Anatomy of your local session

[peeplj]

Ours also changes from session to session, but this is pretty typical:

2 - 4 flutes (one flutist also plays hammered dulcimer)
2 - 3 whistles
2 - 3 fiddles
0 - 2 guitars
1 or 2 bodhrans
0 - 2 concertinas
1 mandolin
1 keyboard (he rarely has time to session any more, though)

I'm probably leaving some folks out, going by memory. Also, we used to have a cello, but the lady who plays it moved away. I miss that lovely low growl!

--James

[Caj]

Up the road, the sesh is mostly run by pros. They got:

• One guy who plays everything, but mostly C#/D and banjo, and some concertina.
• Two fiddlers (one switches to bodhran if it's needed)
• A bouzouki player.

Together they kick ass. Other sit-ins include maybe 3+ more people on a given night, a concertina, pipes, a bodhran, occasionally a fiddle, flute, or guitar.

It's unusually well balanced for a session. At the previous session I went to there could be five guitars and 2-3 bodhrans. But that also was run by pros, who had among them a 120-bass PA. That gives you a lot of control over the group.

Caj

[BigDavy]

How many are you allowed to count as local?

David

[Tim2723]

The last session I attended around here turned out to be a drum circle. In this neck of the woods, anybody with thirty bucks and a ticket to the Renaissance Faire thinks he's a bodhranist.

[Wormdiet]

It's kinda weird. . . here in central NC most of the sessions are monthly affairs, but you can catch one once a week easily if yer willing to commute.

Our "home session" on 1st sunday afternoons has a core of. ..

2 Fluter/whistlers (me and my SO)
1 keyboard/whistle/bodhran and occasional fiddler
2-3 guitarists (Who often double on bodhran, zouk or mando)
2-3 fiddle players minimum, usually four.
1-2 Concertina players

Once monthly there's a smaller session on wednesdays that's quickly become my favorite.

2 fiddlers
2 fluters
1 guitar
1 whistle/bodhran/piano (yup, same person)

[The Sporting Pitchfork]

Well, on average at my local session, you'd probably find:

1 uilleann piper/flute player (that'd be me)
2-3 flute players
3-4 fiddlers
1 whistle player
1 whistle player/pianist
1-2 button box players
1 bodhran player
2 guitarists

[Bruno Sa]

Here in Rio de Janeiro we usually have:

Myself - whistles, flute, melodica, occasional EADGBE guitar, rare percussion (not bodhran)
1 u-piper and whistler
1 EADGBE guitarrist, whistler and percussionist (bodhran incluided)
1 EADGBE guitarrist only
2 fiddlers
1 bodhran player
1 harmonica player

Cheers

[Crysania]

I feel like my session is small compared to a lot of these. Ours is generally:

1 fiddle/concertina player
1 fiddler
1 fiddle/banjo/guitar (usually DADGAD) player (who also occasionally sings)
2 whistle/bodhran players (who trade off)

We sometimes have an occasional additional musician or two, but session is, for the most part, just the 5 of us. There's a larger session in town that's open to anyone, but this one we've limited to the more intermediate/advanced players and usually have no more than 6 (partially due to space issues).

~Crysania

[eskin]

Normal tuesday night session:
4 Fiddles
1 Mandolin
1 Uilleann pipes/concertina/whistle/guitar switcheroo

Big sessions:
7 Fiddles
2 Flutes
1-2 Uilleann pipes
1 Tenor banjo
1 Mandolin
1 Mandocello or Guitar

[pancelticpiper]

The session I sometimes attend has:
1-3 uilleann pipes
at least a half-dozen whistles
flute
mandolin
concertina
guitar
in addition to Eskin , the session includes:
1-4 fiddle
1-3 uilleann pipes
box
1-2 sort of newbie whistle players who don't play on very many tunes
1-2 bodhran players who trade off
guitar