over to us at a session I was at and asked for "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling."
Everyone looked at each other like he had asked for an aardvark, but I figured, what the hell? How bad would it be?
In any case, it made an old man happy.
Cheers.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Rook
Re: Playing requests
I would be honest and say Ive never heard The Fields of Athenry.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by The Merry Highlander
Re: Playing requests
Some may disagree, but the rules of civility still apply. I know many of us are loath to play/sing Danny Boy or Fields of Athenry etc, but as pointed out above many more non-trad people adore thoses song. I actually witnessed an old woman come up to the edge of the circle at a session and politlely request the tune only to have a guitar player holler out "F#@# Danny Boy." Wot an @rsehole. If you don't wish to do the odd request, just politiely explain, "we're not really a band you see.." etc - otherwise, if it's no skin off your teeth, just give out a few bars, make somebody smile and get back to your tunes.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Jusa Nutter Eejit
Re: Playing requests
When I get requests that i would rather not play i politely apologize that i don't know the piece, ok its a bare faced lie but what the F!"£ I don't want to appear rude or condescending, and i try to keep a straight face. At the same time i don't want to play the kesh jig again!
That said, i try to recollect the enthusiasm i felt for a tune or a song when i first learnt it, after all if a tune is worth playing its worth playing well.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by jig
Re: Playing requests
I happen to have "The Fields..." words printed out, plus the original broadsheet, plus the parody, but haven't learnt any of them, which solves one problem. You can always suggest the requester sing, giving them a starting chord or note ( and hopefully this will be useful ).
It's the people who drunkenly suggest " Ah, go on, it's a lovely song....". Well, so is Eleanor Rigby, but that's not traditional either.
The good news is that as most music-licensed bars don't fill in a PRS form Pete St.John don't get any royalties from you doing it, which is only fair and right.
Why would I happily sing something like Pete Coe's setting of The Gay Fusilier to the tune of Waltzing Matilda but object to The Fields ? Pure prejudice, I guess.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Playing requests
Last Saturday, my bandmate and I played Danny Boy, Whiskey in the Jar (twice), Wild Rover, and The Unicorn (I even showed the crowd the hand motions), all in one 40 minute set. Turns out we made quite a bit of money off tips. To me, it's well worth it if you'll make a bit more AND keep the audience happy.
I play sessions for the pure joy of playing...I play gigs to make money.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by irishfiddler32
Re: Playing requests
I completely agree with Rook and Justa´s posts above.
It costs nothing to keep someone happy. Danny Boy or Irish Eyes..... might bring back sweet memories to the person who requested it. We don´t know.
In the Irish pubs in Camden Town in the 60s, when the musicians were mainly from the West of Ireland, no matter how cheesey the song was, if it was requested - it was played.
However, a lot depends on who requests the song and in what state they´re in. If a bunch of half drunk twenty-somethings start roaring for the Fields of Athenry, a quick decision has to be made:
(a) Play it and get it over with in the hope that they´ll go away, or
(b) Tell them we´ll play it later and hope they´ll forget.
If the wrong decision is taken it could lead to physical ructions which would be in nobody´s interest.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by murfbox
Re: Playing requests
Hmmm......it's not strictly irish but we got dropped 20 quid ( a 200 franc note) in advance to play Dirty Old Town when we were busking a terrace of a hotel in Britanny once............will play almost 'owt for that kinda money.........the French tend to know this one via the Pogues.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by bodatcha
Re: Playing requests
The last request i can think of , i was busking with a tin whistle, two lads approached, stinking of whiskey, asked me to play the lonesome boat man, i said ok, if you stand over there! . So I played the tune , yer one saunters over,coin in hand, reaches down, picks up my hat and legs it!
Luckily i dont smoke, only had a whistle, and had my runners on, so i caught him and got my hat and money back! When i got back there was a little crowd of busking friends...... i was the hero, after all if they had robbed the lass playing the harp, they would a got away with it.
They were'nt young uns either, A couple of hard teens. But once yer one was on his own, with an angry me in his face he coughed up pretty quick!
Anyway, sorry for the diversion.
back to the topic;
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by jig
Re: Playing requests
Last year at a session we were offered a round of drinks if we would play something German. We apologised explaining that we didn't know any Germans tunes. But shortley after another guy came up to us and said we could have got away with 'Wooden Heart'. Apparently its a traditional song!
With Liverpool being Capital of Culture next year we wondered whether it would be worth learning tunes/songs from all over Europe? Free drinks all night !
The guy did actually buy us a round of drinks anyway, wasn't that nice of him?
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by flossie
Re: Playing requests
I think it makes a difference if it's an open or a closed session. A closed session can get away with doing this once in a while (for a nice punter.) If it's an open session, hearing the Fields may convince one of the punters to go home and get his guitar and bring it back (with friends) to unleash his repertoire.
I once saw this happen in dramatic fashion. The guy came back with his guitar and friends and joined us. After a few tunes, he stood up and announced to the bar "Now we're going to play a Metallica tune, and we'd like you all to join in!" and he launched into Whiskey in the Jar. The punters loved it and roared out the song, and so it continued. Happy day, us diddley players were put in our place and the crowd finally had something they could sink their teeth into. Yes, the Fields was played and so was the Unicorn, there was great applause, and a merry time was had by all. Most of the other "diddley" players seemed grateful someone had come along and created a memorable event.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by grego
Re: Playing requests
Metallica's version of Whiskey in the Jar? - jaaaayzus - somewhere Phil Lynot is turning over in his grave...LONG LIVE THIN LIZZY!
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Jusa Nutter Eejit
Re: Playing requests
Speaking of The Lonesome Boatman... I have been asked to play that more than any other tune, but I never learned it and can never fill the request. For a long time I didn't even know how the tune went to the astonishment of the person requesting. I've never had a Yank ask me for it; the people asking for this tune are always Irish. They'll say, "You can play like that and you've never heard of THE LONESOME FECKIN BOATMAN?!!?" (Mind you they're also usually drunk.)
When I finally heard it I thought it sounded more like an Andean tune than an Irish tune. It might have had to do with the particular recording of it I heard. It was a penny whistle with tremolo mandolins in the background as I recall. It reminded me on kehna and charango music. I suppose if I heard it on uilleann pipes or something like that it would have struck me differently.
But regardless of the fact that I now at least have heard the tune, I’m still disappointing Irish people who request it since I still haven’t learned it. But at least now I can tell them I’ve heard of it.
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Phantom Button
Re: Playing requests
my father was at a session back in the early eighties he always kept a litle tape recorder every week for any new tunes so out of the blue sean maguire came in with a friend. they played away till my da asked him to play the boy's of the lough his favorit tune he turned his back and ignored him .so he played away he said he was brilliant but later on he asked my da to play back a bit of the tape .but he couldent resist he said he hadent it turned on .
but it's as good a tape as you could ever hear .
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by m d
Re: Playing requests
jig & Phantom; Conán McDonnell has some good comments on the Lonesome Boatman.
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/11279/comments#comment230894
# Posted on September 22nd 2007 by Random_notes
Re: Playing requests
I agree with the posts above, and I always will play a request if I know it. In my experience the people doing the requesting are kindly older people. Maybe if I had experienced the drunks prepared to go home and fetch their guitars I'd feel differently. Often the people's requests show a knowledge of the music, as they often ask for things like Roisin Dubh. But I will play Danny Boy, even though the other people at the session roll their eyes. I don't do non-Irish tunes simply because I don't know them.
About Lonesome Boatman, yes it does sound very Andean on the original Furey Brothers recording. I had to learn it because people requested it so often. Finbar plays the most amazing ornament I've ever heard in that tune. I wish I had the technology to slow it way down and figure out what it is.
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by Richard D Cook
Re: Playing requests
Once, in my youth, travelling with an American who was busking his way through college, we were asked to repeat Oh, Susannah eight or nine times by a crowd in Istanbul. They made it worth our while, so why not?
More recently, when a merry punter requested Danny Boy, one wag had a perfect solution. He picked up an empty beer pitcher and said "fill this up, then we'll talk". It was done, and the fellow got a couple of verses of his request along with some very ad hoc accompaniment.
Similar to the old standard "Requests written on a .........(fill in the amount) bill/note will be seriously considered."
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by oldstrings
Re: Playing requests
"The Lonesome Boatman" is the only tune I play on the whistle. In Norn Ireland it is the only tune punters request when they see a whistle.
After years of playing one tune, I am not too bad at it now. It is arranged of course, starts slow, speeds up, slows at the end, with carefully designated places for the guitar, then banjo, then fiddle to join in.
Who mentioned a "performance?"
# Posted on September 23rd 2007 by bodhran bliss
Re: Playing requests
Quite frankly, if someone asks you to play Danny Boy and you refuse, there's something awfully wrong with you. Just try playing it instead of getting all bloody hoity-toity about it. You'll go home much happier, I promise.
# Posted on September 24th 2007 by Steve Shaw
Re: Playing requests
Yeah, Steve. Same goes for the Unicorn. And the Men Behind the Wire. And When Irish Eyes are Smilin'. And the Sash. And the Stone Outside Dan Murphy's Door.
You call yerself musicians - shame on you all if you don't play what the punters ask for! It's really selfish of you to want to sit with friends and play those diddley tunes all night - if that's what you want - get a room!
Now, I want to hear you play the Bold Fenian Men, and if you refuse there's something awfully wrong with you.
# Posted on September 24th 2007 by grego
Re: Playing requests
Went into Sany Bells and a punter requested Callums Road and I was surprised none of the locals knew it. I played it and got free Guiness for the rest of the evening.
Yellow Submarine? Never played it as a request, but I have slipped it into a set of jigs to stop the sods playing Dingle Regatta.
Standard reply to silly requests - we've already played it earlier.
# Posted on September 24th 2007 by geoffwright
Re: Playing requests
Now come on. You sit there all night with yer jigs and reels and someone asks you to play Danny Boy. So why not just play it, ye curmudgeon ye! And one or two more besides! Where's your sense of fun? What's a couple of crowd-pleasers in a long evening? No-one's suggesting you run a flippin' request session all night. And can we stop calling people who happen to be in the pub when we're playing "punters." Punters only attend performances.
???
Ah, hang on! I see why you don't want to play requests now!
# Posted on September 24th 2007 by Steve Shaw
Re: Playing requests
And, to echo Geoff there, we once played Danny Boy when asked and all eight of us got a free pint as a result!
# Posted on September 24th 2007 by Steve Shaw
Re: Playing requests
earned plenty off Danny Boy when we were busking in the markets.
Also Never on Sunday for the Greek traders, Ten Guitars for the Polynesians etc
# Posted on September 24th 2007 by Bren
Re: Playing requests
Steve, you're one of those elderly aunts who always put the kids on the spot to do a party piece once their faces were shined up with spit. I wooooon't do it, hear??? You're not the bossame!
(Oooh, is my sad childhood showing through?)
# Posted on September 24th 2007 by grego
Re: Playing requests
Oh, go on, you humourless old meanie! For the punters!
# Posted on September 24th 2007 by Steve Shaw
Re: Playing requests
Thanks for all the measured responses.
Danny Boy is rarely requested at the session I frequent
but it has never been refused to a polite
request. The Lonesome Boatman is
rarely requested but occasionally played spontaneously
by musicians who enjoy it. Once someone did ask for Yellow Submarine, but I really don't know it so I could deny the request without any guilt. I still haven't learned it.
(Someone does occasionally request, "Can you play
'Over the Hills and Far Away'?" , but they are never obliged.)
# Posted on September 25th 2007 by halfwaythere
Re: Playing requests
I always honor requests if I can, and if I don't know a song, I will invite the requestor to sing it themselves. I will usually offer to sing along on the chorus, because like everyone, I know a lot more choruses than songs. That keeps the requestor from being belligerant--if they don't know it, how can they expect me to know it. We have a guy who has been visiting our pub lately who has been requesting things like the Irish Washerwoman, and asking us if we know tunes the way some guy named Coulter has recorded them--this guy has been a bit irritating, but even him we try to acommodate.
# Posted on September 25th 2007 by AlBrown