Words from Harry Bradley

[Julia Delaney]

There is a session in Galway where some great musicians play really fast (but it doesn't sound rushed). I had some troubles keeping up with their tempo a few months ago, but now I'm a regular at that session and I can keep up with no troubles. Fingers need to be trained to go fast and still be comfortable, it doesn't just happen.

Lorenzo: While you might have learned to play fast in Galway, there is a certain beauty that escapes people in a modern urban setting. You are a young man who has been playing for years, while Jim is more than twice your age. You came to a session primed, as it were, to be launched into orbit. You were ready. I have heard you play and you can certainly play fast and loud. The last thing Jim needs is to be encouraged to play fast and loud.

Jim's desire to play faster is the wrong focus. The point is to play beautifully - not fast. Harry's point is that it's wrong to come into a session unless you can play with the other players. When somebody plays a tune that you don't know, the polite thing to do is to sit and listen and not be a bollix. Not use them to pull you along so that you can improve your chops.

[jim stone]

Playing fast is the wrong focus if it is the main focus; that should indeed be playing beautifully. But it's fine to have,
at this point in my 'career,' as one of my foci, getting up to speed. The challenge of session play is helpful,
I am indeed getting faster. I do stop when I don't know the tune or really can't keep up. But when I do know
the tune and it's being played faster than I've played it before I do try to hang in and up my speed. Again,
the 'trick' seems to be to relax more as speed increases. If I really can't keep up I stop. There are lots of
different kinds of sessions and the one here in St. Louis doesn't mind my doing this; glad I'm there. It's working,
I'm certainly not going to fix it.

[Cathy Wilde]

I wish more people would see that the main reason for a session is for folks to come together and make nice music ... together. Fast, slow, this region or that region, reels, jigs, hornpipes, marches, laments, whatever. It's like a conversation. If you have something to add to make it interesting, then good. If you don't then maybe there's another conversation where your voice, experience and perspective work better. Otherwise you're just talking to yourself, and that's a good way to ruin the party for everyone.

I know I don't always contribute to better music -- I think that's the mark of the truly great and mature players I've seen, and I'm far from being one of them -- but finding that common place where the music takes on a life of its own is what I always hope for, anyway. That's when it's awesome and everyone gets blissed out, even the listeners.

[crookedtune]

My perspective has always been that there's room in the session for players of all skill levels. But everyone needs to know when to play and when to sit back and listen.

Also everyone (at ALL levels) needs to REALLY understand that it's social music, and not a performance venue. Check your ego at the door, the best you can, and everyone will have a better time.

[MTGuru]

and he referred to Liam O'Flynn's playing and arrangement as "dimwitted".

Well, to be fair to Jack ...

And why would one want to do that?

Seriously ... (and with apologies for the sidetrack) ... It's pretty clear that the objection is to the melody and arrangement, not the execution of the uilleann piping, about which he probably knows even less. And Ausdag's video is an exact cover version, however flawed, of the Planxty recording, including the piping. So it is, in effect, the original source (O'Flynn and Irvine) at issue. But that's for the other thread.

[Gordon]

Wow... Five pages. A lot of words from Harry Bradley, who hasn't even chimed in yet...

[Jonathan]

I've got to say, this is the best discussion I've seen here in a long time! Granted, it's been a few months since my last visit. I'm amazed that there are flute players out there who aren't aware of Harry Bradley. Everything Harry said (elsewhere) is right on the money. Sessions can be a real bummer, especially when you have players of different levels with differing expectations. In the states, we have a large proportion of players who discovered the music as adults and learn tunes from dots instead of learning the music. Lots of misconceptions develop in the process. There is no substitute for a great teacher and/or development of the ear and chops by analyzing recordings of the greats.

[JackCampin]

Just to be clear, I was in no way disagreeing with anything Harry was quoted as saying. Good common sense.

Does he still pay visits to sessions? If so, where and when?

[Nanohedron]

Wow... Five pages. A lot of words from Harry Bradley, who hasn't even chimed in yet...

I was just thinking much the same thing. Imagine the dread he will probably feel when he sees this thread, and especially the page count.

[LorenzoFlute]

Harry's status update on facebook got 48 comments and 106 likes, and has a few others with similar numbers.

[Denny]

Wow... Five pages. A lot of words from Harry Bradley, who hasn't even chimed in yet...

I was just thinking much the same thing. Imagine the dread he will probably feel when he sees this thread, and especially the page count.

Harry knows quite well how we carry on

[Nanohedron]

Wow... Five pages. A lot of words from Harry Bradley, who hasn't even chimed in yet...

I was just thinking much the same thing. Imagine the dread he will probably feel when he sees this thread, and especially the page count.

Harry knows quite well how we carry on

Yes, exactly. So imagine the dread.

[Kirk B]

Wow... Five pages. A lot of words from Harry Bradley, who hasn't even chimed in yet...

I was just thinking much the same thing. Imagine the dread he will probably feel when he sees this thread, and especially the page count.

Lessons learned from Axl Rose. Don't jump into a crowd of your fans and start swinging.

[Cathy Wilde]

Jack, I believe Harry often attends the Criunniu na bhFluit. You might get a lot from the weekend!

http://www.flutemeet.org/Flutemeet/Welcome.html

[jemtheflute]

Jack, I believe Harry often attends the Criunniu na bhFluit. You might get a lot from the weekend!

http://www.flutemeet.org/Flutemeet/Welcome.html

He's been a tutor at it. I'm not sure that he attends if he isn't teaching/paid to be there, bar maybe calling in to the sessions if he happens to be within reach at the time......

But it's a cracking course - highly recommendable, whoever the tutors are.