The Session >> Discussions >> Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
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Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I do. Although I LOVE sessions I do have a bunch of amazing tunes that I have never brought out in sessions. I play them a certain way and I don't know that my heart could stand hearing them altered the way tunes sometimes get altered in sessions.
I hope this is not selfish of me but I just love playing certain tunes alone at home. They're generally the types of tunes that sometimes make me cry they are so lovely.
I'd tell what they are but then they wouldn't be my secret anymore would they.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I have tunes that are housebound. Ones I always play alone in the flat but never play out because (a) I just don't think of them and (b) I'm not confident I could play them solo under pressure no matter how well they worked at home and I'm even less confident that someone else in the session knows them.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Ditto TheSilverSpear. I used to try to introduce these tunes at my session, but they never seemed to take off. Perhaps my lack of skill had something to do with that, but they're also "flute tunes" which didn't click with the fiddles and box. I also find that there are common session tunes that I enjoy playing alone, when I can put my own feeling to them. Although it DOES sound selfish, the ideal is a very small house session where three or four friends can play special tunes in that special way.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Or, if they're reels/jigs/polkas/hornpipes play them for set dancers if you get the opportunity. You're unlikely to be asked what the tunes are, and you'll have the satisfaction of playing them as dance tunes (which is what they are) in the way they're intended to be played.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Yes I do have to admit that I`m a bit gun shy as well...I have tried many times to start tunes that I know are unknown to the others. These are not my special home alone tunes. They are rather tunes that I`m pretty sure no others would likely know. I sit there, fret about it for a while, try to remember how they start, then get my òpening`and try to start playing and hope others will catch on the 2nd or 3rd time around and join in with me. A couple of times it`s worked but mostly as I`m going through it the first time I`m thinking `geez I sure play this better home alone`. As time goes by I am getting better at introducing new tunes though so that`s something I guess.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I have some long term project tunes that I hope someday
I'll play well enough to bring to the session. Nobody plays
them there so I'd have to get them pretty solid first.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
The liner notes from "If the Cap Fits" seems relevant
"Although this album combines modern arrangements and recording techniques, I have tried to retain as much as possible the old traditional moods of Irish music, as it used to be played long ago in rural areas by small groups of musicians. Many of these older musicians used to play by themselves and for themselves as an expression and a relaxation, just like the old bluesmen. At other times, it meant relief from more worldly troubles, a therapy. Today, impact and communication are regarded as essential, and I feel that at times people forget that the musician often plays for his own enjoyment. Traditional music in Ireland sometimes suffers from an overdose of severity. This is probably brought about by the tense atmosphere of competitions in which so many young people in the last 20 years have been forced to play. Something I'll always remember about the Irish musicians that I met when I was a child, was that there was always an element of fun, in their playing and their music. Sometimes this gave way to a plaintive wistful mood, but the fun was never far away. Good humour is something I've always liked in music, and I hope this record leaves you happy."
Not exactly speaking to your topic...but I think Mr. Burke would approve of you holding some tunes close for your own personal pleasure....
Great question. At home I often play tunes that wouldn't normally be played at the local - tunes in Gm, like 'Crabs in the Skillet' or Tommy Peoples' 'Dooish,' or the Kilfenora's 'The Primrose Polka.' Playing such flute-tricky tunes -- slowly and deliberately -- makes the normal tunes much more accessible.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I found out I'm (only) good at playing waltzes and it would be embarrassing to start Ashokan Farewell at the session.
Also there are tunes that have gone completely out of fashion like The Nine Points of Roguery so I sometimes play them for myself.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Tommy Peoples is a case in point (there are probably other similar composers) where there's something about the tunes that would be lost if played by a session group. in my own case I enjoy playing Grainne's Jig and the Jocelyn Tree at home, which I've never heard in a session and don't think I should try introducing.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Lots, but I'm getting too lazy to play them at home, I just practice and p*ss about with them at the back of sessions. Most of them are 70s pop hits, anyway.
I'm too big and fat to be picked up and thrown out of the door, so there's no problem.
For me, that is. Also, I think, for the other sessioners. When they're bashing through the sets, my power to distract is about as effectual as a busker on the hard shoulder of a French motorway.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Sometimes, Swedish polskas (not polkas) or Guachi fiddle tunes from the southern Arizona and New Mexico area, I'll play at home. These tunes are obscure and most people in my area don't know about them.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
most of the tunes i play are ones people dont know, but i play them out anyways. there is one tune, however, that my grandma taught me, which i rarely ever play out, and i dont want people to know. it is her favorite tune, and neither of us have ever found anyone who plays it. i like keeping it that way. there are also tunes which i play out all the time, but am very reluctant to teach.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
There's a waltz that I love to play called Far Away. It's a common enough tune, but I play it at home more like a slow air. When I have tried to play it at sessions it becomes something other than what I hear it as being (a waltz, I guess), and that immediately stops me in my tracks.... so now I keep it at home, unless of course, I am in the mood for a waltz.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I'll hold back onthe one's I'm learning/practicing the twiddly bits, other than that.... I'm open to sharing it all with anyone who'll listen!
Daiv.
Q 4 U. re: that tune your grandma taught you. If you never shared it with anyone would you be OK knowing that tune disappeared after you pass on? I am most proud of playing the tunes/music that was passed on to me by relatives, and for those that have since passed on, I get an extra big warm fuzzy playing it, re-living good memories, and seeing new people enjoy it and want to take the tune on for themselves.
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
My own compositions. I play them regularly at home. My family members are usually the only people to hear them--and even then not very often. I write tunes and play them as a kind of therapy. (My kids also get a kick out of naming one of my tunes now and again--a family activity in that case.) The tunes are special _to me_. I don't often roll them out elsewhere. I suppose it's partly because people might not like them and might tell me so. I am a scientist and am used to criticism of my work and my opinions, ranging from constructive to outright flaming. God knows I've certainly dished it out in my day. I'm hardened ... but it's just different in the case of my tunes. I enjoy writing them, and I think they're great, but who am I to say.
Another reason is that no one else knows the tunes; they're mine. It has been emphasized, many times over, that a large part of the joy of playing ITM comes from playing with others. I do most of my public playing at the local session, and compositions don't really lend themselves to that venue. I have occasionally played an original or two at a coffee house or the like where someone says 'Give us a tune,' but those listening are usually either people I don't know or acquaintances with whom I don't play music regularly. They aren't expecting necessarily to hear anything they know. They just want the entertainment. Relatedly, performance of compositions with a band would be a good outlet, but that just isn't the case for me right now. (A few years ago I played in a band, and we recorded a CD that included one of my compositions. The other members liked it, and apparently so, too, did audiences, so it would be possible.)
In general, I think appropriate venues for introducing original compositions are few. Right here on The Session, compositions are greatly discouraged, and I completely understand all of the reasons ... and I agree with most of them. (Please, please, please don't let this start yet another thread on this subject. Let dead horses lie.) A similar, separate database for compositions would be a good solution, but that isn't current reality.
I have had a couple of people ask (without prompting from me) if I write tunes. When I answered 'Yes' they asked if they could have sheetmusic or recordings of the tunes, so I obliged. They told me my tunes are great, but then again I haven't seen any indication that they are trying to learn and play them outside their own homes. With so many solidly good or better bands around, I don't think I have the talent to bring any unique qualities to a band (and I don't have the time to dedicate to a band now, anyway), so I think my tunes will be staying home.
Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I do. Although I LOVE sessions I do have a bunch of amazing tunes that I have never brought out in sessions. I play them a certain way and I don't know that my heart could stand hearing them altered the way tunes sometimes get altered in sessions.
I hope this is not selfish of me but I just love playing certain tunes alone at home. They're generally the types of tunes that sometimes make me cry they are so lovely.
I'd tell what they are but then they wouldn't be my secret anymore would they.
# Posted on June 13th 2009 by keyedup
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I think it's the reverse of selfishness.
Mine are mostly slow airs, but there is the odd jig and reel in there
# Posted on June 13th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Mine are mostly waltzes or other tunes (reels and jigs) slowed down and played with heaps of feeling.
# Posted on June 13th 2009 by keyedup
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I have tunes that are housebound. Ones I always play alone in the flat but never play out because (a) I just don't think of them and (b) I'm not confident I could play them solo under pressure no matter how well they worked at home and I'm even less confident that someone else in the session knows them.
# Posted on June 13th 2009 by TheSilverSpear
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Ditto TheSilverSpear. I used to try to introduce these tunes at my session, but they never seemed to take off. Perhaps my lack of skill had something to do with that, but they're also "flute tunes" which didn't click with the fiddles and box. I also find that there are common session tunes that I enjoy playing alone, when I can put my own feeling to them. Although it DOES sound selfish, the ideal is a very small house session where three or four friends can play special tunes in that special way.
# Posted on June 13th 2009 by jtrout
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Or, if they're reels/jigs/polkas/hornpipes play them for set dancers if you get the opportunity. You're unlikely to be asked what the tunes are, and you'll have the satisfaction of playing them as dance tunes (which is what they are) in the way they're intended to be played.
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by lazyhound
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I think it's worth noting that the only reason I have some tunes I'm unwilling to share is because my renditions of them are not worth sharing
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Yes I do have to admit that I`m a bit gun shy as well...I have tried many times to start tunes that I know are unknown to the others. These are not my special home alone tunes. They are rather tunes that I`m pretty sure no others would likely know. I sit there, fret about it for a while, try to remember how they start, then get my òpening`and try to start playing and hope others will catch on the 2nd or 3rd time around and join in with me. A couple of times it`s worked but mostly as I`m going through it the first time I`m thinking `geez I sure play this better home alone`. As time goes by I am getting better at introducing new tunes though so that`s something I guess.
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by keyedup
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I have some long term project tunes that I hope someday
I'll play well enough to bring to the session. Nobody plays
them there so I'd have to get them pretty solid first.
Also slow airs and O'Carolin tunes.
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by Hup
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
The liner notes from "If the Cap Fits" seems relevant
"Although this album combines modern arrangements and recording techniques, I have tried to retain as much as possible the old traditional moods of Irish music, as it used to be played long ago in rural areas by small groups of musicians. Many of these older musicians used to play by themselves and for themselves as an expression and a relaxation, just like the old bluesmen. At other times, it meant relief from more worldly troubles, a therapy. Today, impact and communication are regarded as essential, and I feel that at times people forget that the musician often plays for his own enjoyment. Traditional music in Ireland sometimes suffers from an overdose of severity. This is probably brought about by the tense atmosphere of competitions in which so many young people in the last 20 years have been forced to play. Something I'll always remember about the Irish musicians that I met when I was a child, was that there was always an element of fun, in their playing and their music. Sometimes this gave way to a plaintive wistful mood, but the fun was never far away. Good humour is something I've always liked in music, and I hope this record leaves you happy."
Not exactly speaking to your topic...but I think Mr. Burke would approve of you holding some tunes close for your own personal pleasure....
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by timmy!
Secret Tunes
Great question. At home I often play tunes that wouldn't normally be played at the local - tunes in Gm, like 'Crabs in the Skillet' or Tommy Peoples' 'Dooish,' or the Kilfenora's 'The Primrose Polka.' Playing such flute-tricky tunes -- slowly and deliberately -- makes the normal tunes much more accessible.
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by Cocus
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I found out I'm (only) good at playing waltzes and it would be embarrassing to start Ashokan Farewell at the session.
Also there are tunes that have gone completely out of fashion like The Nine Points of Roguery so I sometimes play them for myself.
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by kuec
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Tommy Peoples is a case in point (there are probably other similar composers) where there's something about the tunes that would be lost if played by a session group. in my own case I enjoy playing Grainne's Jig and the Jocelyn Tree at home, which I've never heard in a session and don't think I should try introducing.
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by Bannerman
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Actually, I do have some "secret" tunes I play only at home - they're called "cl*ss*c*l"
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by lazyhound
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
... when they're not called "morris".
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by lazyhound
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Lots, but I'm getting too lazy to play them at home, I just practice and p*ss about with them at the back of sessions. Most of them are 70s pop hits, anyway.
I'm too big and fat to be picked up and thrown out of the door, so there's no problem.
For me, that is. Also, I think, for the other sessioners. When they're bashing through the sets, my power to distract is about as effectual as a busker on the hard shoulder of a French motorway.
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by nicholas
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Banish Misfortune is one I only play at home, ever since the day I called it at a session and got booed.
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Sometimes, Swedish polskas (not polkas) or Guachi fiddle tunes from the southern Arizona and New Mexico area, I'll play at home. These tunes are obscure and most people in my area don't know about them.
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by Leendah
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Just the tunes from Sponge Bob Square Pants ....
# Posted on June 14th 2009 by bikejen
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
most of the tunes i play are ones people dont know, but i play them out anyways. there is one tune, however, that my grandma taught me, which i rarely ever play out, and i dont want people to know. it is her favorite tune, and neither of us have ever found anyone who plays it. i like keeping it that way. there are also tunes which i play out all the time, but am very reluctant to teach.
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by daiv
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
There's a waltz that I love to play called Far Away. It's a common enough tune, but I play it at home more like a slow air. When I have tried to play it at sessions it becomes something other than what I hear it as being (a waltz, I guess), and that immediately stops me in my tracks.... so now I keep it at home, unless of course, I am in the mood for a waltz.
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by Imnotirish
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Bodhran solos I play only at home.
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by RockyRoader
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
I'll hold back onthe one's I'm learning/practicing the twiddly bits, other than that.... I'm open to sharing it all with anyone who'll listen!
Daiv.
Q 4 U. re: that tune your grandma taught you. If you never shared it with anyone would you be OK knowing that tune disappeared after you pass on? I am most proud of playing the tunes/music that was passed on to me by relatives, and for those that have since passed on, I get an extra big warm fuzzy playing it, re-living good memories, and seeing new people enjoy it and want to take the tune on for themselves.
# Posted on June 15th 2009 by CarolWhitaker
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
Hornpipes.
I love hornpipes, though there seems to be a general aversion to them at the local session. So, I play them to myself at home.
# Posted on June 17th 2009 by Marcianne
Re: Do you have 'secret' tunes you reserve for only yourself at home?
My own compositions. I play them regularly at home. My family members are usually the only people to hear them--and even then not very often. I write tunes and play them as a kind of therapy. (My kids also get a kick out of naming one of my tunes now and again--a family activity in that case.) The tunes are special _to me_. I don't often roll them out elsewhere. I suppose it's partly because people might not like them and might tell me so. I am a scientist and am used to criticism of my work and my opinions, ranging from constructive to outright flaming. God knows I've certainly dished it out in my day. I'm hardened ... but it's just different in the case of my tunes. I enjoy writing them, and I think they're great, but who am I to say.
Another reason is that no one else knows the tunes; they're mine. It has been emphasized, many times over, that a large part of the joy of playing ITM comes from playing with others. I do most of my public playing at the local session, and compositions don't really lend themselves to that venue. I have occasionally played an original or two at a coffee house or the like where someone says 'Give us a tune,' but those listening are usually either people I don't know or acquaintances with whom I don't play music regularly. They aren't expecting necessarily to hear anything they know. They just want the entertainment. Relatedly, performance of compositions with a band would be a good outlet, but that just isn't the case for me right now. (A few years ago I played in a band, and we recorded a CD that included one of my compositions. The other members liked it, and apparently so, too, did audiences, so it would be possible.)
In general, I think appropriate venues for introducing original compositions are few. Right here on The Session, compositions are greatly discouraged, and I completely understand all of the reasons ... and I agree with most of them. (Please, please, please don't let this start yet another thread on this subject. Let dead horses lie.) A similar, separate database for compositions would be a good solution, but that isn't current reality.
I have had a couple of people ask (without prompting from me) if I write tunes. When I answered 'Yes' they asked if they could have sheetmusic or recordings of the tunes, so I obliged. They told me my tunes are great, but then again I haven't seen any indication that they are trying to learn and play them outside their own homes. With so many solidly good or better bands around, I don't think I have the talent to bring any unique qualities to a band (and I don't have the time to dedicate to a band now, anyway), so I think my tunes will be staying home.
# Posted on June 17th 2009 by nhflute