Memorable post: 'How come the tunes which come up in "The Best" threads are the same as those which people suggest in the "Worst ever" threads?'
# Posted on July 24th by Johannes J
Dance tunes can be played to optimum effect by a minority of the players in any session playing at any one time: the tunes and the players' skills are thus heard at their best, and the other sessioners benefit by listening receptively as each crunched roll or whatever sounds out clear as a bell, to be inwardly digested by those bent on acquiring musical merit. A whole session (let's say, a dozen people) playing a given set of tunes can sag, as we all know.
But TFOA *demands* the whole session playing along. This is necessary to:
Placate / quell / satisfy the punter who has demanded or begun to sing it;
Give sessioners something to play who've been or felt left out;
Make as much maudlin, anthemic, vinous noise as possible, something I personally like doing;
Procure the gift of a round of drinks from the punter(s);
Practise fugues or whatever on the tune when bored, which nobody else will hear or be put out by;
- And no doubt many other reasons, including that TFOA and suchlike have a certain elasticity, making them sound better when sung / played by a dozen people at a dozen different speeds than The Foxhunters' (whichever) played by a dozen people at thirteen different speeds.
They can also lead to Paddy's Night engagements, free pints and emolument: I speak from experience here.
For me, it's almost always the last one I learned. It's always fresh and different. It caught my ear, and as soon as I learned it, I fell in love with it. There's a period of exploration, like a new relationship, and I can't get enough of playing it. Until the next tune I learn, at least...
"just one tune that all session players should know"
The problem with this question is that we're not necessarily being asked to name our favourite tune here (Of course, we wouldn't agree about that either) but to suggest which is the essential "common tune" which everybody ought to know.
However, once we've played that tune at our local session what do we find to do for the rest of the night?
Thank you the last two - you have placed some faith back into the male gender - I was beginning to think that this site was just fueled by cynical male aggression (referring to the first replies of course).
If this is such an "idiotic question" why are you answering at all fiddleruairi? Do you think insulting me is your way of promoting good music? If you don't like the question leave it alone.
I imagine that you are fairly new to this forum but you'll soon realise that this type of question has been asked several times before.. with much the same results.
Of course, that's no reason at all for people to be rude.
Personally, I'd find it very difficult to name a favourite tune or suggest one that everyone should learn. As Michael suggests (and I agree with that part of his reply), it all depends on the context. Also, the mood (your own and that of the occasion), the location, even the genre and style of music plus several other factors.
Also, like Reverend, I often fall in love with one I've just learned. Mind you, sometimes the learning process itself can often prove to be a rocky relationship.
if you cant see whats wrong with the question you're asking whats the point in playing the music? im sorry you find my response rude but the fact is it IS stupid question. no matter how naively it is asked. the reason i replied is because thats how i feel. its not that i dont like the question, im doing you a favour, if you went and asked any well known musician or any half decent musician this. they would probably laugh in your face, so better me telling you now than later down the line. maybe the better question to ask is what is your FAVOURITE tune?
Deb, I'll try and be constructive. The closest we've got to covering this topic is the now famous lists from Dow and Will. Will's lists are particularly good. You can find them here:
The problem with asking for just one tune is that it must ignore context. Will's list tries to cover as many contexts as it can. It's a lot of tunes, but only a tiny fraction of those available. The strength of the list is that once you have learned them all, you should be able to have a decent few tunes with anyone. The caveat though, is that for every one tune you learn off the list, you really must be learning at least a few that aren't on it.
As I said, we'd also get loads of different responses if we were asked for our favourite tune too. Of course, it would be more meaningful if we were asked to qualify our answer.
However, I think Deb was also looking for an "essential tune" which everybody needs to have in their repertoire or should learn. Of course, there's hundreds of these and it really does depend on the circumstances and context when they should be played. Although you will obviously benefit from learning a large number of these, none of them on their own are actually "essential". If you don't know one particular tune, it doesn't really matter in the great scheme of things... unless it's The Bucks of course, eh Michael?
Ruari,
You say
"any half decent musician .... would probably laugh in your face"
I'd like to think that any "half decent" human being(even) would be more tactful than this.
well im sure you'd know about being tactful wen dealing with baby questions like this one hmm? do you actually not see the silliness of the question? what if i came up to you and ask you to play the best tune ever? how can you deny the ridiculousness of the question! i guess there's one thing we can agree on, ask a stupid question...ye no the rest. what did you expect?
When a 5 year old comes up and asks you a ridiculous question, do you laugh in their face, call them names, and tell them that they're unbelievably naive? No, you answer the question in a way that is appropriate to the situation.
Not everybody here grew up in Ireland, surrounded by a family that plays this music.
You can respond to a silly question in a way that lets the person know that the question is silly without being rude about it. Unless your intention is to make the person feel bad, or somehow prove yourself to be superior...
lol. i'm sorry, but im sure the person who asked this question is not 5 years old. how can you judge a persons reaction to a question asked by an adult and by this determine how they would react to a five year old? you can't. plain and simple. this is a reaction to the question.
and you are absolutely right! you answer in a way that is appropriate to the situation. in this situation we have obviously someone who plays music, has been for a coulpe of years. and then there is my feelings about the question, which i have no qualms about. thats how strongly i feel. the reaction would be same regardless of how experienced a person is on this site or how good they are a musician. maybe if a five year old logged onto the site maybe then may reaction would be different because, well, they are five. kids are innocent and think completely differently to an adult. they don't know any better. i have tought both adults and kids and would never talk to the adutls the same way as i do to the kids,the younger kids.
this isn't a matter of growing up in ireland. the same question can be applied anywhere. whats the tastiest food? what is the best pop song? they are all the same. there is none. its all subjective. people can pat themselves on the back all they want for having thought of great retorts but that doesn't change how i feel. of course peopl dont like the hard handed way i replied to the question, but when a question like that is asked again by someone it becomes irritating. far from trying to feel superior, it is a vent of anger and frustration at the 100th person to ask that question. in this case it was the unfortunate mando who bore the brunt. the wrong place at the wrong time scenario i guess. okay i do feel my reaction might have been overtly aggressive so i apologise. but i still feel the same way about the question.
I dont think that there is any best ever tune I couldnt pick just one anyway but if I would pick one at a struggle Id pick the sally gardens reel cause its dead lively. O and I thought I should add there is no such thing as a stupid question when you learn something from asking it
hmmm. I don't think there is anything wrong with asking what your favourite tune is!!!
Maybe it annoys people because it is difficult to answer!
I like 'Ryan's Favourite' (also known as the lilting banshee). Not just coz it is a handy jig, but mainly because an old friend who I have lost touch with taught me it and it reminds me of another time and place!
also:
I play The Gravel walks a lot these days. Favourite hornpipe is The Rights Of Man although.... Kitty's wedding is a new one for me.
Hmm.
The Hag at the churn, kid on the mountain (bothy band) deserve a mention, as does the Kerfunten , Out on the Ocean (Martin Hayes). Just coz I like the way they played 'em.
Bloody ridiculous question that to give a response to would be completely beneath me. I just cannot play this game. Ludicrous indeed. The correct answer is, of course, Trip to Durrow.
Mando Deb, Please search the Discussions section for the name "Out on the Ocean." You will find listed pretty much every discussion on this website during the last few years that deals with favorite tunes, best tunes, good learner tunes, etc, etc, as that tune has been my answer every time--no musical life is complete without enjoying its pleasures!
Oh, and by the way, fiddleruairi, what has your knickers in a twist? I note you being disagreeable on this thread, belittling someone who has displayed their insecurities on another thread, and generally engaging in behavior that is unpleasant at best. Everyone is welcome here, but every behavior is not. Please try to think a bit of the feelings of others before you begin your next post. Thanks.
Fiddleruairi comes from a traditional music family, and is therefore the keep[er of the sacred flame that is traditional music. Such people would need to keep the flame because they rarely encourage others to embrace the tradition. If you are not a maestro on starting, they will generally shun you.
I have met many like that which explains my rants about rules and regulations at sessions. However for all my faults I have never, ever tried to discpurage players, especially by being rude to them.
And to answer the question, I think everyone should be forced to learn the music from the "Titanic" because casual listeners or punters in a bar will recognise it and identify it.
A little PR exercise to indicate that you are aware of other people is not harmful, and not too much to ask.
well i had to laugh when i read you comment there bodhran bliss. you can bring up family this and that all you want but if i remember correctly, it was everyone else apart from me that decided this wud be a good argument against me. so what if i wasn't from a musical family then? what would your argument be? i wud never drag your family into an argument because i dont see what relevance that would have, but obviously you do judging from you sad opening little anecdote.
and speaking of encouraging others, i've bloody well tought music, i spent two hours travelling into clondalkin in dublin every tuesday last year after starting college at nine in the mornin to teach for 3 hours, and then travel 2 hours home between buses and what not and not get back til twelve at night. im not sayin i deserve a medal ( and i can already see the people replying back now having something to say about that), but if i really didnt give a sh it about the pupils why wud i do it huh? i cud easily just stay at home and just hand out tunes to students every week and take the money and run, but i get more satisfaction from actually seeing someone develop their playing. how can anyone be a maestro in starting?obviously you think you were judgin from some comments you made in the past, as tongue in cheek they may be why say stuff like this. obviously i know that is irrellevent though, just like bringing my family was into this. maybe if you weren't too busy putting words in my mouth you might realise how ill informed you comment is. i didnt try to discourage anyone from PLAYING, just from ever asking that same question again! if i did inadvertantly discourage this person than i take it back! but did i not apologise in my last comment? did i not say that my frustration was at the question being asked and it was just unfortunate that this particular person asked it? if you want to pick and choose through comments than fine, waste your own time.
Hey - I wasnt having a go at you ruairi - quite the opposite - as I myself am known for blowing up on this site all the time. I was actaully saying that all the people having a go at you have been known to lose it themselves sometimes on the board...
Ruairi, I wasn't trying to make you out as some elitist by pointing out your family background. I was just trying to point out that some members of this forum are virtually children when it comes to this music, even when they're adults, because they came to this music through different means, and to different degrees.
I happen to agree with you that the question is silly, or at best, a strange way of asking "what's your favorite tune", which is also a somewhat useless question... (Although, you'll notice that my initial response was basically an answer to that question, instead of the original posted one)
But if you look at your first response along with llig's first response, they're basically the same thing, that the question is useless without a context. While both of your answers were rather short and abrupt, llig's response said that the question was stupid, and your response was that the person who asked the question was stupid. That's an important distinction.
But I'm glad you apologized (twice), and I think you have some valid points. I hope that people can get past what you *said*, and look at what you *meant*
Just to set the record straight. I am not 5 years old but I am very new to Irish music and to this site, so was unaware this has been asked before. So perhaps I have come to this music like a child - I find the newness of it very exciting. However I had no idea that it came with so many "rules". I find that off-putting. Surely if it's okay for radio stations to ask what your desert island disc is then it's okay to have one in traditional music - but it appears that I have learned another lesson without even playing a note.
Thanks to those of you that have remained positive. And for my two pennies worth - I like the Butterfly.
What is wrong with a silly question? We can still have fun with it, and isn't craic a big part of what all this is about? (And besides, it gives me another opportunity to point out the shining merits of Out on the Ocean!)
And if we only talked about new things, there wouldn't be much to talk about around here, because we have, in some form, pretty much discussed everything I can think of relating to the music. But every time we bring a topic up, there are new participants in the discussions, new viewpoints, fresh ideas.
Attaching links to past discussions is positive. Looking at the discussion from another angle, and expanding the question (as llig did with his context comment) is positive (of course, his first statement 'stupid question' was negative, amazing how he can be both positive and negative within a single line).
Without new questions (even if they seem familiar to the oldtimers), and this discussion board would die away.
I am not making these statements to continue to pile onto fiddle ruiairi, who has quite graciously apologized, merely pointing out to all that every question deserves a constructive answer.
Deb and I cross-posted, and I agree with the points she is making (well, except for her choice of the Butterfly, not nearly as good a tune as Out on the Ocean).
And so they all lived 'happy ever after'
In passing...I have a LP Record (We didn't call them Albums in those days) It's called 'The Best Tunes Ever'...Guess what? There isn't one ITM tune on it.
the level of stupidity of the question is certainly much lower than the level of arrogance of some replies. musical family, musical skills, musical trips can't soften some "unmusical" attitudes. a tune which occours to me at the moment is "give me your hand". sometimes it even doesn't need a context.
Perhaps discussion boards are a bit like sessions -- a lot of unwritten rules and expectations that newcomers are absolutely not aware of. There is a decorum code for sessions certainly, but obviously many of us are still in "newbie" mode on The Session.org when it comes to understanding the "unwritten" rules/codes of polite discussion/rebuttal/slagging.
Mando Deb's questions was *naif* , yes, and has been hashed out a bilion times. She didn't know that. She was unaware in the same way that all of us were unaware of the "code" of sessions when we started out playing this music whether as adults or children.
well, looks like a sense of humour has escaped you aswell i see. lol. okay no more, all thats in the past, il let people back to the point of the thread.
I was going to write a big long reply to this, but to be honest, I coudn't be arsed. Some people here need to relax... Why not have a lighthearted discussion like this once in a while?
And anyway, how can you single out one tune as the best when it all sounds the same? LOLOLOL :-p
The best tune ever?
The best tune ever?
If you could name just one tune that all session players should know, just one, which you consider the best - what would it be?
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Mando Deb
Re: The best tune ever?
Jingle Bells
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by DADdyGADdy
Re: The best tune ever?
stupid question. One is meaningless. You have to have the context
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by ...
Re: The best tune ever?
Whatever happened to "the essence of all diddley", Michael?
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Johnny Jay
Re: The best tune ever?
i love the irish one, whats it...the kerry polka.
gimme a break mando dumbass. what an idiotic question that has no context in any way, shape or form.
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by fiddleruairi
Re: The best tune ever?
Whatever tunes are mentioned in this thread, I promise to never ever play them ever again ... (unless it's the bucks that is)
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by ...
Re: The best tune ever?
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/4063/
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Henk Bos
Re: The best tune ever?
Your mum
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by mehitabel23
Re: The best tune ever?
Memorable post: 'How come the tunes which come up in "The Best" threads are the same as those which people suggest in the "Worst ever" threads?'
# Posted on July 24th by Johannes J
Shows how meaningless these threads are....
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Henk Bos
Re: The best tune ever?
The Fields Of Athenry.
Dance tunes can be played to optimum effect by a minority of the players in any session playing at any one time: the tunes and the players' skills are thus heard at their best, and the other sessioners benefit by listening receptively as each crunched roll or whatever sounds out clear as a bell, to be inwardly digested by those bent on acquiring musical merit. A whole session (let's say, a dozen people) playing a given set of tunes can sag, as we all know.
But TFOA *demands* the whole session playing along. This is necessary to:
Placate / quell / satisfy the punter who has demanded or begun to sing it;
Give sessioners something to play who've been or felt left out;
Make as much maudlin, anthemic, vinous noise as possible, something I personally like doing;
Procure the gift of a round of drinks from the punter(s);
Practise fugues or whatever on the tune when bored, which nobody else will hear or be put out by;
- And no doubt many other reasons, including that TFOA and suchlike have a certain elasticity, making them sound better when sung / played by a dozen people at a dozen different speeds than The Foxhunters' (whichever) played by a dozen people at thirteen different speeds.
They can also lead to Paddy's Night engagements, free pints and emolument: I speak from experience here.
I rest my case.
(And I actually *like* The Fields Of Athenry..!)
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by nicholas
Re: The best tune ever?
For me, it's almost always the last one I learned. It's always fresh and different. It caught my ear, and as soon as I learned it, I fell in love with it. There's a period of exploration, like a new relationship, and I can't get enough of playing it. Until the next tune I learn, at least...
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Reverend
Re: The best tune ever?
"just one tune that all session players should know"
The problem with this question is that we're not necessarily being asked to name our favourite tune here (Of course, we wouldn't agree about that either) but to suggest which is the essential "common tune" which everybody ought to know.
However, once we've played that tune at our local session what do we find to do for the rest of the night?
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Johnny Jay
Re: The best tune ever?
Thank you the last two - you have placed some faith back into the male gender - I was beginning to think that this site was just fueled by cynical male aggression (referring to the first replies of course).
If this is such an "idiotic question" why are you answering at all fiddleruairi? Do you think insulting me is your way of promoting good music? If you don't like the question leave it alone.
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Mando Deb
Re: The best tune ever?
Deb,
I imagine that you are fairly new to this forum but you'll soon realise that this type of question has been asked several times before.. with much the same results.
Of course, that's no reason at all for people to be rude.
Personally, I'd find it very difficult to name a favourite tune or suggest one that everyone should learn. As Michael suggests (and I agree with that part of his reply), it all depends on the context. Also, the mood (your own and that of the occasion), the location, even the genre and style of music plus several other factors.
Also, like Reverend, I often fall in love with one I've just learned. Mind you, sometimes the learning process itself can often prove to be a rocky relationship.
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Johnny Jay
Re: The best tune ever?
Hey guys, you're right, this isn't a terribly productive question, but some responses were unforgivably rude (fiddleruari).
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by reenactor
Re: The best tune ever?
right, here's one then Michael:
Give Me Your Hand
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by skin&bow
Re: The best tune ever?
lol, ah i love this site.
if you cant see whats wrong with the question you're asking whats the point in playing the music? im sorry you find my response rude but the fact is it IS stupid question. no matter how naively it is asked. the reason i replied is because thats how i feel. its not that i dont like the question, im doing you a favour, if you went and asked any well known musician or any half decent musician this. they would probably laugh in your face, so better me telling you now than later down the line. maybe the better question to ask is what is your FAVOURITE tune?
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by fiddleruairi
Re: The best tune ever?
Deb, I'll try and be constructive. The closest we've got to covering this topic is the now famous lists from Dow and Will. Will's lists are particularly good. You can find them here:
http://www.thesession.org/members/display/58
The problem with asking for just one tune is that it must ignore context. Will's list tries to cover as many contexts as it can. It's a lot of tunes, but only a tiny fraction of those available. The strength of the list is that once you have learned them all, you should be able to have a decent few tunes with anyone. The caveat though, is that for every one tune you learn off the list, you really must be learning at least a few that aren't on it.
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by ...
Re: The best tune ever?
As I said, we'd also get loads of different responses if we were asked for our favourite tune too. Of course, it would be more meaningful if we were asked to qualify our answer.
However, I think Deb was also looking for an "essential tune" which everybody needs to have in their repertoire or should learn. Of course, there's hundreds of these and it really does depend on the circumstances and context when they should be played. Although you will obviously benefit from learning a large number of these, none of them on their own are actually "essential". If you don't know one particular tune, it doesn't really matter in the great scheme of things... unless it's The Bucks of course, eh Michael?
Ruari,
You say
"any half decent musician .... would probably laugh in your face"
I'd like to think that any "half decent" human being(even) would be more tactful than this.
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Johnny Jay
Re: The best tune ever?
The Bucks is the essence - that gets my vote Mando Deb!
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by RichardB
Re: The best tune ever?
Dr. Dupoint's Declaration http://www.thesession.org/tunes/display/18960
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: The best tune ever?
well im sure you'd know about being tactful wen dealing with baby questions like this one hmm? do you actually not see the silliness of the question? what if i came up to you and ask you to play the best tune ever? how can you deny the ridiculousness of the question! i guess there's one thing we can agree on, ask a stupid question...ye no the rest. what did you expect?
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by fiddleruairi
Re: The best tune ever?
So Ruairi,
When a 5 year old comes up and asks you a ridiculous question, do you laugh in their face, call them names, and tell them that they're unbelievably naive? No, you answer the question in a way that is appropriate to the situation.
Not everybody here grew up in Ireland, surrounded by a family that plays this music.
You can respond to a silly question in a way that lets the person know that the question is silly without being rude about it. Unless your intention is to make the person feel bad, or somehow prove yourself to be superior...
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Reverend
Re: The best tune ever?
Well done, Pete.
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Bob himself
Re: The best tune ever?
Well said Reverend! Here Here!
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by lilyot
Re: The best tune ever?
or even Hear Hear!
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Henk Bos
Re: The best tune ever?
lol. i'm sorry, but im sure the person who asked this question is not 5 years old. how can you judge a persons reaction to a question asked by an adult and by this determine how they would react to a five year old? you can't. plain and simple. this is a reaction to the question.
and you are absolutely right! you answer in a way that is appropriate to the situation. in this situation we have obviously someone who plays music, has been for a coulpe of years. and then there is my feelings about the question, which i have no qualms about. thats how strongly i feel. the reaction would be same regardless of how experienced a person is on this site or how good they are a musician. maybe if a five year old logged onto the site maybe then may reaction would be different because, well, they are five. kids are innocent and think completely differently to an adult. they don't know any better. i have tought both adults and kids and would never talk to the adutls the same way as i do to the kids,the younger kids.
this isn't a matter of growing up in ireland. the same question can be applied anywhere. whats the tastiest food? what is the best pop song? they are all the same. there is none. its all subjective. people can pat themselves on the back all they want for having thought of great retorts but that doesn't change how i feel. of course peopl dont like the hard handed way i replied to the question, but when a question like that is asked again by someone it becomes irritating. far from trying to feel superior, it is a vent of anger and frustration at the 100th person to ask that question. in this case it was the unfortunate mando who bore the brunt. the wrong place at the wrong time scenario i guess. okay i do feel my reaction might have been overtly aggressive so i apologise. but i still feel the same way about the question.
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by fiddleruairi
Re: The best tune ever?
Just lame...
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Imnotirish
Re: The best tune ever?
I dont think that there is any best ever tune I couldnt pick just one anyway but if I would pick one at a struggle Id pick the sally gardens reel cause its dead lively. O and I thought I should add there is no such thing as a stupid question when you learn something from asking it
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Allissa
Re: The best tune ever?
Can't do it. Much like potato chips, I can't eat (or pick) just one.
I do know that this here is 'the best day ever':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHcRd5hhN88
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: The best tune ever?
hmmm. I don't think there is anything wrong with asking what your favourite tune is!!!
Maybe it annoys people because it is difficult to answer!
I like 'Ryan's Favourite' (also known as the lilting banshee). Not just coz it is a handy jig, but mainly because an old friend who I have lost touch with taught me it and it reminds me of another time and place!
also:
I play The Gravel walks a lot these days. Favourite hornpipe is The Rights Of Man although.... Kitty's wedding is a new one for me.
Hmm.
The Hag at the churn, kid on the mountain (bothy band) deserve a mention, as does the Kerfunten , Out on the Ocean (Martin Hayes). Just coz I like the way they played 'em.
That enough, Mando Deb ?
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by richrua
Re: The best tune ever?
Bloody ridiculous question that to give a response to would be completely beneath me. I just cannot play this game. Ludicrous indeed. The correct answer is, of course, Trip to Durrow.
# Posted on October 1st 2008 by Steve Shaw
Re: The best tune ever?
Mando Deb, Please search the Discussions section for the name "Out on the Ocean." You will find listed pretty much every discussion on this website during the last few years that deals with favorite tunes, best tunes, good learner tunes, etc, etc, as that tune has been my answer every time--no musical life is complete without enjoying its pleasures!
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by AlBrown
Re: The best tune ever?
Oh, and by the way, fiddleruairi, what has your knickers in a twist? I note you being disagreeable on this thread, belittling someone who has displayed their insecurities on another thread, and generally engaging in behavior that is unpleasant at best. Everyone is welcome here, but every behavior is not. Please try to think a bit of the feelings of others before you begin your next post. Thanks.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by AlBrown
Re: The best tune ever?
It is indeed a subjective question - What I'd list as say my top 100 tunes would probably have ruairi running for the hills
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by bb
Re: The best tune ever?
Fiddleruairi comes from a traditional music family, and is therefore the keep[er of the sacred flame that is traditional music. Such people would need to keep the flame because they rarely encourage others to embrace the tradition. If you are not a maestro on starting, they will generally shun you.
I have met many like that which explains my rants about rules and regulations at sessions. However for all my faults I have never, ever tried to discpurage players, especially by being rude to them.
And to answer the question, I think everyone should be forced to learn the music from the "Titanic" because casual listeners or punters in a bar will recognise it and identify it.
A little PR exercise to indicate that you are aware of other people is not harmful, and not too much to ask.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by bodhran bliss
Re: The best tune ever?
Ok ok - calm everyone. We all have our meltdowns on the session - Ive had millions....this place will do it to you everytime.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by bb
Re: The best tune ever?
well i had to laugh when i read you comment there bodhran bliss. you can bring up family this and that all you want but if i remember correctly, it was everyone else apart from me that decided this wud be a good argument against me. so what if i wasn't from a musical family then? what would your argument be? i wud never drag your family into an argument because i dont see what relevance that would have, but obviously you do judging from you sad opening little anecdote.
and speaking of encouraging others, i've bloody well tought music, i spent two hours travelling into clondalkin in dublin every tuesday last year after starting college at nine in the mornin to teach for 3 hours, and then travel 2 hours home between buses and what not and not get back til twelve at night. im not sayin i deserve a medal ( and i can already see the people replying back now having something to say about that), but if i really didnt give a sh it about the pupils why wud i do it huh? i cud easily just stay at home and just hand out tunes to students every week and take the money and run, but i get more satisfaction from actually seeing someone develop their playing. how can anyone be a maestro in starting?obviously you think you were judgin from some comments you made in the past, as tongue in cheek they may be why say stuff like this. obviously i know that is irrellevent though, just like bringing my family was into this. maybe if you weren't too busy putting words in my mouth you might realise how ill informed you comment is. i didnt try to discourage anyone from PLAYING, just from ever asking that same question again! if i did inadvertantly discourage this person than i take it back! but did i not apologise in my last comment? did i not say that my frustration was at the question being asked and it was just unfortunate that this particular person asked it? if you want to pick and choose through comments than fine, waste your own time.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by fiddleruairi
Re: The best tune ever?
okay bb, im sorry, to all the people i abused, i will (try) be more tactful in future, agreed bodhran? (and anyone else)
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by fiddleruairi
Re: The best tune ever?
Hey - I wasnt having a go at you ruairi - quite the opposite - as I myself am known for blowing up on this site all the time. I was actaully saying that all the people having a go at you have been known to lose it themselves sometimes on the board...
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by bb
Re: The best tune ever?
Ruairi, I wasn't trying to make you out as some elitist by pointing out your family background. I was just trying to point out that some members of this forum are virtually children when it comes to this music, even when they're adults, because they came to this music through different means, and to different degrees.
I happen to agree with you that the question is silly, or at best, a strange way of asking "what's your favorite tune", which is also a somewhat useless question... (Although, you'll notice that my initial response was basically an answer to that question, instead of the original posted one)
But if you look at your first response along with llig's first response, they're basically the same thing, that the question is useless without a context. While both of your answers were rather short and abrupt, llig's response said that the question was stupid, and your response was that the person who asked the question was stupid. That's an important distinction.
But I'm glad you apologized (twice), and I think you have some valid points. I hope that people can get past what you *said*, and look at what you *meant*
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by Reverend
Re: The best tune ever?
Just to set the record straight. I am not 5 years old but I am very new to Irish music and to this site, so was unaware this has been asked before. So perhaps I have come to this music like a child - I find the newness of it very exciting. However I had no idea that it came with so many "rules". I find that off-putting. Surely if it's okay for radio stations to ask what your desert island disc is then it's okay to have one in traditional music - but it appears that I have learned another lesson without even playing a note.
Thanks to those of you that have remained positive. And for my two pennies worth - I like the Butterfly.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by Mando Deb
Re: The best tune ever?
What is wrong with a silly question? We can still have fun with it, and isn't craic a big part of what all this is about? (And besides, it gives me another opportunity to point out the shining merits of Out on the Ocean!)
And if we only talked about new things, there wouldn't be much to talk about around here, because we have, in some form, pretty much discussed everything I can think of relating to the music. But every time we bring a topic up, there are new participants in the discussions, new viewpoints, fresh ideas.
Attaching links to past discussions is positive. Looking at the discussion from another angle, and expanding the question (as llig did with his context comment) is positive (of course, his first statement 'stupid question' was negative, amazing how he can be both positive and negative within a single line).
Without new questions (even if they seem familiar to the oldtimers), and this discussion board would die away.
I am not making these statements to continue to pile onto fiddle ruiairi, who has quite graciously apologized, merely pointing out to all that every question deserves a constructive answer.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by AlBrown
Re: The best tune ever?
Deb and I cross-posted, and I agree with the points she is making (well, except for her choice of the Butterfly, not nearly as good a tune as Out on the Ocean).
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by AlBrown
Re: The best tune ever?
Al - I do like Out on the Ocean too - just to keep you happy - actually it was one of the first tunes I played mandolin on.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by Mando Deb
Re: The best tune ever?
And so they all lived 'happy ever after'
In passing...I have a LP Record (We didn't call them Albums in those days) It's called 'The Best Tunes Ever'...Guess what? There isn't one ITM tune on it.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by Free Reed
Re: The best tune ever?
the level of stupidity of the question is certainly much lower than the level of arrogance of some replies. musical family, musical skills, musical trips can't soften some "unmusical" attitudes. a tune which occours to me at the moment is "give me your hand". sometimes it even doesn't need a context.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by fiddlemax
Re: The best tune ever?
Is there any such thing as an ITM tune? Hang on, I'll just go and look in a tune -book...
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by Steve Shaw
Re: The best tune ever?
you're right. that's why i've chosen it. is a non context tune
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by fiddlemax
Re: The best tune ever?
I find that by putting ITM, it saves me having to write...Reels...Jigs...Hornpipes...Set Dances...Polkas..
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by Free Reed
Re: The best tune ever?
oh i know bb! i prob shud just hav apologised sooner! the words 'hole' and 'digging' come to mind.lol.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by fiddleruairi
Re: The best tune ever?
Perhaps discussion boards are a bit like sessions -- a lot of unwritten rules and expectations that newcomers are absolutely not aware of. There is a decorum code for sessions certainly, but obviously many of us are still in "newbie" mode on The Session.org when it comes to understanding the "unwritten" rules/codes of polite discussion/rebuttal/slagging.
Mando Deb's questions was *naif* , yes, and has been hashed out a bilion times. She didn't know that. She was unaware in the same way that all of us were unaware of the "code" of sessions when we started out playing this music whether as adults or children.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by skin&bow
Re: The best tune ever?
Yes you should have apologised sooner! especially when you contributed "hole and digging"
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by Allissa
Re: The best tune ever?
yes..i know. lol. the hole and digging was referring to digging a hole for myself. did you not get that? lol.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by fiddleruairi
Re: The best tune ever?
Now that you mention it, it escaped me but I wouldnt mind digging you a hole!
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by Allissa
Re: The best tune ever?
well, looks like a sense of humour has escaped you aswell i see. lol. okay no more, all thats in the past, il let people back to the point of the thread.
# Posted on October 2nd 2008 by fiddleruairi
Re: The best tune ever?
I was going to write a big long reply to this, but to be honest, I coudn't be arsed. Some people here need to relax... Why not have a lighthearted discussion like this once in a while?
And anyway, how can you single out one tune as the best when it all sounds the same? LOLOLOL :-p
# Posted on October 4th 2008 by Pat Mustard
Re: The best tune ever?
Any aire, any day, any time, especially Eamonn a' Chnoic.
# Posted on November 6th 2008 by Leendah