Sessions and the type of tunes you enjoy...

[Azalin]

Here's the tune:

http://www.metayer.info/mp3/R09_0036.MP3

Although I added all sort of options, I would appreciate serious answers. As a second answer, what I mostly want to know, is if one of the best concertina player on the planet started this tune, and played it well, is it the type of stuff you'd enjoy listening to in a session?

I personally find the less complex, "sweet" tunes more interesting to listen to than your "hot shot" tunes played by the best fiddlers, although it depends on how I feel. Sometimes I just feel like going insane on reels, but sometimes I feel I'm being pushed there by session mates, but would rather go for the soft, simple stuff.

Oh, if you want to bash my playing or anything else, don't hesitate. I'm one of those who think that when you put something online, you've got to be ready to get an axe between your eyes

[djm]

Are you trying to get people to defend their personal tastes in music? Are you looking for a pulpit so you can preach about your own music prefernces and act the burning martyr in case others may not share your tastes? This is the Pub, where anything goes and insanity rules. Perhaps this should have gone on the ITM forum.

Personally, I don't care for this type of tune, nor the speed at which its played, not the type of instrument its played on. Three strikes. You're out!!!

djm

[eskin]

I love hornpipes on concertina, and enjoy tunes like this between long sets of jigs and reels in a session to provide some relaxation, both for the players and for the punters.

You should have added one more item in your survey "Would enjoy listen quietly to the tune, and then ask its name and where you got it from."

Now, string together three or four of these in a row in the middle of a high energy session, and you might be asking for trouble...

[Azalin]

Are you trying to get people to defend their personal tastes in music? Are you looking for a pulpit so you can preach about your own music prefernces and act the burning martyr in case others may not share your tastes? This is the Pub, where anything goes and insanity rules. Perhaps this should have gone on the ITM forum.

Personally, I don't care for this type of tune, nor the speed at which its played, not the type of instrument its played on. Three strikes. You're out!!!

... ouch! But that's a really good answer. I wonder about people's taste in general, there you go, and certainly won't preach about it... and thanks for your honnesty

[Azalin]

Now, string together three or four of these in a row in the middle of a high energy session, and you might be asking for trouble...

Yes, exactly, I added the option "what the heck, we were playing reels!" hehe... I think I would personally prefer sessions with a higher percentage of these, but then, if I feel like playing reels, this might piss me off

[pipersgrip]

i like some good slow tunes in the pub, because after awhile all the fast ones get soo boring and repetitive, and i start to lose focus. you have to have some slow tunes ready to throw in some in your sessions.

[mutepointe]

i don't listen to itm much so speaking from a general music personal opinion, i found the choppiness really distracting. i thought maybe the buffering wasn't working, the instrument (whatever it might be) wasn't working right, or the musician was trying to multi-task. sorry.

may i ask what you enjoy so much about this song?

[crookedtune]

I'm pretty ambivilent. Everyone likes slower, simpler tunes mixed into the session. This one hasn't particularly grabbed me, but it wouldn't send me running either. What was the question?

[anniemcu]

We play a very wide variety of tunes at our sessions, and have members from rank beginner to seasoned antiques, so it would likely be listened to by some, asked for a learning round by some, totally ignored by a few and and complained about by one or two. I, for one, would be in the 'learning round' line... so... what's the name of tune?

[Bill Reeder]

I tend to err on the side of reels when playing in a session, but I don't see why the tune offered up here would be out of place.

Like Eskin, I would be likely to inquire about tune title and source and go off and learn it. I didn't perceive that the tune was particularly choppy - sounded like a hornpipe to me.

I can only think that it would be out of place in a session if it disrupted the flow and direction of the music prematurely. Everybody appreciates a change of pace; it just needs to happen at just the right time.

[hans]

Hornpipes are great.
Slower is often more beautiful than faster playing.
I get bored by long sets of superfast reels, they all sound the same to me after a while.
The more variety of music the better.
I mostly enjoy melody and tonal expression.
Thanks for sharing the music. What is the tune called?

[Unseen122]

Its a nice tune, but I don't do hornpipes. I would listen, enjoy, and probably ask the name, but in my head be thinking of the next hot shot tune I would start. Personally, I think its fun to play complex tunes and play them fast, but I do like the break from that every now and then. Every tune at a session should not be a hotshot tune nor should it be a swung less complex tune, there should be a mix. This is what makes a session fun and unpredictable, if every tune was played at a million mph it would be boring after 4 or 5 sets same with if every tune was a slower tune. That is how I feel about it.

[Azalin]

Thanks for the inputs. I don't have the name of the tune. I learned it a few years back at the Willie Clancy week on whistle, from Sean Ryan the whistler, but play it mostly on the 'tina now.

I know that the obvious answer is to "play with folks who share the same tastes" but I was curious to find out who prefer hot shot tunes over less complex tunes, although you could have a hot shot tune that's not complex, or a complex "boring" tune, but anyway you know what I mean.

[Azalin]

... oh and I almost forgot, this tune is definitely a set dance, not a hornpipe, notice how the second part is longer than the first. When phrasing is involved, though, I don't know the difference.

I also added the option "crappy rhythm" because of the, yeah, crappy rhythm, especially in the second part. My weak handling of concertina mechanic shows in that tune, there's a tough spot in there. I'd need to concentrate hard to have an even rhythm in this tune.

[TonyHiggins]

I'd like to hear how you play the tune in real life (or was that it? ) I recently started regularly attending a local session. It's not all to my liking: there are a lot of Cape Breton tunes started by a couple of fiddlers and I suspect, something from the Ozarks. I've been invited to start sets and I've done slides a couple of times, which surprised and delighted these guys (male and female). I explained they were slides and they acted like they were unfamiliar with the notion.

An interesting melody done slowly lends itself to a lot of expression, so I tend to get a bit ornamental in a Martin Hayes-ish sort of way on those. Polkas are good for this. I like that sort of thing.

I mainly enjoy learning tunes with more than two parts and I'm a little bored by tunes with a lot of repetition of phrases. I get lost on the count, for one thing. Ie, The Banshee or O'Sullivan's March (though that's a nice melody). Tunes that are easily learned tend to be pretty easy to play and I get bored with them quickly- ie Swallowtail Jig.

But, a nice melody- well... I really like Denis Murphy's Slide. I also love hornpipes except the ones that get beat into the ground.

Does that answer your question?

(Now I feel like practicing.)
Tony