beginner session question

markD · Post by **markD** » Tue May 06, 2003 7:23 am

I have recently joined an Irish music club that holds weekly sessions. Last week when I attended for the first time I decided not to play but rather to get a feel for what it would be like. The person heading up the club has encouraged me to bring my whistle and join in despite the fact that I have yet to learn any of the tunes. Although I recognize this as a great opportunity to play with some very good musicians I am a bit apprehensive in joining the session since I don't know the tunes and even if I did, playing them at their tempo (this isn't a slow session). One of the musicians told me to just pick up any part of the tune I can get and just repeat that everytime it comes around until I learn the other parts. Does this work? Has anyone else had success trying to pick up tunes on the fly like this? I should also add that I am a beginner who so far has only played simple Irish tunes (i.e. beginnign polkas in Bill Ochs book). My concerns are that I'll be guessing at the tune, play something drastically wrong and throw the whole group out of whack. Luckily, the 20 or so musicians are relatively loud so they might drown out mistakes.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

spittin_in_the_wind · Post by **spittin_in_the_wind** » Tue May 06, 2003 7:45 am

If I ever get to a session, I'll be in the same boat as you, so am eagerly awaiting replies to this post, especially after the "learning by ear" thread! Good for you that you have a session to go to, though. I think you'll learn a lot just by simple exposure to the playing, and then can take what you've learned home to work on it. I've been trying to play along with the BBC virtual session, maybe that's something you can try:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/folk/acoust ... unch.shtml

Good luck, and let us know what comes of it!

Robin

skh · Post by **skh** » Tue May 06, 2003 7:47 am

If they explicitely invite you to play along even if you don't know the tunes: go for it, this is a great chance! Let them promise you that they will tell you if you begin to annoy them, don't toot directly in the ear of somebody else, and maybe don't play along in every set.

Sonja

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Tue May 06, 2003 7:57 am

See if they'll mind you recording the session. That's the best way to catch up. If you're new at this music, trying to pick up tunes played fast and only hearing them 3 times is a bit much to expect of yourself. I've been playing for a number of years and it's a bit much for me. If nothing else, get the tune names and look them up and practice them.
Tony

avanutria · Post by **avanutria** » Tue May 06, 2003 7:58 am

I agree, go for it. Maybe ask if you can bring a tape recorder so you can practice the tunes at home, or write down the names of the tunes for future lookup. If you make friends with another player who sits near you, you can ask them to go through a tune slowly with you during a lull in the session. I've been on the giving end of that request as well as the receiving end, and have never found anyone to be annoyed by it.

Sounds like you've got a friendly group there. Make the most of it.

And enjoy!

--Ava

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Tue May 06, 2003 7:59 am

You probably won't 'throw everyone out of whack', but you won't do your music much of a service either.

Better than bringing the whistle, bring a tape or disc recorder and make yourself a tape of the session to take home and play against. Take a notebook and jot down the names of a few tunes (usually someone knows), and get the written music for these tunes (I know...this is blasphemy to some, but necessary for many of us.)

Learn the sheet music, then go back to the taped session and see how utterly different it is from what you learned...probably most of the notes are the same or similar, but the rhythm is going to be not only faster, but different. Now adjust yourself to play to their music...you won't be able to get all the notes, but you'll get a phrase here and there, and yes, as you play along, you'll be able to add in more phrases and more notes. At this point you can bring the whistle and play along quietly, and not be an interference, and probably even enjoy it!

Best of luck!

TonyHiggins · Post by **TonyHiggins** » Tue May 06, 2003 7:59 am

Hey, quit copying.
Tony

jbarter · Post by **jbarter** » Tue May 06, 2003 9:12 am

Yes it's a great way to learn tunes - from the inside out. It's also a good way to learn to play accompanying parts rather than just the melody. Don't make it your only method though. The recording idea is also a great help even if you can't always play your whistle while listening. Just keep playing it even when you're doing something else and eventually the tunes just seem to be there in your brain.
Keep going to that session, it sounds like you've found one of the really good ones.

trisha · Post by **trisha** » Tue May 06, 2003 10:36 am

Recordings with slow-down software would be really useful. WHich is the best software?

lixnaw · Post by **lixnaw** » Tue May 06, 2003 2:31 pm

i agree with tyghress, it's better to tape an slow them down is even better. some tunes you really like,you might play right along, but make it perfect.

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Tue May 06, 2003 3:08 pm

Trisha, I have the Amazing Slow Downer by Roni, available online. I haven't tried it with music I've recorded myself, just purchased CDs, but I know that its possible. I don't think there is a way to slow down a mag tape without changing pitch, though.

BTW, this 'session-written music-session' is pretty much how I've learned to play. I hear something, ask the name, find the tune on JC's tune finder, or in my books (getting multiple versions is best for me), learn it, then haul it back to session for adjustment. I'll also go in the other direction and take something I "know" and find the music to relearn things I've gotten sloppy about.

fluter_d · Post by **fluter_d** » Wed May 07, 2003 2:36 pm

I have to say that if you only know a few tunes at the moment, trying to play along probably won't go too well: you'll manage to pick up maybe a few notes by the time the tune/set ends, but you probably won't be able to remember them by the time the next set is in process, particularly if you're trying to concentrate really hard. Bring a tape/minidisc recorder and record everything. I would recommend trying to learn the tunes as they are on the recording, rather than any sheet music you find, as trying to adapt your (written) version as you play along with 15 or 20 musicians can be quite difficult. I think it's very important to learn to play along with musicians without having to find sheet music or have them go through things bar by bar. As you progress, you will probably end up learning most of your tunes from recordings or sessions, and if you can get the hang of learning on the fly now, you'll be at a huge advantage - it's not always possible to find sheet music for tunes that you like, and written versions can vary considerably from what is actually played.
Ok. Good luck, and have fun

!
Deirdre

Also, if you put the window in the fipple of your whistle near to your ear, you should be able to hear notes as you place your fingers on the holes of the tube. This may be handy if you want to figure out what key the tune is in, or what notes sound ok, without causing a clash...

Roger O'Keeffe · Post by **Roger O'Keeffe** » Thu May 08, 2003 4:11 am

Sound advice on this thread, but check out the learning by ear thread as well for advice on how to support the learning process.

It would be a good idea also to learn tunes in sets - obviously if the session already has some established sets it would be best to learn the tunes in the same sets.

BrassBlower · Post by **BrassBlower** » Thu May 08, 2003 10:59 am

I also go along with the recording idea. In fact, if possible, I would also videotape the session as well. That way, you can pick up on visual cues such as the guitarist changing chords, whistlers putting their whistles in their mouths, etc.

Jayhawk · Post by **Jayhawk** » Thu May 08, 2003 12:20 pm

I recently attended my first slow session just a week ago. Granted, slow sessions are different because, well, they're slow. If your session is playing to speed, I'd definitely tape it and learn the tunes off the tape. If you can sit near another whistle player, you can watch their fingerings and I think you can actually pick up parts of tunes fairly quickly this way.

My session came with a 4 tape set already made for me, so I've been learning tunes off that this week (3 Polkas in 7 days - sounds like a diet program). What has amazed me is that with each tune learned it has gotten easier. For the first two, I had to print off sheet music to help, but on this last tune (Ballydesmond #2) I just listened to the tape over and over during my bus ride home (45 minutes), found I could whistle the tune when I exited the bus, and was playing it by ear alone while grilling out that night!

So my basic advice is tape the session, play along (preferrably watching a flute or whistle player's fingers to help with the notes at first), and then try learning by ear. Don't hesitate to print of sheet music if needed (even if it's just to find the first note or help deal with a hard passage), but the main focus should be getting to the point you can learn by ear.

Eric

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