We all know about all of the normal session instruments, like the whistle, banjo, fiddle, etc, but I'd like to know if anyone has ever seen some less common instruments at a session.
At the Welly in Boscastle, before I stopped going in 1999 out of sheer disgust, we had tea-chest bass, didg, rain tube, bassoon, E flat bass, sousaphone, recorders of several ilks and tambourines that fastened to the lower leg, one-man-band style. The shaky eggs, spoons and divers kinds of between-the-knees drums that also graced us seemed positively normal in comparison.
There's a fiddler around here who has been known to bring her Huqin (Chinese two string violin) to play a few tunes on. That's always a bit weird...
Oh, and when I was up in Montana last year, I bought a plastic nose flute as part of an inside joke. I take it to every session (it lives in my banjo case), but it only appears at opportune moments
At Willie Week I played a session with something called a kan. It looked like a giant panpipe sort of thing, except you blew into the side of it. It was pretty cool.
Just the other week, a very small, bright blue keyboard, about a foot long, attached to a hose that you blew into.
I use a zydeco tie several times a month to start off the french canadian set... (but I lay off after 8 bars or so...by then people have gotten the joke).
kazoo also lives in my bag and pops out now and then...usually when there's already hilarity (otherwise it just p*sses people off).
we had a zither once. it was more of a solo instrument.
Oh, and the frogs. they're pretty good for an occasional emphasis beat.
At a local session, I"ve seen a couple times the instument, don't know what it's called, that has one string attached to the middle of a wash basin on one end and the top of a broom stick on the other end. The player moves the stick forward and back to change the pitch. Weird sound, but not altogether unpleasing, and not too loud either.
Ah, the Welly in Boscastle. Where I was made to feel so spectacularly unwelcome. Was full of people pretending to be Cornish but who weren't (at least I'm half Cornish) and who managed to be sufficiently hostile that I packed up and left be fore I'd even played a note. I couldn't believe what my mother's country had come to.
We had a guy sit in on trumpet one night. It was on a song - Spansel Hill, perhaps, if I've spelled that right. Sounded okay, he was able to catch what was going on and not play too loud.
Breastplate - a guy used to come to the Woodman and hit a breastplate with his spoons.
Green plastic toy concertina - a session in Brixton - a strange guy used to try and join in, and fail, on the GPTC.
Mobile phone - me. I used to have a The Boys of Bluehill as a ringtone. I set it off at a session one night and lo and behold, as if by reflex, the lads joined in. Or was it The Harvest Home?......
Trombone - a big fat smelly obnoxious guy used to join in on the trombone in a session in Greenwich. Admittedly it was an English session. He also said he hated Irish music.
Ukelele - yep, you know who. Knob-end who also used to visit this site. Thankfully no more.
I'd be honoured to have Mark Atkins at a session. http://www.smh.com.au/news/Arts/Blow-and-behold/2004/12/17/1102787265770.html
Even if he has played with that old hoor Donal Lunny : -)
A few weeks ago I saw him at a concert where he played slide guitar and didgeridoo simultaneously in duet with another slide guitarist
Nicholas, be careful with your liberty when in possession of a kazoo! Funny we story - A friend of mine carries a kazoo and can always get a laugh with it as he is an exceptional all round player. On returning from a gig one night he was stopped by the police. On finding that he was a musician they were most disappointed that he was sober so they decided to decided to do a full car search in search of drugs. He doesn't do drugs so sat there smugly. Suddenly the policewoman smiled meanly at her partner and said, "Got him now, look at this", producing from the glove drawer what she claimed was a hash pipe. Oh boy, did she shrink when he played a tune on it.
Mr Mackay, it must be fab being perfect!
Just because I haven't contributed to this forum recently, doesn't mean I haven't read your fascinating streams of consciousness.
By the way: although your spelling is acceptable, the more usual spelling is Ukulele (two U's).
It's funny you mentioning your ringtone. At one of our beginners sessions there was a guy who kept coming in from the main bar and lurking in the corner behind me. Having grown up in Manchester that makes me distinctly twitchy, so after the third appearance I fronted him to find out what he was up to. Turned out he was a tradie (tradesman to you non-colonials) who had just been given a new mobile for work and didn't like the ringtones. He was recording our sets to use instead. He reckoned each one was better than the last, and he was truly ecstatic over the polka set (Dennis Murphys / 40 pound float / John Ryans). He'd been showing it off to his mates in the other bar. It takes all sorts.
Went to a sesh last night and someone had a wooden hoop with strange celtic symbols on. It was covered by a dogskin which the bloke proceeded to bash with a stick.
What is this contraption called?
One of our session regulars, a Singer/Bodhran player brings his Kazoo along & often launches into a Blues song with the aid of his trusty Kazoo ... great crack.
grumblingoldwoman ~ I regularly play my Hammered Dulcimer at sessions around here & at another one of our sessions, as well as all the usual instruments, we have also had Hurdy Gurdy, Lute, Mountain Dulcimer, Shawm, Leicestershire Pipes, Cornish Pipes, French Pipes, Scottish Smallpipes, Northumbrian Pipes, Crumhorn, Fifes, Silver Flute, 5 String Banjo etc etc ......
As you've probably guessed by now, we don't always stick to pure ITM around here!
Blimey! The weirdest instrument anyone ever brought to the blythe was this bizarre wooden thing with six strings and a big hole in the middle. It had frets, a long neck and it sounded absolutely sh**e. It or its like hasn't been seen here for a long time, thank god.
Phew!
Erhu and musical saw by two people who know what they are doing. But triangle by a bodhranist who has little rhythmic ability. We also play 'non-traditional' instruments ourselves (Hi, Ptarmigan! Be seeing you on myspace).
One time at a session the fiddle player admitted that he carried a Jaw Harp around in his fiddle case, we convinced him to play a hillbilly tune on the thing which was absolutely hilarious.
We have a bass clarinetist who occasionally joins us, and he's great. Sometimes he backs, but just as often he plays reels at speed, and it's a gas. It's gotten to the point that I have started to think of the bass clarinet as an Irish instrument, and was a bit disoriented when our clarinetist played us some jazz riffs on it last summer.
Oh yeah max - we don't seee many of them round the Blythe. what are they called again? I think it rhymes with catarrh, doesn't it? Snot the done thing in the Blythe. Spit much really.
A session regular hereabouts plays a Puerto Rican "quatro" (quote marks because it has five doubled strings, not four). He has two different capos for it, with cutouts to leave certain strings unstopped for different tunings. You can see it in this clip, at 00:41 --it looks like a small guitar:
We had a guy who regularly brought a cajon (Spanish for box) which he sat on and played like a drum kit. He made every tune into a samba
However, my favorite obnoxious session noise maker has to be when a woman showed up with one of those little native american twirly drums. The cheapo gift shop variety with two little beads on the ends of the strings that when rotated quickly in the hands creates a whackety-whackety-whackety sound. It sound like an apoplectic woodpecker had gotten loose in the pub. When we came to the painful realization that she intended to "accompany" us on every tune regardless of speed or tempo, she was dis-invited rather quickly.
One bodhran player doubles on saw (Sandvik cross-cut, I think) but only to accompany songs. Another also plays washboard or triangle. All in good taste.
Tall, Dark and Mysterious is being uncharacteristically reticent about mentioning ocarinas........
We have a briliant fiddle player who breaks out her cello for a few choice tunes every session. she mostly plays real quiet low chords, it tends to sound great!
The Monday night session at Húdaí Beag's sometimes features a war-piper. Even by the time he's warmed up and ready to play the first note half the session is outside in the smoker's area and the other half is either in the bogs or ordering a fresh pint.
Oh, mustn't forget Frankie Lane and his dobro and I'm still waiting for someone to turn up with a zob stick (as played by Keef Trouble of Brett Marvin and The Thunderbolts - he also doubled up on ironing board).
Use it Mark - you have my permission!
Nearly forgot - I used to go along to a session which was "led" by a guy with a rainstick. No kidding. While we'd be tearing into a rake of jigs or reels, yer man would up-end his yoke to make it sound some strategically-timed shrrrshhrrshhhrrrsshhh, thinking he was making some important contribution to the overall session dynamics...or something...that only a burnt-out acid-casualty hippy could understand. Way beyond me for sure.
Then a bloke turned up at the Blythe one night with a trumpet. He sight-read a jig and played it pretty well. Turned out he was a music teacher. But it was a trumpet after all.
Oldstrings, my ocarinas (mountainocarinas.com) can't hold a candle to bass clarinets, cellos, and *saws*. They're tiny and unobtrusive, and they sound like something between a flute and a tin whistle, both of which are standard session instruments. I'd like to see someone bring a saw through airport security, mind: "Sir, it's a *musical instrument*. I'm allowed to take musical instruments on board so long as they fit in the overhead compartment. Says so right here!"
Thinking of "unobtrusive", one of the fluties also plays a mean piccolo.
And the saw has to be an acoustic version of the theramine - they sound very similar.
Still, chainsaw as a drone? Preferably with chain removed.
Yeah, dude on the right play the nyckelharpa (http://www.henrystrobel.com/nyckelharpa.jpg), and all I can say is, thank heavens no one's hawking a cheap nyckelharpa on ebay, because if they were, so help me God I would be playing the nyckelharpa at every session in town.
Same said bass clarinet player (I suspect) has graced our session armed with his Mac. We play in a local cafe with wireless Internet service. He didn't know a certain tune we had started, asked someone the title, looked up the dots on thesession, and was playing along by the time we were doing the first repeat.
There were two stand-up basses playing at a session I went to last week.
She let me have a go on her Nyckelharpa and it was the most amazing thing. I've coveted one for ages, and having had a go I think it would be fun - and a great session instrument.
I would be remiss not to credit Joaquin, the fellow from Winter Harp who plays nyckelharpa (along with several other instruments that I'd love to see at a session - http://winterharp.com/instruments.htm) with describing that instrument as "a cross between a violin and a battleship".
But what is that thing they have resting on two peoples' knees ?
Dat's not a nickelharp !
And they also seem to have a long, floor-standing bowed psaltery, which is hardly traditional, is it ? I thought they were invented by some woodwork teacher in the '50's ?
And, would like to see the band van - suspect they need a pantechnicon.
I don’t know when it originated, but the bowed psaltery was part of some hybrid zithers around the turn of the previous century. I think one of them is called a ukelin. I’ve always assumed that it existed in standalone form before then.
Was in a session down at Charlie's in Cork City a few weeks back, and had the usual lineup of righty and lefty flutes (am just now getting used to seeing lefty flutes), whistles, fiddles, a harp (less usual, I suppose, but not unheard of), and uilleann pipes. A while into the session, and between tunes, we heard this godawful drone from the back of the bar. Some guy had brought his highland (!) pipes to the session and proceeded to serenade us with some tunes. Man those pipes are loud when they're indoors and three meters away!
At the learning session I've been going to in college, we've had a steady group of flutes/whistles, fiddles and hammered dulcimers (2!).. which I suppose is less common. We've also had didges, a cello, an attempt on the cello player's part to learn bodhran, a viola, a couple native American flutes, and a rather classical (and not very successful) approach to CB style piano. It's an open learning session, so we get our share of odd ones.
First time my Dad (R.I.P.) heard a Psaltery he asked me 'what is that'?
He said 'Sounds like a mouse piddling in a tin dish'.
Always a kind word my old Dad......
Hum...also been frequenting Cork sessions a bit as of late and to add to the hammered dulcimers, viola, didges, cellos, and 5-string banjos from the learning session Ingrid mentioned, I can add seeing a triangle (for hornpipes, he swears), egg shakers, a pocket (yes, *pocket*) trumpet, a three row button box (who'd just had his box tuned and played the high A (two octaves about normal tuning A...or was it a very high C?) as often as he could )
And, my personal favourite, a dudy...a Czech bagpipe affectionally called "the goat" both because that's what the bag was made of, and as it's chanter was topped with a carving of, you guessed it, a goat.
Mentioned this in old threads, but worth repeating here. A guy showed up at a nearby session once with two grapefruit-sized rocks he pulled up from the local river bed. Nice, rounded, smooth stones. He proceeded to bang them together in an attempt at percussion. The session leader told him to put the rocks in his pockets and send them back to the bottom of the river....
i think AWOL used to sometimes play the serpent at the Cricketers.
Danny,i remember the night the breast plate guy threw his armour to the floor in a fit of pique after someone had enquired if he was the tin man from 'the wizard of oz'
Weird Session Instruments
Weird Session Instruments
We all know about all of the normal session instruments, like the whistle, banjo, fiddle, etc, but I'd like to know if anyone has ever seen some less common instruments at a session.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by AHendey
Re: Weird Session Instruments
the Casio keyboard surprises me every time.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Weird Session Instruments
I remember taking a huge plastic recorder to one of the first-ever sessions I attended, but have not allowed my mind to dwell on this overmuch.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by nicholas
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Shakey aubergine
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by benhall.1
Re: Weird Session Instruments
The possibilities of the humble kazoo have been perhaps underexploited in ITM. I haven't seen one in a session, but might take one along...
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by nicholas
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Piano Accordions.
:D
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by martin t
Re: Weird Session Instruments
At the Welly in Boscastle, before I stopped going in 1999 out of sheer disgust, we had tea-chest bass, didg, rain tube, bassoon, E flat bass, sousaphone, recorders of several ilks and tambourines that fastened to the lower leg, one-man-band style. The shaky eggs, spoons and divers kinds of between-the-knees drums that also graced us seemed positively normal in comparison.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Steve Shaw
Re: Weird Session Instruments
There's a fiddler around here who has been known to bring her Huqin (Chinese two string violin) to play a few tunes on. That's always a bit weird...
Oh, and when I was up in Montana last year, I bought a plastic nose flute as part of an inside joke. I take it to every session (it lives in my banjo case), but it only appears at opportune moments
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Reverend
Re: Weird Session Instruments
At Willie Week I played a session with something called a kan. It looked like a giant panpipe sort of thing, except you blew into the side of it. It was pretty cool.
Just the other week, a very small, bright blue keyboard, about a foot long, attached to a hose that you blew into.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by TheSilverSpear
Re: Weird Session Instruments
I was invited to play my tuba at a session - once . I didn't like it. Neither did my tuba.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by John Culhane
Re: Weird Session Instruments
I use a zydeco tie several times a month to start off the french canadian set... (but I lay off after 8 bars or so...by then people have gotten the joke).
kazoo also lives in my bag and pops out now and then...usually when there's already hilarity (otherwise it just p*sses people off).
we had a zither once. it was more of a solo instrument.
Oh, and the frogs. they're pretty good for an occasional emphasis beat.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by roaringj
Re: Weird Session Instruments
At a local session, I"ve seen a couple times the instument, don't know what it's called, that has one string attached to the middle of a wash basin on one end and the top of a broom stick on the other end. The player moves the stick forward and back to change the pitch. Weird sound, but not altogether unpleasing, and not too loud either.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by InSearchofCraic
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Wash tub bass.
Now you're getting positively hillbilly.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by roaringj
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Ag, we have a bass made from a rake stuck in a plant pot...
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Djaque
Re: Weird Session Instruments
a Lagerphone and a Harmonica which was okay because the guy actually played the full melody on it. Also.... bodhrans with clear plastic heads????
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by camwebby
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Ah, the Welly in Boscastle. Where I was made to feel so spectacularly unwelcome. Was full of people pretending to be Cornish but who weren't (at least I'm half Cornish) and who managed to be sufficiently hostile that I packed up and left be fore I'd even played a note. I couldn't believe what my mother's country had come to.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by benhall.1
Re: Weird Session Instruments
We had a guy sit in on trumpet one night. It was on a song - Spansel Hill, perhaps, if I've spelled that right. Sounded okay, he was able to catch what was going on and not play too loud.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Sitar & Tabla would be nice.
But no Harmoniums!!
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Bodhi
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Limberjacks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limberjack
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by jasonb
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Also something that looked like a giant wooden mbira, and also a long pentatonic flute.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by jasonb
Re: Weird Session Instruments
I've seen the unserrated side of a saw being played - with a fiddle-bow, I think. A strange sound altogether.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by nicholas
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Breastplate - a guy used to come to the Woodman and hit a breastplate with his spoons.
Green plastic toy concertina - a session in Brixton - a strange guy used to try and join in, and fail, on the GPTC.
Mobile phone - me. I used to have a The Boys of Bluehill as a ringtone. I set it off at a session one night and lo and behold, as if by reflex, the lads joined in. Or was it The Harvest Home?......
Trombone - a big fat smelly obnoxious guy used to join in on the trombone in a session in Greenwich. Admittedly it was an English session. He also said he hated Irish music.
Ukelele - yep, you know who. Knob-end who also used to visit this site. Thankfully no more.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Weird Session Instruments
I'd be honoured to have Mark Atkins at a session.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/Arts/Blow-and-behold/2004/12/17/1102787265770.html
Even if he has played with that old hoor Donal Lunny : -)
A few weeks ago I saw him at a concert where he played slide guitar and didgeridoo simultaneously in duet with another slide guitarist
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Bren
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Nicholas, be careful with your liberty when in possession of a kazoo! Funny we story - A friend of mine carries a kazoo and can always get a laugh with it as he is an exceptional all round player. On returning from a gig one night he was stopped by the police. On finding that he was a musician they were most disappointed that he was sober so they decided to decided to do a full car search in search of drugs. He doesn't do drugs so sat there smugly. Suddenly the policewoman smiled meanly at her partner and said, "Got him now, look at this", producing from the glove drawer what she claimed was a hash pipe. Oh boy, did she shrink when he played a tune on it.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by bogman
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Portative organ
(!)
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by TomB-R
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Mr Mackay, it must be fab being perfect!
Just because I haven't contributed to this forum recently, doesn't mean I haven't read your fascinating streams of consciousness.
By the way: although your spelling is acceptable, the more usual spelling is Ukulele (two U's).
Until the next time, you old joker!
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by yhaalhouse
Re: Weird Session Instruments
KML,
It's funny you mentioning your ringtone. At one of our beginners sessions there was a guy who kept coming in from the main bar and lurking in the corner behind me. Having grown up in Manchester that makes me distinctly twitchy, so after the third appearance I fronted him to find out what he was up to. Turned out he was a tradie (tradesman to you non-colonials) who had just been given a new mobile for work and didn't like the ringtones. He was recording our sets to use instead. He reckoned each one was better than the last, and he was truly ecstatic over the polka set (Dennis Murphys / 40 pound float / John Ryans). He'd been showing it off to his mates in the other bar. It takes all sorts.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by bc_box_player
Re: Weird Session Instruments
I spoke too soon.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Weird Session Instruments
I've seen a psaltry and a dulcimer. I've also seen a variety of drums.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by grumblingoldwoman
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Went to a sesh last night and someone had a wooden hoop with strange celtic symbols on. It was covered by a dogskin which the bloke proceeded to bash with a stick.
What is this contraption called?
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by geoffwright
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Nicholas,
One of our session regulars, a Singer/Bodhran player brings his Kazoo along & often launches into a Blues song with the aid of his trusty Kazoo ... great crack.
grumblingoldwoman ~ I regularly play my Hammered Dulcimer at sessions around here & at another one of our sessions, as well as all the usual instruments, we have also had Hurdy Gurdy, Lute, Mountain Dulcimer, Shawm, Leicestershire Pipes, Cornish Pipes, French Pipes, Scottish Smallpipes, Northumbrian Pipes, Crumhorn, Fifes, Silver Flute, 5 String Banjo etc etc ......
As you've probably guessed by now, we don't always stick to pure ITM around here!
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Ptarmigan
Re: Weird Session Instruments
what about these
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17175
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Ooh, Psaltery. The bowed, 20th century version of it Sounds a bit like a cat on a window pane. Horrible, horrible things.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Mark Harmer
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Blimey! The weirdest instrument anyone ever brought to the blythe was this bizarre wooden thing with six strings and a big hole in the middle. It had frets, a long neck and it sounded absolutely sh**e. It or its like hasn't been seen here for a long time, thank god.
Phew!
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by maxF
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Erhu and musical saw by two people who know what they are doing. But triangle by a bodhranist who has little rhythmic ability. We also play 'non-traditional' instruments ourselves (Hi, Ptarmigan! Be seeing you on myspace).
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by vonnieestes
Re: Weird Session Instruments
One time at a session the fiddle player admitted that he carried a Jaw Harp around in his fiddle case, we convinced him to play a hillbilly tune on the thing which was absolutely hilarious.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Fellenbaum
Re: Weird Session Instruments
We have a bass clarinetist who occasionally joins us, and he's great. Sometimes he backs, but just as often he plays reels at speed, and it's a gas. It's gotten to the point that I have started to think of the bass clarinet as an Irish instrument, and was a bit disoriented when our clarinetist played us some jazz riffs on it last summer.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: Weird Session Instruments
A piano accordion is not weird!! we have our own competition in the fleadh! I play with a fiddle player who brings her o drums around with her!
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by marian clare
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Oh yeah max - we don't seee many of them round the Blythe. what are they called again? I think it rhymes with catarrh, doesn't it? Snot the done thing in the Blythe. Spit much really.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Don't fret!
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Mark Harmer
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Ok then, Lord of the Strings
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Weird Session Instruments
A session regular hereabouts plays a Puerto Rican "quatro" (quote marks because it has five doubled strings, not four). He has two different capos for it, with cutouts to leave certain strings unstopped for different tunings. You can see it in this clip, at 00:41 --it looks like a small guitar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaoFb41XyRg
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by mickray
Re: Weird Session Instruments
We had a guy who regularly brought a cajon (Spanish for box) which he sat on and played like a drum kit. He made every tune into a samba
However, my favorite obnoxious session noise maker has to be when a woman showed up with one of those little native american twirly drums. The cheapo gift shop variety with two little beads on the ends of the strings that when rotated quickly in the hands creates a whackety-whackety-whackety sound. It sound like an apoplectic woodpecker had gotten loose in the pub. When we came to the painful realization that she intended to "accompany" us on every tune regardless of speed or tempo, she was dis-invited rather quickly.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Jusa Nutter Eejit
Re: Weird Session Instruments
One bodhran player doubles on saw (Sandvik cross-cut, I think) but only to accompany songs. Another also plays washboard or triangle. All in good taste.
Tall, Dark and Mysterious is being uncharacteristically reticent about mentioning ocarinas........
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by oldstrings
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Of course you have acoustic and electric versions of things. Would the electric equivalent of the saw be the chainsaw?
PS love the "Lord of the Strings" thing - might nick that as a nickname!!
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Mark Harmer
Re: Weird Session Instruments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJpVEXKk33U
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by tlittlewazzock
Re: Weird Session Instruments
We have a briliant fiddle player who breaks out her cello for a few choice tunes every session. she mostly plays real quiet low chords, it tends to sound great!
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by reaghan
Re: Weird Session Instruments
The Monday night session at Húdaí Beag's sometimes features a war-piper. Even by the time he's warmed up and ready to play the first note half the session is outside in the smoker's area and the other half is either in the bogs or ordering a fresh pint.
Oh, mustn't forget Frankie Lane and his dobro and I'm still waiting for someone to turn up with a zob stick (as played by Keef Trouble of Brett Marvin and The Thunderbolts - he also doubled up on ironing board).
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Floss the Tethers
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Use it Mark - you have my permission!
Nearly forgot - I used to go along to a session which was "led" by a guy with a rainstick. No kidding. While we'd be tearing into a rake of jigs or reels, yer man would up-end his yoke to make it sound some strategically-timed shrrrshhrrshhhrrrsshhh, thinking he was making some important contribution to the overall session dynamics...or something...that only a burnt-out acid-casualty hippy could understand. Way beyond me for sure.
Then a bloke turned up at the Blythe one night with a trumpet. He sight-read a jig and played it pretty well. Turned out he was a music teacher. But it was a trumpet after all.
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Playing a chainsaw...when is ITM going to go through an Industrial phase? Has there been any ITM / Heavy Metal crossover in the West Midlands?
# Posted on March 26th 2008 by nicholas
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Oldstrings, my ocarinas (mountainocarinas.com) can't hold a candle to bass clarinets, cellos, and *saws*. They're tiny and unobtrusive, and they sound like something between a flute and a tin whistle, both of which are standard session instruments. I'd like to see someone bring a saw through airport security, mind: "Sir, it's a *musical instrument*. I'm allowed to take musical instruments on board so long as they fit in the overhead compartment. Says so right here!"
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Thinking of "unobtrusive", one of the fluties also plays a mean piccolo.
And the saw has to be an acoustic version of the theramine - they sound very similar.
Still, chainsaw as a drone? Preferably with chain removed.
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by oldstrings
Re: Weird Session Instruments
And these are local folk, but they haven't been to our session yet.
http://www.winterharp.com/mediaphotos.htm
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by oldstrings
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Yeah, dude on the right play the nyckelharpa (http://www.henrystrobel.com/nyckelharpa.jpg), and all I can say is, thank heavens no one's hawking a cheap nyckelharpa on ebay, because if they were, so help me God I would be playing the nyckelharpa at every session in town.
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Same said bass clarinet player (I suspect) has graced our session armed with his Mac. We play in a local cafe with wireless Internet service. He didn't know a certain tune we had started, asked someone the title, looked up the dots on thesession, and was playing along by the time we were doing the first repeat.
There were two stand-up basses playing at a session I went to last week.
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by MikeDucayen
Re: Weird Session Instruments
So help me God, TDM, that just might be the funniest thing I have ever read here on the Mustard Board--and that's saying something.
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by mickray
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Oh yes - Anne Reynfors and Erik ... (can't remember his second name!!) shared a gig with me in Stamford. Here's a bit of video I did of one piece
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFAzfAm8W50
She let me have a go on her Nyckelharpa and it was the most amazing thing. I've coveted one for ages, and having had a go I think it would be fun - and a great session instrument.
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by Mark Harmer
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Wow. Thanks for the link, Mark. Now I see why TDM is so charmed by it.
But I'm not tempted, myself. Lately I am having enough trouble getting a tune out of the humble tinwhistle, which has no moving parts at all.
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by mickray
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Nice instrument, but i wouldn't want to have to tune it!
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by kennedy
Re: Weird Session Instruments
I would be remiss not to credit Joaquin, the fellow from Winter Harp who plays nyckelharpa (along with several other instruments that I'd love to see at a session - http://winterharp.com/instruments.htm) with describing that instrument as "a cross between a violin and a battleship".
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: Weird Session Instruments
But what is that thing they have resting on two peoples' knees ?
Dat's not a nickelharp !
And they also seem to have a long, floor-standing bowed psaltery, which is hardly traditional, is it ? I thought they were invented by some woodwork teacher in the '50's ?
And, would like to see the band van - suspect they need a pantechnicon.
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Weird Session Instruments
The bowed psaltery is definitely modern. But the Tromba Marina (the long thing) is 18th Century - see http://www.trombamarina.com/tm.htm
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by Mark Harmer
Re: Weird Session Instruments
I don’t know when it originated, but the bowed psaltery was part of some hybrid zithers around the turn of the previous century. I think one of them is called a ukelin. I’ve always assumed that it existed in standalone form before then.
# Posted on March 27th 2008 by Bob himself
Re: Weird Session Instruments
I don't know the name of this, but I will worship anyone who can actually play a tune on THIS!
http://www.redferret.net/Images/42stringpikassoguitar_small.jpg
# Posted on March 29th 2008 by AHendey
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Was in a session down at Charlie's in Cork City a few weeks back, and had the usual lineup of righty and lefty flutes (am just now getting used to seeing lefty flutes), whistles, fiddles, a harp (less usual, I suppose, but not unheard of), and uilleann pipes. A while into the session, and between tunes, we heard this godawful drone from the back of the bar. Some guy had brought his highland (!) pipes to the session and proceeded to serenade us with some tunes. Man those pipes are loud when they're indoors and three meters away!
At the learning session I've been going to in college, we've had a steady group of flutes/whistles, fiddles and hammered dulcimers (2!).. which I suppose is less common. We've also had didges, a cello, an attempt on the cello player's part to learn bodhran, a viola, a couple native American flutes, and a rather classical (and not very successful) approach to CB style piano. It's an open learning session, so we get our share of odd ones.
# Posted on March 29th 2008 by ingridrt
Re: Weird Session Instruments
First time my Dad (R.I.P.) heard a Psaltery he asked me 'what is that'?
He said 'Sounds like a mouse piddling in a tin dish'.
Always a kind word my old Dad......
# Posted on March 30th 2008 by john knoss
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Hum...also been frequenting Cork sessions a bit as of late
and to add to the hammered dulcimers, viola, didges, cellos, and 5-string banjos from the learning session Ingrid mentioned, I can add seeing a triangle (for hornpipes, he swears), egg shakers, a pocket (yes, *pocket*) trumpet, a three row button box (who'd just had his box tuned and played the high A (two octaves about normal tuning A...or was it a very high C?) as often as he could 
)
And, my personal favourite, a dudy...a Czech bagpipe affectionally called "the goat" both because that's what the bag was made of, and as it's chanter was topped with a carving of, you guessed it, a goat.
# Posted on April 10th 2008 by Amy J
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Mentioned this in old threads, but worth repeating here. A guy showed up at a nearby session once with two grapefruit-sized rocks he pulled up from the local river bed. Nice, rounded, smooth stones. He proceeded to bang them together in an attempt at percussion. The session leader told him to put the rocks in his pockets and send them back to the bottom of the river....
# Posted on April 10th 2008 by Will CPT
Re: Weird Session Instruments
Oh, and when Reverend bought his nose flute, I bought a shakey potato, which is larger and louder than a shakey egg. Perfect for Irish music.
# Posted on April 10th 2008 by Will CPT
Re: Weird Session Instruments
i think AWOL used to sometimes play the serpent at the Cricketers.
Danny,i remember the night the breast plate guy threw his armour to the floor in a fit of pique after someone had enquired if he was the tin man from 'the wizard of oz'
# Posted on April 18th 2008 by biggus dave