What’s up with unfriendly sessions? Is it this way everywhere? My memories of living in Ireland around 15 years ago is that the session was all about the socialization. Luckily, I live in the vicinity of around 5 seesions. but only one seems to have the spirit of “failte”. I just think a session should be fun, not so damn serious.
I understand that a local session recently split in 2 over this sort
of closed-off feeling. I think it just depends on the people involved.
I can think of 3 sessions in my area that are friendly and open.
I’ve been lucky; though I’ve read of unfriendly, closed sessions, I’ve not yet encountered one in person.
–James
I think our local session is tragically unfriendly. But it’s not that way everywhere in North America, I’ve been to very friendly sessions in Chicago and Toronto, for instance.
I always feel intimidated to jump into a local session. Once I have my recording studio up and running in a few months or so, I’m going to start one of my own where people can come in, play and get recorded.
Yea, sessions are a lot like blind dates. If you go just to have fun that night and meet new people, you likely will have a good time-- even if it isn’t a great session.
But as the number of ‘dates’ start to pile up, sometimes you find the session isn’t what you thought it was. The (second) best cure is to get to as many different sessions as you can. It keeps things fresh.
But unlike in Ireland where sessions are more common and more of a social occasion, many sessions here double as gigs or private practice sessions for groups in the making. That can alter the feel tremendously. It’s not fun to be the one odd player at a session rehearsing for another gig.
Atmosphere plays a HUGE difference, too. A bar is almost necessary (even if drinking isn’t). The worst session I ever attended was in a community center/conference room. The whole session felt like an office meeting.
Oddly enough, the best session wasn’t a true session at all. It was around a dinner table with five musicians (only three of whom had any Irish music experience) and two NON-MUSICIANS. The result wasn’t much trad music, but it was by far the best craic.
The BEST cure is to start your own session. There’s no law that says you can’t.
Sorry for the long post 
… there are some things to consider:
Some folks are more musically talented than they are socially adept, and may just genuinely not know how to be welcoming. They probably are worth the effort, though.
Some may feel intimidated by anyone else at first, but will warm up once they figure out that you aren’t there to belittle, outshine or otherwise interfere with what they have got going. They probably are worth the effort, though.
Some are really shy. It will take time and effort to draw them out. They probably are worth the effort, though.
Some are so involved in what they are doing they don’t notice that there is someone else even there until they see you going out the door. They probably are worth the effort, though.
Sometimes you just have to try harder. Say that you enjoyed listening. Ask if it’s OK to join in. They probably are worth the effort, though.
(notice a pattern?)
And then, sometimes, you just really have to find someone else to play with, cause the folks in question are just plain not friendly. Make an effort, but don’t waste too much.
On Saturday mornings we have a session at a local coffee shop. Not ITM, more of an old timy session, but it is a very different feel, well lit room, coffee, and it was smoke free long before the city ban.
I have often wondered how these things started. Find a host, some talent and start playing?
That’s exactly it! Just use word of mouth to get a critical mass of five or six. Word will get out quickly enough. Most towns have scores of folks playing at home wishing for chances to play socially without making a “band commitment”.
FWIW, I’ve never encountered an unfriendly session, just occasionally an unfriendly person at a session. Always best to check your ego at the door.
I’m with crookedtune - I’ve met unfriendly folks at a session, but the sessions I’ve been to, in several different cities, have always been welcoming and friendly overall. However, I do check using the session.org’s session list and make sure it’s an open session before I go by emailing the person who listed the session. This also gives me a bit of an “in” since I have a name to track down when I get there…and it’s fun to meet folks you’ve only known online.
Eric
That’s a great approach.
As Joe63251 pointed out, different people use the word “session” for different things, and it doesn’t always mean the open, friendly companionship-and-music social event that comes to mind when I think of the sessions I’ve been to.
When “session” really means “our group/band’s rehearsal for performance,” or even when session means “our group/band’s performance,” then its doubtful that they would be very welcoming to any but their own.
One clue that I’ve picked up from the different people who have sent me messages and emails about this is that if it happens on a stage or microphones are involved, it’s probably not an open session. There aren’t any hard and fast rules, though, so there could be exceptions to this.
–James
Actually, I’d definitely think of this as being a true session. They didn’t start in pubs, they started in homes… hooleys, and there was usually dancing.
Like Crookedtune, I’ve not encountered an unfriendly session but I’ve encountered quite a few unfriendly participants… in most cases, folks who had an inflated sense of their self proclaimed talent or just weren’t mindful of the common courtesies involved in interacting with other humans.
I think the best sessions are the ones that just have a good understanding of what a session is. It’s not a free concert. It’s for the musicians. Of course, people are always more than welcome to sit and listen… it is, after all, a pub, but I should hope that they would be respectful. I don’t even mind requests from the crowd as long as they don’t treat us like a hired cover band or something. Just being mindful of your manners will go a long way. As someone else stated above, it’s not about my time to show off and it’s not about creating a small group rehearsal and making others feel like outsiders. It’s about sharing the music and (for me anyways) playing experience. Even though there are always going to be ego’s when musicians are involved, a good measure of humility and kindness keeps things running nicely and keeps the music alive. If we never nurtured the new players then there wouldn’t be anyone to preserve the music when we’re gone. There’s a lot of unspoken (but expected) etiquette too and it can be what determines whether you receive a warm welcome to the group or not. For example, if I’m not the session host then I won’t just show up and start playing a tune on my own without being asked. When someone shows up, sits down and jumps right into a tune without telling anyone what the tune is or what key it’s in then he’s usually not taken well. Even though most sessions are outsider friendly it’s a good idea to take the extra measure of introducing yourself (when music isn’t playing). Think of it as jumping into a stranger’s conversation, it may or may not be taken well but being non-interruptive and introducing yourself will likely increase your chances of a warm welcome. Most of the sessions over here we just take turns around the room and that seems to work nicely, gives everyone a chance to share their favs… I’ve also been to a few where a leader picks everything and only asks a few of the seasoned musicians for suggestions… I had no beef with that style either. In the one I frequent most often, the session host is very kind and patient… a very, very talented flute player but he never makes a fuss about new players wanting to play the Rakes of Mallow or the Kesh jig every week because it allows them to learn and play… it’s about the music. He is also good about recommending tunes for the group to learn… that keeps things fresh and helps the newer players move past the worn out tunes that many consider “beginners” tunes to create a more unique and exciting repertoire.
One of my favorite things about a session is when someone learns a new tune, or has one that nobody has heard, and shares it with everyone. It’s nice to hear a solo performance once in a while, makes it all the more intimate to hear a persons own translation of a tune.
I have never been to a session so I would love to hear what a session sounds like. Do any of you have any recordings of a session that you can put up for others to hear? How about one of you guys using a digital movie cam and film one to put up on youtube?
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=irish+session&search=Search
Start here.
Slan,
D. 
I agree that introducing yourself and asking permission to play when you’re at a strange session is expected, and should be – it’s basic courtesy.
But I’ve only ever been to one session where the habit was to call out the name of the tune before starting it, and that was because everyone was playing from sheet music. Normal session procedure (once you’ve been asked to start, or otherwise judge it is reasonable to do so) is to just jump right into the tune.
Just so we’re on the same wavelength, some quick examples of what I’m talking about when I say I’ve seen friendly and unfriendly sessions.
Friendly session: Everyone is greeted by the leader on entering. Lots of opportunity for everyone to start tunes, but no pressure to do so. When the session seems to be flagging, the leader does his best to start a widely known tune or two, to get everyone involved.
Unfriendly session: New people are ignored or glared at. Leader hogs tune starting, sitting there noodling between tunes so that no one else can be comfortable starting a tune. When the session seems to be flagging, the leader starts playing complicated Scottish hornpipes written in strange keys, or widely known tunes but in the “wrong” key signature.
AKA “culling the players”. This is a sure sign that the leader needs to stop running sessions, and go form a band or something.
I tend to think of this as a simple courtesey as well. Though I would agree with you that it is not necessarily in poor form to just go into a tune (when asked to do so anyways). We almost always have a guitar player present so even if we don’t announce the tunes we at least give him some keys to go by. The host will say something to the effect of: “Okay, reels… D, Bb… D.”
I’d say that 90% of the time I like to call out the tunes I’m about to jump into just so that any who may know all of them can be ready to just go through the set fluently. I find that more pleasing to my ears than everyone dropping out at the end of reel number one and slowly coming back in during the first eight measures or so of reel number two as they figure out what it is.
Thanks for the link to the sessions on youtube. I watched sixteen of them and I have a question. Where do you go to practice the tunes you play in session? All sixteen videos I watched looked more like concerts than what I would consider a session to be like. Very slick and well practiced. As I said earlier I have never been to a session before but I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of going to a session like one of those. All the musicians were like proffessionals. Where do you go to play just for fun? I attended a local meeting of the jaz club many years ago thinking that I would learn to play jaz. Boy was I wrong. The members of the club were all serious accomplished musicians, each a virtuoso. The meetings were really intended to showcase their talent. You can’t learn anything in an environment like that. I don’t mean to imply that the people in sessions aren’t friendly and helpful but the videos show a well polished act rather than a get-together to learn to play Irish music. Perhaps I will advertise in our local paper for anyone interested in learning Celtic music for fun and fellowship.
I haven’t really had the time to go to sessions in a while (wish I did), but when I used to go, I’d spend the first days listening to the tunes that they’d play. If I didn’t recognize a tune, I’d ask what it was called and take notes. Then, I’d find a copy of some of the tunes during the week and play along to a recording. When I went back to the session, I’d sit in on the tunes I knew, and write down the ones I wanted to learn. Sometimes I’d just play the segments that were familiar until I got the whole thing down. It really was a progression over many months.
Luckily we have a number of friendly sessions (just one unfriendly one) varying from the professional to the very casual. Here’s one of the very friendly ones:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GugkOrNdOZQ
If a session is by definition an informal social gathering, what to think of a professional one?
