When to take it to a sesh?

[Achill]

Hi benhall.1,
I get the impression that you are confident in the role of a fiddler at the sessions. How have felt about a newbie coming in that was clearly at the beginning stages? Possibly how you have felt in the past when a newbie begins to participate is how you will be viewed. Karma, man.
I do think that if you've demonsrated good chops on fiddle at the session in the past, you may be given some wiggle room as you try your hand at flute. Then again, I've been to many sessions where some folks are "too brave" with what they attempt in a session setting.

I would like to think that if you respect the music itself, you'll be respected in return regardless of level of playing.

Good luck!

[johnkerr]

If I were to bring out my tenor banjo, an instrument that primarily looks pretty (despite the dust) and is never played, my session mates would let me pluck along as long as I did so quietly and didn't try to play a tune I didn't know.

The problem with playing along quietly on flute is that you basically have to be an expert flute player to do it without playing flat. And for whatever reason, sessions will tolerate a boatload of flute players who are loud and sharp before they'll let even one flute player get away with playing meekly and flat in the background. (Been there, done that, bought the T shirt.)

[benhall.1]

Hi benhall.1,
I get the impression that you are confident in the role of a fiddler at the sessions. How have felt about a newbie coming in that was clearly at the beginning stages? Possibly how you have felt in the past when a newbie begins to participate is how you will be viewed. Karma, man.

Brilliant!

This thread as a whole is really making me think (which I hoped it would).

I know everyone in sessions for miles around. I've always been tolerant (I think I have) and, I hope, supportive, of newbies/beginners. There are one or two others who are as well. But I'm distinctly aware that there are some who are not so supportive, and I don't want to annoy them either. Funny, though, they do tend to be the less able musicians ...

... except that there are some very able musicians who, if they know you're a good player on one instrument, will frown on you even attempting another. A good friend of mine (still a good friend!) said to me a few years ago: "why do you want to play whistle when you can play fiddle?"

I think I'm still going to go for the karma thing. It's amazing how often it seems to work in other aspects of life ... I'll venture out in a week or so ... I'll let you know ...

[Rob Sharer]

Brad, I think I need to disagree with you. It all depends on what you're in it for.

Maybe we're a whole lot more casual here in Colorado, but as long as you're hanging in there with the tune it's OK. I don't strive for absolute perfection when at the session. Sometimes someone will start a tune I haven't played in a while. It'll be darn near the third time before it comes completely back into the fingers. In class a few years ago Jimmy Noonan was saying that a session is like a conversation. You don't want to sit down and barge right in and be a loudmouth. On the other hand even if you don't have much to say you still can contribute.

This sounds like a recipe for mulchy music to me.

Rob

[Cork]

Good for you! You already know the "rules", and it's my guess that most of the other players will easily bear with you, especially the other flute players.

[mandoboy]

"You can spend your entire life eating Big Macs and be blissfully unaware that there's anything better to eat in the world. "

OTOH: If it is going to take 4 or 5 years to get to the caviar, maybe it would be good to have a few Big Macs along the way. You can still go home from the session and practice and work on the things that you want to to perfect in your playing. Over the years, I have seen many of my friends start coming to the sessions as beginning musicians and over the years become first class musicians.

Maybe I am way out of line here, and I will always strive to be a better musician, but this is folk music. It is meant for dancers to dance to, and for most of us as a means of socializing. Perfection is not necessary for either. While I will always admire my friends that play well, I still enjoy playing with my friends that don't (within reason).

Jeff

[Rob Sharer]

I wasn't aware that anyone was talking about perfection. What is perfection anyway, as regards Irish music? No matter; I just think you do yourself and the music a disservice when you put the cart before the horse, i.e., place more value on your own immediate participation than on learning what the music is about. All things in good time - do the work first.

Rob

[bradhurley]

Maybe I am way out of line here, and I will always strive to be a better musician, but this is folk music. It is meant for dancers to dance to, and for most of us as a means of socializing. Perfection is not necessary for either. While I will always admire my friends that play well, I still enjoy playing with my friends that don't (within reason).

That's not out of line, but isn't it also true that a thing worth doing is worth doing well? Or at least as best you can?

There's nothing wrong with going to sessions as a beginner if you're working on your playing outside of the session and learning outside of the session. What I object to is rushing to learn tunes simply in order to be able to play them at sessions and be part of the gang, and then never getting beyond that mentality. Unless the session is of a high level, this approach is almost guaranteed to lead to mediocrity, because most sessions are homogenizing factories. And the shortcuts you take to get yourself up to speed quickly are going to hold you back later on.

Mediocrity is okay, nobody's arguing for perfection, but I think that people whose goal is simply to be good enough to play in a session and nothing more are missing out on so much. It's like they're locked in a little tiny room with an enormous world of possibilities waiting outside the door.

That's it from me for today...I'm actually going out to a session tonight

[mandoboy]

"That's not out of line, but isn't it also true that a thing worth doing is worth doing well? Or at least as best you can?"

ABSOLUTELY! That is why I say you can go home and work on the things you want to get better at. I just think it is ok to go the session and play a bit with your friends while you are learning.

I think we are probably on the same wavelength just going at it from a different angle.

Have fun at your session. I am getting ready to go to a 3 day camp out session this weekend. That is a lot of music, especially if we try to not repeat tunes. LOL I am bringing my flute if only to play by myself in my tent.

Jeff

[dlambert]

"This sounds like a recipe for mulchy music to me."

Possibly Rob. I guess you mean mediocre. Sometimes when you have a day job and kids and the rest of life that's the best us working stiffs can do. However, I agree that you do have to put in the time. There's no way around it. I put in my share of practice. I'm not an advocate of mulchy by any means.

I think we're all pretty much on the same page here.

[crookedtune]

Having seen and heard him, I can vouch that Rob has put in the time and can play at a very high level. He's an outstanding flutist, fiddler and guitarist, and probably plays lots of instruments I don't know about ---- top-drawer in my book, and I hear what he's saying.

That said, one could sit for years in sessions, yearning to become a part of the music. I say if the session is friendly, and you're not dragging things down, don't be afraid to toot along in the back row. That's how you learn. Just be careful and sensitive, and know when to put a cork in it. Good players welcome earnest learners.

[Flutered]

I think you're all kinda missing the point! I'd read it that benhall has been playing fiddle for years, knows loads of tunes and session players, etiquette etc etc. So the way I'd be approaching it is - find a few tunes you know that are handy on the flute and go together. Play along on fiddle as usual - then whip out the old flute at some stage and say 'Lads - here's a wee set I have on flute'. Back to the fiddle and so on. Mind you, the fiddle is such a wonderful instrument - what brings you to play flute as well in the first place? Variety maybe?

[benhall.1]

Mind you, the fiddle is such a wonderful instrument - what brings you to play flute as well in the first place? Variety maybe?

See? That's pretty much what my whistle player friend said to me some years back when I was learning whistle.

Basically, I've very gradually, over the years, learned to love the sound of wooden flute playing Irish tunes in a session. Now ... I just love it.

So ... I want to be able to do it myself. Interestingly, even at this early stage, I think it's actually helping my fiddle playing as well.

[Julia Delaney]

Just don't go to Brad's session. But you can go to my sessions. Just be sensitive and don't play too loudly or too out-of-tunely. An open session isn't a gig. A private session is in between-- it's a gig with no mics, no set-list and no special effort made to entertain. It can be exclusive. You'll find out pretty quickly what sort of session it is and whether your presence is welcome. But you should at least go a few times and see how you fare.

(BTW: Brad is a very forgiving, inclusive sort of person who has very few elitist tendencies.)

[benhall.1]

Thanks Julia. I'm getting so frustrated, just playing the same bloody thing over and over in the house! I think I'll to your session and play it there!