These are the meat and potatoes of the session, the lingua franca. There's nothing wrong with moving on to other less familiar tunes, for you certainly don't wan't to be stuck playing the same-old-same-old each and every time, turning the session experience into a predictable grind. But there's no good reason to complain about it either if someone trots out the standards. That's just bad manners, and it marginalises less seasoned players. They have a tough enough time of it as it is without the attitude.Mitch wrote:Here's a thread for us all to name those tunes that sessions hate to play.
You know? The ones that we all love, but make the old-hands cringe and moan about playing.
And yet, these are the great tunes which should be regarded as life and bones of ITM (specially when played on a whistle) - regardless of the moods of old jaded players notions, whims and prejudices
Yeah, same here. What I have come across is an unshakeable expectation on the part of the more beginner-level players that the basic tunes will be ill-received. And that's because they go to advanced sessions and hear everything but. I tell 'em to play what they know, and to hell with the begrudgers. Those will be few if any, and may be regarded to likely have personal problems.MTGuru wrote:Yeah, it's funny ... I know it's supposed to be conventional wisdom that experienced players turn up their noses at the old warhorse tunes. But honestly, I've very seldom found this to be true.
That reminds me: I gotta trot out some new sets, myself. I fear the war-drums of dissent may sound soon.MTGuru wrote:I think the problem is not the tunes themselves, but limited repertoire. In our main session, I'd guess there are 1000+ tunes in circulation among us, and a few hundred that get played more often. Everyone has favorites they bring to the table. It's only if a tune gets overplayed week after week that there may be some grumbling. But that's true of anything. Otherwise, a warhorse is just a tune like any other.
Which leads nicely on to "what is the most inappropriate tune you've heard or been asked to play on a whistle?"mutepointe wrote:Theme to the Brady Bunch...
There's a Boys of the Lough live recording in which Cathal introduces either the Connachtman's Rambles or the Geese in the Bog* by explaining that they're tunes that 'are very well known' in the tradition but which aren't played much.MTGuru wrote:Yeah, it's funny ... I know it's supposed to be conventional wisdom that experienced players turn up their noses at the old warhorse tunes. But honestly, I've very seldom found this to be true.
