I am rather new here (embarrasingly so, apparently) and am wondering how one might go about preparing for playing at a session?
I'm +2hrs each way from the nearest sessions and teachers, have only been to one session (Asheville, NC) and am relatively new to ITM, though I do have some experience around music / musicians. Mostly jam sessions, song circles and occasional public performance (sitting in on gigs).
Should I play through the 'most requested' until I can solo them? Should I play through a lot of different tune types and keys to 'get the knots out'? Should I scorn sight-reading, or just not get too dependent on it? Are scales and exercises helpful, or should I just play the tunes? Can I 'take the tune out' or is that frowned upon in a session environment? Does it depend on the session? Do I need to wait and start a discussion on each of these individually over the next several months (maybe one a week or so)? That's my 20 questions, any response would be helpful and welcome (no snubs without obvious humor, please)!
I'm in the same boat as you, so I'll share some of what little I've found....
I think its a better use of time to just play the tunes rather than practice scales. There's not alot of improvising, like at a blues jam, so scales are really just good for working on genreal mechanics like intonation and tone production, and you can work on those by playing the tunes slowly.
As far as tune types and keys, I'd say jigs and reels in the common keys. Most tunes are in 1st position on the fiddle, so don't worry about playing in E flat, A flat, C sharp or those keys
Again, that is very different from blues jams and open jam sessions here in the states.
definitely don't take it out on a tune. Everybody plays in unison, and messing around noodling along while people are playing is considered bad form. That much I'm sure about.(again, very different from blues jams)
as for what tunes to learn, I can't help you there. That is different for every session
Help us out--are you thinking of playing guitar at a session, or whistle/flute? The likely landmines you'll encounter differ, depending on your weapon of choice.
I better say that I was talking from the standpoint of fiddle.
Especially the part about practicing the tunes instead of scales for intonation and tone.
Well, I think playing tunes is more useful than scales on any instrument for this music. Sure, it doesn't hurt to know the scales and have some basic familiarity with them under your fingers, but in this music, the tunes *are* the "practice etudes." Play the tunes, and you'll eventually encounter all the stuff you need to know to play the tunes.
Just my $0.02.
Maybe the bsst thing you can do to prep for a session is get a list of the tunes they play most often and learn those tunes. Some sessions routinely keep such lists, or at least someone will have a suggested list of local favorites. Of course, which tunes get played on a given night depends on which players show up, what moods their in, what they played last week, etc. And for a decent session, the list of tunes gets ridiculously long in a hurry. Such a list for my own local session would run into hundreds and hundreds of tunes if we included every tune each of us might start on any given night.
But hundreds of tunes is a "short list" compared to the thousands of possibilities, eh?
You also can't go wrong by learning tunes that are most widely known. See for instance:
It's very popular now to record your session and then learn to play along with the recording. Unfortunately, if I see that anyone is recording a session that I'm playing in then I can suddenly neither play nor speak - and the evening is ruined for me. Perhaps most people don't mind?
Mr K
it's all in the tunes, and the tunes are all. so, depending on what tunes are played a lot or little, let that direct your work outside the session.
*take a tape recorder [but don't record everything...one tends to panic and think "I must have thatt"] in other words,.give yourself time and others a break
*get a pen out and write down the names of tunes you ESPECIALLY like...start with those perhaps...think about learning a [relatively] simple tune, say, every one to two weeks. Soon you'll have 10-12 tunes. Enough to join in or perhaps start a "set". But don't aks about every tune someone plays ;)....it can get annoying. Be cool. Be patient.
*consider thinking about learning tunes as Sets [ie, two to three tunes that the players you hang out with often play back to back...it's more satisfying all around than merely trotting out one tune in isolation...and other session mates will thank you for that approach ...ie, the set approach]
*Be cool. Listen. Watch. Think about the music. And "it" will happen.
* One other thing, buy lots of cds with traditional music and listen to them also -- A LOT.
It's a bummer that you're so far away from the session, but you might even consider going to the session once or twice without even taking an instrument. Go listen, maybe record a bit, if they're not adverse to the idea, and strike up a conversation with the players.
You could let them know that you play, but that you're not experienced in Irish sessions. They'll most likely invite you to bring an instrument next time, or even lend you one to play a tune or two on. Getting to know the people at the session is a great way to get all of your questions answered, because many of those things vary from session to session.
If you can get to know some of the people, that can lead to things like email communication, and people will often be willing to send you recordings of them playing tunes, and lists of common tunes at that session, etc.
There is one subject that has not been touched upon and that is Session etiquette which should be considered in preparing to do a session.
Stewart Hendrickson has written an informative piece (Part two) on session etiquette that appears appears on his website at www.stolif.edu or Google the subject matter.
As a beginner myself, I found it very helpful and much appreciated by the regular session players.
Generally sound advice, but I chuckled at this remark "But don’t clap or “whoop” during a tune as this may tend to throw them off or worse, scare them."
So, come on, own up, who's been 'scared' by audience approval?
I'd have to learn the ropes, but I could probably accompany with guitar in std tuning without a whole lot of learning curve. My preference would be to work on flute, but I started with whistle and am probably the most comfortable there as far as a melody instrument.
I've been putting a little bit of an ITM collection together and listen at home, in the car and anywhere else where I won't drive somebody else crazy.
I play the tunes, am pretty good with sight-reading the ones that I'm more familiar with, so I guess it's practice, practice, practice until they stick to my memory. Almost seems like sometimes for every new tune I take on, two slip away!
Thanks for the advice. I guess it's one step at a time!
Keep listening! Last night I was listening to Sharon Shannon & Michael McGoldrick on a CD simply called 'Tunes' It's grand.
How was the session in Asheville?
I searched here. 2 are listed. One at Jack of the Wood Pub (Sunday evening) http://jackofthewood.com/ & a new one at Firestorm Cafe
which provides space for acoustic music (Wednesday - no time listed) Submitted on August 28th 2008 by mactnasi. http://www.thesession.org/sessions/display/2042
2 others come up but one appears to be an accordian for sell (?)The other has ceased having sessions.
For North Carolina thesession.org gives 17 results.
I agree with the point about practicing tunes instead of scales.iI find that it's important to isolate tricky sections of a tune. For example, the passage of ABc or cBA drives me crazy, as well as gdB and ecA on my flute. So, I practice Father Kelly's and Humours of Ennistymon which abound in those nasty combinations of notes.
There have been numerous discussions (and arguments) around here about using sheet music to learn tunes. And I'm hoping we don't have to re-hash that all here. But my thinking is that you'd be better off by getting recordings of what that specific session plays, and work on learning from those recordings by ear, while only using sheet music as an occasional reference, if you have to, because the settings of tunes that they play are probably not going to match the sheet music, and this way, you'll also learn the kind of swing and lift that they play with in that session. The best way to get good at playing with other people is by actually doing it. Playing along with recordings is a reasonable facsimile of that, especially when you're first starting out. And I think learning a tune by ear is a quicker path to getting it "stuck in the memory", at least once you get some practice in at learning by ear...
The fact that you already have experience playing other styles of music is both a huge plus, as well as a potential drawback. You have familiarity with music and your instruments, which is great. But you don't necessarily have a handle on the subtle things that make Irish music sound like Irish music. So even if you have a tune in your head, you may be missing some of the other elements, in which case, you're best off letting other people lead the tunes while you try to match what they're doing - learning tunes from sheet music is not going to give you that crucial information.
Reverend always gives good advice. I'll have to go back & read his latest. But 1st I want to run the credits for my last post; http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/1496
"Tunes"
Sharon Shannon, Frankie Gavin, Michael McGoldrick And Jim Murray
guest musicians Tony Molloy [bass], James Mackintosh [ percussion ], John Joe kelly [ bodhran ] and Mary Shannon [ banjo ].
Give it a listen! I love "Tunes" !!
Floss the Tethers I will totally own up to that one. Last summer I was at a session mate's potluck She invited all her musician friends.
Many genre's ~ swing, bluegrass, Irish, fiddle tunes . . . Plenty of good food, good company, wonderful musicians. We warmed up for a little while & it was craic. People started gathering around & listening ~ no problem because the sound was great. Eventually everyone at the potluck had an instrument in their hand or was 'in the audience.' So one particular tune ended & the crowd enthusiastically applauded. This set the mood for the rest of the evening. The musicians were on! This is a good thing & I am not complaining. An audience loves being engaged & showing their appreciation. Performers love to hear the applause.
For me, & this is only myself, I love to be in a nice small circle of musicians, exchanging humours with the musician next to me. I even like to hear whoops from anyone so inspired. But when I get the applause it is no longer about everything just happening. Then I have to get it 'right'.
One the one hand, when I play with a band, the applause is great. We have repetoire! Then I am unshaken by anything from the audience. On the other hand in Irish sessions or when I am getting to know new musicans I like the freedom of not having to 'get it right'. If anyone does clap I will try to appreciate the ironic humour. In the meantime, yeah, I'll cop to that. Scares me. ;)
Actually, it was a session at Jack in the Wood. There was a young piper, a couple fiddlers of different ages, a guitarist and a bodhran player. Most were local. Very impromptu. A couple of 'train wrecks', and several good sets. The bodhran player did an a capella in Gaelic that I was quite impressed with. Got a chance to speak with him outside for a moment. Young gent, nice and friendly chap. Wasn't sure if he was over for a time, or living over here. Mostly sat, listened and enjoyed a pint or two, that aside. Oh, and the bartenders all wore kilts!
"A useful and humorous guide to the Irish session is the Field Guide to the Irish Music Session (a guide to enjoying Irish traditional music in its natural habitat ) by Seattle writer and musician Barry Fox (with drawings by Rob Adams), available at Dusty Strings."
Sounds like a fine session. Keep us posted. Be sure to let your friends, closer to home, know you are listening to & playing traditional sessions. That is how we began our 1st session. You never know.
I was living near there at the time. Haven't been there in several years. I'll take a look for session etiquette and the Field Guide, and of course I'll keep playing. Thank you for the responses and best wishes.
I prepare for a session as follows:
1. Have a jolly good sh*t.
2. Have my man servant run me a bath with candles and oils and other girly things. Bathe whilst smoking a big fat zut of prime Jamaican ganja and receiving a blow job from my woman friend.
3. Inform the chauffeur when I want to leave the house and at which time they should be outside the pub waiting for me at the end of the session or when I’ve had enough.
4. Have my maid lay out a set of suitably Celtic peasant / folksy clothing (Aran jumper, beard, corduroy tryzers, farmer’s wellies et cetera).
5. In silk dressing gown, eat dinner prepared especially by my chef: Bacon & cabbage with champ with a bottle of claret. Have Val Doonican’s greatest hits played on the stereo.
6. Drink half bottle of Bushmills.
7. Pop an E & drink some absinthe.
8. Smoke another big fat zut of prime Jamaican ganja.
9. Have my guitar tech restring & tune my old Martin and clean my whistles.
10. Put on the clothes and climb in the old Roller.
11. Be driven to session pub, guitar tech. following up in Transit van with my instruments, snacks, drugs and booze.
12. Get to session pub, buy a round of drinks for everyone, select a good chair, sit down and have my guitar tech hand me whichever instrument I choose to play.
Stewart Hendrickson is wrong on "Whooping and Clapping" as is it is allowed here on Cape Cod and generally encouraged as long the clapper isn't standing up holding a glass of Jameson while clapping.
"How to prepare for a session? my child, come hither and I will tell thee. When all thy fellows are gaily donning the saffron robe, dress thyself in the rags of the big-nose and go thee down to the market and buy the meanest and most ill-used instrument thou seest there, it matters not of what kind, for thus thou wilt learn compassion, even for the little bugs that live within it, for all that thou wouldst not want to come back as one.
Then thou shalt go on a far journey, to find a teacher: even, maybe, to the land of Con-Ne-Mara, where the great sages like Mol Loy and Fra Nkie Ga Vin live surrounded by unnumbered seekers after enlightenment. Join them, and you will have many experiences. Floors may become vertical, for instance, but kiddest thou not thyself that thy puny mental powers have brought this to pass; it is but the effect of the black soma that thou cannot help but consume, there being nothing else to do there, except play the instrument for which thou hast not yet found a teacher.
But at the right time a teacher will come, and you are to treasure every koan that comes from his gracious lips, even if it of a disconcerting nature, for it is but to try you: such as, "Pack in wrecking the music with that thing, will ye!", or, "I'll only play that piece of sh*te if you give me a tenner!" Consider, child, at such times the paradoxes of existence, even as thou weepest hot tears in the midst of the heartless throng, for thou knowest them more truly than they, in particular the complete unfairness of life to the well-meaning. Even the adepts do not comprehend this. But as they are adepts it is a matter that is not their concern, and therefore does not interest them.
But within the ruins of your self-esteem your true self - the Non-Self, the Overself, the Inner Self, the Beside-Yourself and the Bedside Shelf - shall arise and flourish like the Bamboo Lotus when there's a run on Special Fried Rice at festival time.
Can you give me my $10000 fee now, up front? I want it before the dollar - Aaaaargh! Here comes the Revenue! Lemme out the back, for f****' sake!..."
How to prepare for a session?
How to prepare for a session?
I am rather new here (embarrasingly so, apparently) and am wondering how one might go about preparing for playing at a session?
I'm +2hrs each way from the nearest sessions and teachers, have only been to one session (Asheville, NC) and am relatively new to ITM, though I do have some experience around music / musicians. Mostly jam sessions, song circles and occasional public performance (sitting in on gigs).
Should I play through the 'most requested' until I can solo them? Should I play through a lot of different tune types and keys to 'get the knots out'? Should I scorn sight-reading, or just not get too dependent on it? Are scales and exercises helpful, or should I just play the tunes? Can I 'take the tune out' or is that frowned upon in a session environment? Does it depend on the session? Do I need to wait and start a discussion on each of these individually over the next several months (maybe one a week or so)? That's my 20 questions, any response would be helpful and welcome (no snubs without obvious humor, please)!
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by mrkelahan
Re: How to prepare for a session?
I'm in the same boat as you, so I'll share some of what little I've found....
I think its a better use of time to just play the tunes rather than practice scales. There's not alot of improvising, like at a blues jam, so scales are really just good for working on genreal mechanics like intonation and tone production, and you can work on those by playing the tunes slowly.
As far as tune types and keys, I'd say jigs and reels in the common keys. Most tunes are in 1st position on the fiddle, so don't worry about playing in E flat, A flat, C sharp or those keys
Again, that is very different from blues jams and open jam sessions here in the states.
definitely don't take it out on a tune. Everybody plays in unison, and messing around noodling along while people are playing is considered bad form. That much I'm sure about.(again, very different from blues jams)
as for what tunes to learn, I can't help you there. That is different for every session
good luck
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Nate Ryan
Re: How to prepare for a session?
Help us out--are you thinking of playing guitar at a session, or whistle/flute? The likely landmines you'll encounter differ, depending on your weapon of choice.
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Will CPT
Re: How to prepare for a session?
Yes, mrkelahan, what is your favorite weapon of musical destruction (or distraction as the case may be)?
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by fauxcelt
Re: How to prepare for a session?
good point, Will.
I better say that I was talking from the standpoint of fiddle.
Especially the part about practicing the tunes instead of scales for intonation and tone.
sorry about that.
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Nate Ryan
Re: How to prepare for a session?
Well, I think playing tunes is more useful than scales on any instrument for this music. Sure, it doesn't hurt to know the scales and have some basic familiarity with them under your fingers, but in this music, the tunes *are* the "practice etudes." Play the tunes, and you'll eventually encounter all the stuff you need to know to play the tunes.
Just my $0.02.
Maybe the bsst thing you can do to prep for a session is get a list of the tunes they play most often and learn those tunes. Some sessions routinely keep such lists, or at least someone will have a suggested list of local favorites. Of course, which tunes get played on a given night depends on which players show up, what moods their in, what they played last week, etc. And for a decent session, the list of tunes gets ridiculously long in a hurry. Such a list for my own local session would run into hundreds and hundreds of tunes if we included every tune each of us might start on any given night.
But hundreds of tunes is a "short list" compared to the thousands of possibilities, eh?
You also can't go wrong by learning tunes that are most widely known. See for instance:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/18036/
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/18049/
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Will CPT
Re: How to prepare for a session?
It's very popular now to record your session and then learn to play along with the recording. Unfortunately, if I see that anyone is recording a session that I'm playing in then I can suddenly neither play nor speak - and the evening is ruined for me. Perhaps most people don't mind?
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by LowProfile
Re: How to prepare for a session?
I agree with you there, Will. And when I had to take classical guitar in music school, that's what my teacher said, too.
Use the music to build your technique. Its just a more efficient use of time.
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Nate Ryan
Re: How to prepare for a session?
Mr K
it's all in the tunes, and the tunes are all. so, depending on what tunes are played a lot or little, let that direct your work outside the session.
*take a tape recorder [but don't record everything...one tends to panic and think "I must have thatt"] in other words,.give yourself time and others a break
*get a pen out and write down the names of tunes you ESPECIALLY like...start with those perhaps...think about learning a [relatively] simple tune, say, every one to two weeks. Soon you'll have 10-12 tunes. Enough to join in or perhaps start a "set". But don't aks about every tune someone plays ;)....it can get annoying. Be cool. Be patient.
*consider thinking about learning tunes as Sets [ie, two to three tunes that the players you hang out with often play back to back...it's more satisfying all around than merely trotting out one tune in isolation...and other session mates will thank you for that approach ...ie, the set approach]
*Be cool. Listen. Watch. Think about the music. And "it" will happen.
* One other thing, buy lots of cds with traditional music and listen to them also -- A LOT.
it's all in the tunes.....
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by mtodd
Re: How to prepare for a session?
It's a bummer that you're so far away from the session, but you might even consider going to the session once or twice without even taking an instrument. Go listen, maybe record a bit, if they're not adverse to the idea, and strike up a conversation with the players.
You could let them know that you play, but that you're not experienced in Irish sessions. They'll most likely invite you to bring an instrument next time, or even lend you one to play a tune or two on. Getting to know the people at the session is a great way to get all of your questions answered, because many of those things vary from session to session.
If you can get to know some of the people, that can lead to things like email communication, and people will often be willing to send you recordings of them playing tunes, and lists of common tunes at that session, etc.
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Reverend
Re: How to prepare for a session?
There is one subject that has not been touched upon and that is Session etiquette which should be considered in preparing to do a session.
Stewart Hendrickson has written an informative piece (Part two) on session etiquette that appears appears on his website at www.stolif.edu or Google the subject matter.
As a beginner myself, I found it very helpful and much appreciated by the regular session players.
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Parlor Boyle
Re: How to prepare for a session?
The proper link is http://www.stolaf.edu/people/hend/VictoryMusic/TheIrishSession2.html.
Generally sound advice, but I chuckled at this remark "But don’t clap or “whoop” during a tune as this may tend to throw them off or worse, scare them."
So, come on, own up, who's been 'scared' by audience approval?
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Floss the Tethers
Re: How to prepare for a session?
I'd have to learn the ropes, but I could probably accompany with guitar in std tuning without a whole lot of learning curve. My preference would be to work on flute, but I started with whistle and am probably the most comfortable there as far as a melody instrument.
I've been putting a little bit of an ITM collection together and listen at home, in the car and anywhere else where I won't drive somebody else crazy.
I play the tunes, am pretty good with sight-reading the ones that I'm more familiar with, so I guess it's practice, practice, practice until they stick to my memory. Almost seems like sometimes for every new tune I take on, two slip away!
Thanks for the advice. I guess it's one step at a time!
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by mrkelahan
Re: How to prepare for a session?
Keep listening! Last night I was listening to Sharon Shannon & Michael McGoldrick on a CD simply called 'Tunes' It's grand.
How was the session in Asheville?
I searched here. 2 are listed. One at Jack of the Wood Pub (Sunday evening)
http://jackofthewood.com/ & a new one at Firestorm Cafe
which provides space for acoustic music (Wednesday - no time listed) Submitted on August 28th 2008 by mactnasi. http://www.thesession.org/sessions/display/2042
2 others come up but one appears to be an accordian for sell (?)The other has ceased having sessions.
For North Carolina thesession.org gives 17 results.
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Random_notes
Re: How to prepare for a session?
I agree with the point about practicing tunes instead of scales.iI find that it's important to isolate tricky sections of a tune. For example, the passage of ABc or cBA drives me crazy, as well as gdB and ecA on my flute. So, I practice Father Kelly's and Humours of Ennistymon which abound in those nasty combinations of notes.
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: How to prepare for a session?
There have been numerous discussions (and arguments) around here about using sheet music to learn tunes. And I'm hoping we don't have to re-hash that all here. But my thinking is that you'd be better off by getting recordings of what that specific session plays, and work on learning from those recordings by ear, while only using sheet music as an occasional reference, if you have to, because the settings of tunes that they play are probably not going to match the sheet music, and this way, you'll also learn the kind of swing and lift that they play with in that session. The best way to get good at playing with other people is by actually doing it. Playing along with recordings is a reasonable facsimile of that, especially when you're first starting out. And I think learning a tune by ear is a quicker path to getting it "stuck in the memory", at least once you get some practice in at learning by ear...
The fact that you already have experience playing other styles of music is both a huge plus, as well as a potential drawback. You have familiarity with music and your instruments, which is great. But you don't necessarily have a handle on the subtle things that make Irish music sound like Irish music. So even if you have a tune in your head, you may be missing some of the other elements, in which case, you're best off letting other people lead the tunes while you try to match what they're doing - learning tunes from sheet music is not going to give you that crucial information.
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Reverend
Re: How to prepare for a session?
Reverend always gives good advice. I'll have to go back & read his latest. But 1st I want to run the credits for my last post;
http://www.thesession.org/recordings/display/1496
"Tunes"
Sharon Shannon, Frankie Gavin, Michael McGoldrick And Jim Murray
guest musicians Tony Molloy [bass], James Mackintosh [ percussion ], John Joe kelly [ bodhran ] and Mary Shannon [ banjo ].
Give it a listen! I love "Tunes" !!
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Random_notes
Reading Barry Fox's Field Guide this morning
Floss the Tethers I will totally own up to that one. Last summer I was at a session mate's potluck She invited all her musician friends.
Many genre's ~ swing, bluegrass, Irish, fiddle tunes . . . Plenty of good food, good company, wonderful musicians. We warmed up for a little while & it was craic. People started gathering around & listening ~ no problem because the sound was great. Eventually everyone at the potluck had an instrument in their hand or was 'in the audience.' So one particular tune ended & the crowd enthusiastically applauded. This set the mood for the rest of the evening. The musicians were on! This is a good thing & I am not complaining. An audience loves being engaged & showing their appreciation. Performers love to hear the applause.
For me, & this is only myself, I love to be in a nice small circle of musicians, exchanging humours with the musician next to me. I even like to hear whoops from anyone so inspired. But when I get the applause it is no longer about everything just happening. Then I have to get it 'right'.
One the one hand, when I play with a band, the applause is great. We have repetoire! Then I am unshaken by anything from the audience. On the other hand in Irish sessions or when I am getting to know new musicans I like the freedom of not having to 'get it right'. If anyone does clap I will try to appreciate the ironic humour. In the meantime, yeah, I'll cop to that. Scares me. ;)
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Random_notes
Re: How to prepare for a session?
Actually, it was a session at Jack in the Wood. There was a young piper, a couple fiddlers of different ages, a guitarist and a bodhran player. Most were local. Very impromptu. A couple of 'train wrecks', and several good sets. The bodhran player did an a capella in Gaelic that I was quite impressed with. Got a chance to speak with him outside for a moment. Young gent, nice and friendly chap. Wasn't sure if he was over for a time, or living over here. Mostly sat, listened and enjoyed a pint or two, that aside. Oh, and the bartenders all wore kilts!
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by mrkelahan
Re: How to prepare for a session?
"A useful and humorous guide to the Irish session is the Field Guide to the Irish Music Session (a guide to enjoying Irish traditional music in its natural habitat ) by Seattle writer and musician Barry Fox (with drawings by Rob Adams), available at Dusty Strings."
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Random_notes
Re: How to prepare for a session?
Sounds like a fine session. Keep us posted. Be sure to let your friends, closer to home, know you are listening to & playing traditional sessions. That is how we began our 1st session. You never know.
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Random_notes
* typo
Let your friends know you are listening to & playing traditional music (& had to drive all the way to Asheville).
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by Random_notes
Re: How to prepare for a session?
I was living near there at the time. Haven't been there in several years. I'll take a look for session etiquette and the Field Guide, and of course I'll keep playing. Thank you for the responses and best wishes.
# Posted on September 18th 2008 by mrkelahan
Re: How to prepare for a session?
I prepare for a session as follows:
1. Have a jolly good sh*t.
2. Have my man servant run me a bath with candles and oils and other girly things. Bathe whilst smoking a big fat zut of prime Jamaican ganja and receiving a blow job from my woman friend.
3. Inform the chauffeur when I want to leave the house and at which time they should be outside the pub waiting for me at the end of the session or when I’ve had enough.
4. Have my maid lay out a set of suitably Celtic peasant / folksy clothing (Aran jumper, beard, corduroy tryzers, farmer’s wellies et cetera).
5. In silk dressing gown, eat dinner prepared especially by my chef: Bacon & cabbage with champ with a bottle of claret. Have Val Doonican’s greatest hits played on the stereo.
6. Drink half bottle of Bushmills.
7. Pop an E & drink some absinthe.
8. Smoke another big fat zut of prime Jamaican ganja.
9. Have my guitar tech restring & tune my old Martin and clean my whistles.
10. Put on the clothes and climb in the old Roller.
11. Be driven to session pub, guitar tech. following up in Transit van with my instruments, snacks, drugs and booze.
12. Get to session pub, buy a round of drinks for everyone, select a good chair, sit down and have my guitar tech hand me whichever instrument I choose to play.
NOW I AM PREPARED FOR ASESSION.
# Posted on September 19th 2008 by Krick Stahlschwanz
Re: How to prepare for a session?
lol
# Posted on September 19th 2008 by amongthelilies
Re: How to prepare for a session?
Stewart Hendrickson is wrong on "Whooping and Clapping" as is it is allowed here on Cape Cod and generally encouraged as long the clapper isn't standing up holding a glass of Jameson while clapping.
That would be a waste of a Jameson!
# Posted on September 19th 2008 by Parlor Boyle
Re: How to prepare for a session?
LOL. Wouldn't that be ascension? Sessions that I've heard on high?
# Posted on September 19th 2008 by mrkelahan
Re: How to prepare for a session?
I've been completely thrown off course before by an encouraging whoop. It's like being rudely awakened by a faulty alarm clock at 3 am.
# Posted on September 19th 2008 by ragaman
Re: How to prepare for a session?
"How to prepare for a session? my child, come hither and I will tell thee. When all thy fellows are gaily donning the saffron robe, dress thyself in the rags of the big-nose and go thee down to the market and buy the meanest and most ill-used instrument thou seest there, it matters not of what kind, for thus thou wilt learn compassion, even for the little bugs that live within it, for all that thou wouldst not want to come back as one.
Then thou shalt go on a far journey, to find a teacher: even, maybe, to the land of Con-Ne-Mara, where the great sages like Mol Loy and Fra Nkie Ga Vin live surrounded by unnumbered seekers after enlightenment. Join them, and you will have many experiences. Floors may become vertical, for instance, but kiddest thou not thyself that thy puny mental powers have brought this to pass; it is but the effect of the black soma that thou cannot help but consume, there being nothing else to do there, except play the instrument for which thou hast not yet found a teacher.
But at the right time a teacher will come, and you are to treasure every koan that comes from his gracious lips, even if it of a disconcerting nature, for it is but to try you: such as, "Pack in wrecking the music with that thing, will ye!", or, "I'll only play that piece of sh*te if you give me a tenner!" Consider, child, at such times the paradoxes of existence, even as thou weepest hot tears in the midst of the heartless throng, for thou knowest them more truly than they, in particular the complete unfairness of life to the well-meaning. Even the adepts do not comprehend this. But as they are adepts it is a matter that is not their concern, and therefore does not interest them.
But within the ruins of your self-esteem your true self - the Non-Self, the Overself, the Inner Self, the Beside-Yourself and the Bedside Shelf - shall arise and flourish like the Bamboo Lotus when there's a run on Special Fried Rice at festival time.
Can you give me my $10000 fee now, up front? I want it before the dollar - Aaaaargh! Here comes the Revenue! Lemme out the back, for f****' sake!..."
# Posted on September 19th 2008 by nicholas