Serendipity is a wonderful thing. This past Saturday was my birthday, and as luck would have it, some musically-inclined friends of mine were having a massive house party ("massive" refers to both the size of their house and the party guest list), which I co-opted for my celebration.
Got there around 6:30ish, and by about 7 or so the session started. There were lulls, of course, during which some people left and others took their place, and I did actually stop for food and conversation. But by the time I left at just after 2 a.m., I figure I had played music a good 5-5 1/2 hours of the 7 total I had been there. As I happily exclaimed to a friend just before departing, "I can't feel anything below my elbows!"
(Unfortunately, the afterglow was short-lived, thanks to some computer and family-related stuff hitting the proverbial fan at home.)
Part of what made the night so outstanding was the diversity of "groupings" that varied throughout the session. Early on, most of the folks I played with were of my age and station in life, i.e., parents with jobs and mortgages, and we tended to do a melange of Irish and contra dance music "old favorites."
Later, the room was full of people mainly in their 20s and 30s (or younger), some of whom are full-time professional musicians, and we wound our way through Scots, Canadian/Cape Breton as well as Irish sets -- some of it familiar to me, some of it not so much.
I'm sure plenty of Sessioneers out there have played "marathons" that went far longer than mine, but all I can say is I almost felt obliged to check the morning newspaper to make sure it was still 2004.
Although not a session per se, there is a gig every year on the isle of skye where the Paddy Shaw's band plays reels (for dancing) for eight hours (from 10.30pm to 6.30am or so) for two nights in a row with only a half hour break each night - now that is stamina!
i still remember the night we started playing about 8pm and were still going at 6am the next morning. albeit we were practically lying on our chairs with our eyes shut - but everyone was scared to go to bed in case they missed something. and we had to be up at 8.30am for a class the next day. that's what i call a good weekend.
>everyone was scared to go to bed in case they missed something
Scared to go to bed? Hell, I was practically scared to go to the bathroom -- uh, not because of the condition of the bathroom, mind you, but because someone might play that killer jig or reel while I was gone.
But in terms of endurance, let's just say I passed the test, but nothing else. Until I made it upstairs, that is.
I never gave it much thought, but once at a house party I remember another fiddler commenting "no way, I'm not giving up until Howard does!" I'm a night owl to begin with, and there are certain things that hold my attention no matter how tired I am. One of them happens to be playing tunes. (Another happens to be sitting in front of a computer monitor... I once spent an entire weekend playing videogames at a friend's house. We started Friday night and played nonstop until Monday morning, only taking breaks to order pizza. I had no idea I was tired until after I got home.) As long as there're tunes to be shared, I'm there. When we used to play at the Renaissance Faires I'd be gigging all day and then jamming between stage shows; we'd have dinner at the end of the day and then keep on jamming till 2am. I think that really helped me move ahead from rusty semi-beginner, literally playing 12 hours a day on weekends all spring and summer. By the end of the day Sunday my left hand was permanently bent like a clutching claw, from working the fiddle fingerbaord all weekend. Even when I shook my hand all about and totally relaxed my fingers just stayed curled up... That, to me, was a sign of a Really Good Weekend/session.
Good god, H., that's more a sign of doing physical damage! Stop that RIGHT NOW, young man! I want to be listening to you play when you're 90, and you're not going to do that by hurting yourself...yipes!
Well Rog, I guess the dancers can grab at least a few rests during the flatties - mind you, I bet the band don't climb several cuillin on the day in between, unlike the drynoch posse )
York... good, the caravan's warm, and the sessions remain excellent, and I've just got a new bow, which is lovely, only it's exposed a flaw in the fiddle which is a bit annoying.
Back on the subject, my last long session was at a party in edinburgh, playing continuously from about 10pm till 5:30am, quality tunes, bliss.
I was at Sidmouth folk festival last summer, which felt like one long session - I had to be up every morning to play for a 9am dance workshop, then sessions and playing for dancers all day, a break and a bit of a dance during the late night extra, and then tunes from 2am till 5am... and this went on for five days...
Took me about 2 months to recover from that one! (but I didn't mention swimming across Coniston Water and back the day after the festival ended, or the wedding sesh the weekend before...)
Rog--
Are you going to this year's edition of the Sword Spectacular? My older daughter's team is headed over, and I get to come along as chaperone/chauffeur/roadie. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm quite looking forward to it!
And, *harummph*, be forewarned that there are a few morris dancers lurking about here, and we don't take no guff about morris dancing, see? (smacks fist into palm menacingly, only to whimper in pain)
Well the rappers you have in yorkshire aren't as bling as the ones we have in london that it is for sure - down there they have gold and diamond Versace swords! )
yes, sts, i will be at the spectacular; i too have no idea what to expect, but i'm sure that at the least black swan will exhibit some of their usual spectacular flair for alcohol abuse...
't'would be nice to have a tune or two at some point (hopefully with not too many squeeze boxes, aaargh)
It's Great Meadows Morris and Sword. The Sword Spectacular Web site just has them listed as "Boston youth teams." Actually, GMMS comprises three separate rapper-dance teams, all of whom will be performing at the festival. My daughter's ensemble is called "Slightly Green," and they wear neon green fishnet stockings over their arms -- yes, that's right -- which makes for quite an interesting visual effect when they're going through all those fast-paced figures.
Marathon sessions
Marathon sessions
Serendipity is a wonderful thing. This past Saturday was my birthday, and as luck would have it, some musically-inclined friends of mine were having a massive house party ("massive" refers to both the size of their house and the party guest list), which I co-opted for my celebration.
Got there around 6:30ish, and by about 7 or so the session started. There were lulls, of course, during which some people left and others took their place, and I did actually stop for food and conversation. But by the time I left at just after 2 a.m., I figure I had played music a good 5-5 1/2 hours of the 7 total I had been there. As I happily exclaimed to a friend just before departing, "I can't feel anything below my elbows!"
(Unfortunately, the afterglow was short-lived, thanks to some computer and family-related stuff hitting the proverbial fan at home.)
Part of what made the night so outstanding was the diversity of "groupings" that varied throughout the session. Early on, most of the folks I played with were of my age and station in life, i.e., parents with jobs and mortgages, and we tended to do a melange of Irish and contra dance music "old favorites."
Later, the room was full of people mainly in their 20s and 30s (or younger), some of whom are full-time professional musicians, and we wound our way through Scots, Canadian/Cape Breton as well as Irish sets -- some of it familiar to me, some of it not so much.
I'm sure plenty of Sessioneers out there have played "marathons" that went far longer than mine, but all I can say is I almost felt obliged to check the morning newspaper to make sure it was still 2004.
# Posted on February 10th 2004 by sts
Re: Marathon sessions
Was that chocolate cake yours? I've been scraping bits of it off the floor all week.
But you'll never guess who showed up right after you left ...
# Posted on February 10th 2004 by pm
Re: Marathon sessions
The longer the better the more drink the better craic the.....
# Posted on February 10th 2004 by snorre
Re: Marathon sessions
Although not a session per se, there is a gig every year on the isle of skye where the Paddy Shaw's band plays reels (for dancing) for eight hours (from 10.30pm to 6.30am or so) for two nights in a row with only a half hour break each night - now that is stamina!
# Posted on February 10th 2004 by nick b
Re: Marathon sessions
i still remember the night we started playing about 8pm and were still going at 6am the next morning. albeit we were practically lying on our chairs with our eyes shut - but everyone was scared to go to bed in case they missed something. and we had to be up at 8.30am for a class the next day. that's what i call a good weekend.
# Posted on February 10th 2004 by Fionafiddler
Re: Marathon sessions
not to mention the people dancing the reels, eh nick?
# Posted on February 11th 2004 by rog
Re: Marathon sessions
>everyone was scared to go to bed in case they missed something
Scared to go to bed? Hell, I was practically scared to go to the bathroom -- uh, not because of the condition of the bathroom, mind you, but because someone might play that killer jig or reel while I was gone.
But in terms of endurance, let's just say I passed the test, but nothing else. Until I made it upstairs, that is.
# Posted on February 11th 2004 by sts
Re: Marathon sessions
I never gave it much thought, but once at a house party I remember another fiddler commenting "no way, I'm not giving up until Howard does!" I'm a night owl to begin with, and there are certain things that hold my attention no matter how tired I am. One of them happens to be playing tunes. (Another happens to be sitting in front of a computer monitor... I once spent an entire weekend playing videogames at a friend's house. We started Friday night and played nonstop until Monday morning, only taking breaks to order pizza. I had no idea I was tired until after I got home.) As long as there're tunes to be shared, I'm there. When we used to play at the Renaissance Faires I'd be gigging all day and then jamming between stage shows; we'd have dinner at the end of the day and then keep on jamming till 2am. I think that really helped me move ahead from rusty semi-beginner, literally playing 12 hours a day on weekends all spring and summer. By the end of the day Sunday my left hand was permanently bent like a clutching claw, from working the fiddle fingerbaord all weekend. Even when I shook my hand all about and totally relaxed my fingers just stayed curled up... That, to me, was a sign of a Really Good Weekend/session.
# Posted on February 11th 2004 by HighlandSun
Re: Marathon sessions
Good god, H., that's more a sign of doing physical damage! Stop that RIGHT NOW, young man! I want to be listening to you play when you're 90, and you're not going to do that by hurting yourself...yipes!
# Posted on February 11th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Marathon sessions
Well Rog, I guess the dancers can grab at least a few rests during the flatties - mind you, I bet the band don't climb several cuillin on the day in between, unlike the drynoch posse
)
How's York treatin ya anyways?
# Posted on February 11th 2004 by nick b
Re: Marathon sessions
York... good, the caravan's warm, and the sessions remain excellent, and I've just got a new bow, which is lovely, only it's exposed a flaw in the fiddle which is a bit annoying.
Back on the subject, my last long session was at a party in edinburgh, playing continuously from about 10pm till 5:30am, quality tunes, bliss.
I was at Sidmouth folk festival last summer, which felt like one long session - I had to be up every morning to play for a 9am dance workshop, then sessions and playing for dancers all day, a break and a bit of a dance during the late night extra, and then tunes from 2am till 5am... and this went on for five days...
Took me about 2 months to recover from that one! (but I didn't mention swimming across Coniston Water and back the day after the festival ended, or the wedding sesh the weekend before...)
# Posted on February 12th 2004 by rog
Re: Marathon sessions
I dunno how you do it....
When you say dance workshop - you weren't Morris dancing were you by any chance - snicker.... ;o)
# Posted on February 12th 2004 by nick b
Re: Marathon sessions
Rapper dancing... not *quite* morris dancing, but near enough to be embarrassing! And anyway I was playing, not dancing...
For those that have no idea what i'm talking about, see the picture at the bottom of this page (I'm just off camera, I'm glad to say):
http://www.yorkshire-folk-arts.com/info/archive/swordspectacular.html
# Posted on February 12th 2004 by rog
Re: Marathon sessions
Z - if I am still alive and kicking at 90 I'll be sure to play some tunes for you ;)
# Posted on February 12th 2004 by HighlandSun
Re: Marathon sessions
LOL -- It's a deal, H!
# Posted on February 12th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Marathon sessions
Rog--
Are you going to this year's edition of the Sword Spectacular? My older daughter's team is headed over, and I get to come along as chaperone/chauffeur/roadie. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm quite looking forward to it!
And, *harummph*, be forewarned that there are a few morris dancers lurking about here, and we don't take no guff about morris dancing, see? (smacks fist into palm menacingly, only to whimper in pain)
# Posted on February 12th 2004 by sts
Re: Marathon sessions
Did you jingle at the same time, sts?
# Posted on February 12th 2004 by Zina Lee
Re: Marathon sessions
Well the rappers you have in yorkshire aren't as bling as the ones we have in london that it is for sure - down there they have gold and diamond Versace swords!
)
# Posted on February 12th 2004 by nick b
Re: Marathon sessions
yes, sts, i will be at the spectacular; i too have no idea what to expect, but i'm sure that at the least black swan will exhibit some of their usual spectacular flair for alcohol abuse...
't'would be nice to have a tune or two at some point (hopefully with not too many squeeze boxes, aaargh)
what's the name of the group you're with?
# Posted on February 15th 2004 by rog
Re: Marathon sessions
It's Great Meadows Morris and Sword. The Sword Spectacular Web site just has them listed as "Boston youth teams." Actually, GMMS comprises three separate rapper-dance teams, all of whom will be performing at the festival. My daughter's ensemble is called "Slightly Green," and they wear neon green fishnet stockings over their arms -- yes, that's right -- which makes for quite an interesting visual effect when they're going through all those fast-paced figures.
This is the team's Web site, just FYI:
http://www.freewebs.com/greatmeadowsmorris/
# Posted on February 16th 2004 by sts