I'm a fiddler from Wyoming, taking a year abroad at University College Cork in Ireland this year (07-08). I'm greatly enjoying my time in Cork and have learned so much and met many incredible people and incredible players since my arrival.
Been playing Irish trad music off and on since I was about 13, more seriously since I started University four years ago (although because of my music education degree, I'm classically trained). Much of my technique for ITM is self-taught till recently - listening much, and learning tunes from the flute prof and a group of friends.
Just read a short thing on the idea of the "True Believer" (from http://www.rogermillington.com/siamsa/brosteve/meditation.html#truebeliever) and I think I'm in the obsession stage now...hardly a moment I don't have some sort of Irish or Nova Scotian trad music going and I'm sessioning around Cork at least 4 nights a week...up to 6. With three on Sundays. And it's brilliant.
My goal by the end of my time here is to have a 7+ day streak of sessioning. I've hit 6 days a few times now, but going a full week requires extra umph I haven't found quite yet. Most sessions I've experienced in one day is 5 (although, to be fair, at 2 I only listened, one because it was too crowded, one because the musicians ended about 20 minutes after my friend and I got there). I fear terrible reverse culture shock on my return home in a few months, so I am recording as much as I possibly can in case I have to "make" my own sessions for a while.
http://www.folkworld.de/frog/irlfst.html#apr
Discussions I don't want to loose:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16100
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16150
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16145
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16351
Future/teaching of ITM:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/15462
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16732
Sound editing/recording:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/15423
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/15379
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/15423
On bowing:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17308
On Education:
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17341
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17381
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/17756
Tunes in Amy J's tunebook: 82
| A Winston Tune | jig | February 8th 2008 |
| Fine Arts 254 | July 6th 2007 |
| UCC TradFest 2008 | January 9th 2008 |
| interviews on teaching traditional music | April 9th 2008 |
| Perfect (absolute) vs. relative pitch | February 11th 2008 |
| Teaching private lessons in Cork | September 25th 2007 |
| Tunes | More info on this tune | July 24th 2008 |
| Discussions | Re: Fiddle Curriculum | April 10th 2008 |
| Discussions | Re: Fiddle Curriculum | April 10th 2008 |
| Discussions | Re: Weird Session Instruments | April 10th 2008 |
| Discussions | interviews on teaching traditional music | April 9th 2008 |