GETTING INVOLVED –
So you’re tired of singing in the bathroom, or playing to the dog.
It’s wonderful to see there are so many people who are in the process of learning instruments. Age is simply not a barrier! So what if you never make it to the Concert Hall? Music making is one of the healthiest things you can do – think ‘creative’, or ‘brain challenging’, and not least being involved in your community. Local sessions provide a platform when you reach a modicum of competence.
Here are a few notes that may guide you.
INSTRUMENTAL SESSIONS
The Irish session is the one that is most widely found and implies the musicians can all join in. The content is largely Irish, but can also be Scottish, English or American. Depending on the individuals, I have also heard Scandinavian, West Indian or Carnival/Klezmer (low brow Jewish) but none of these until the basic Irish repertoire is gone through.
It all looks informal and unstructured, but it isn’t. There has to be someone whose session it is. Done by nods, a muso is bidden to do his pet set (a set is usually three more or less matching tunes) and he will nominally lead the rest through. It’s a bit like the Peleton in cycling where they take it in turns to burst the pack. After everyone has done their dash there may be time for a song or two, or a solo tune or air. It is definitely bad manners for a soloist of any kind, to dive into the gap more than once without getting the ‘nod’. Once is refreshing, twice is showing off – it may be time for the other guy to get a go. Songs should be restricted to the kind with a tune fitted for joining in with, either with a chorus or with short instrumental breaks. There are exceptions to the rule – yucky sentimental songs, witness “Danny Boy” can sometimes be just what everyone wanted.
- Finding your seat.
- For the absolute beginner it is difficult to interpret where to sit: there are traps……..You have to find out who is leading the session overall. The seats near them will be for the more experienced musicians Bodhrans or drums, or non-typical instruments like clarinets, should sit on their outskirts and keep with similar instruments. Dominant instruments e.g. large accordions, their tones muted. If you are the third Bodhran to arrive, Hard Luck! You should keep mum or be very discreet.
- Learning the tunes
- What is very difficult to be decided is the fact that most people learn their tunes by ear – no-one has paper music in a session except as an offering to other musicians to take away. So where possible sit on the edge, ask the person next to you, to speak up if it upsets them, and just finger the notes lightly until you have the compass of the tune filling in the twiddley bits when you can. Shayne Kerr who runs the Bennett session prefers people record him, (I hate it) and disregard the Internet. Not only are the Internet tunes often badly written, but there are innumerable variations. Once you have learned the wrong version they can be beastly to unlearn.
- Keys (well, there are a few….)
- Normally each tune is in AA, BB format which means there are two parts A and B, repeated twice for the tune to be complete. Normally they would then be played through three times. Common variants are for threeparters, or ones where the two repeats of a part run together in a way that makes a longer phase. A set is three or more tunes that ‘fit’. Ask session members if they can recommend a good tunebook, and at least try to work out the treble clef line (the tune). Folk music rarely gives the bass clef. Keys are usually G, D, and A but the key of C is common to bush musicians, and those with old simple squeezeboxes. I recently bought a Session Tunebook Collection pack from www.bluegummusic.com.au which contains306 tunes printed, plus free CD and MP3 and midi files. I haven’t really road tested it yet, but it looks excellent.
That’s probably enough for now but part two will be added soon, which includes other types of sessions.
OTHER TYPES OF SESSIONS.
Instrumental Sessions Other than Irish.
You can join a 'Jam' session where different styles of music predominate. The commonest ones I know are the Bluegrass/Old Timey sessions or the Bush Music ones. Fortunately the tunes tend to be easier to learn but vocal styles can be decidedly quirky. Who could imagine Bluegrass singing without the high whiney voices, sometimes referred to as high lonesome. Great as a harmony though.
The pitfalls in Bush music tend to centre on which venerable 'oldey' you learnt the tune from. regardless of the basic tune, you are encouraged to recreate each flawed and distorted phrase exactly as played in 1910.
I am being unkind! Some of these old guys and gals were wonderful musicians. What we have lost these days is musical dialect, but I am dubious that recreating little nuances is important to the music as a whole.
Usually playing Bush music implies that at some stage, you will be playing for dancing. Every once in a while there is an 'Irish' session centred on songs, but the last one I knew of was the Glengarry Castle session in Redfern. It lasted years and is much missed by all who went there.
Open Mic. Sessions.
Well, it is the electronic age! These sessions are enjoyed by budding soloists, and provide an excellent training ground for use of microphones and other gadgetry. It is excellent for getting one used to live audiences. The types of music can be as wide as the horizon, and especially cater to the budding singer-songwriter, the less 'folky' entertainer, and those with a more commercial stage in mind.
The Circle Session, or the Hosted Ones.
There are subtle differences, and we should also include the Blackboard Session. The Circle ones are where all performers face inwards and take turns in rotation. In a hosted session, the host will mingle the performers to get a better balance, and will probably include a small stage. The Blackboard variety will be a walk up type where you add your name to the list if you wish to perform. They will also perform in rotation as they come.
It is just my opinion (all of the above is) but I think you fare best with a strongish personality in charge. Some performers insist on hogging the limelight, others need to be encouraged and persistent talkers-in-the-background should be kindly discouraged. Variety is the key to the enjoyment of these, and brevity a virtue, so it is OK to tackle half of Carmina Burana on your penny whistle, but not if it exceeds your 10-15 min. allowed. I have known (nobody presently) unscrupulous folk who will start on the whole 57 verses of Tam Lin knowing they are unlikely to get busted. Or the Bush Poet who spends ages explaining how the inspiration took them, and then a further ten minutes on the poem itself. C'est La Vie, we are all human. A word on the hosts of such sessions - we are all amateurs and should not be unduly censored for a certain style or performance level. It is amazing the growth that can take place after a year or two of painful stumblings.
Material.
.The internet is yours to explore, but don't forget books and cd's. Apart from the Session pack I mentioned earlier, there are two or three Session websites where you can join in. Mudcat from USA is great for songs and I can usually find a version I like. Your local library is likely to have cd's of folk music which is great for finding out whether a particular artist suits your style. Beware of copyright, as even Traditional material can be adapted and copyrighted by artists. You have to change them back to the original or just not get famous yourself, which solves the problem.
Above all, just ask people what it is and where it came from if you take a shine to something.
It would be tactless to recreate the same one in their presence, but you can take it elsewhere, or change it a lot. Good Luck. Carole Garland.
Instrumental Sessions Other than Irish.
You can join a 'Jam' session where different styles of music predominate. The commonest ones I know are the Bluegrass/Old Timey sessions or the Bush Music ones. Fortunately the tunes tend to be easier to learn but vocal styles can be decidedly quirky. Who could imagine Bluegrass singing without the high whiney voices, sometimes referred to as high lonesome. Great as a harmony though.
The pitfalls in Bush music tend to centre on which venerable 'oldey' you learnt the tune from. regardless of the basic tune, you are encouraged to recreate each flawed and distorted phrase exactly as played in 1910.
I am being unkind! Some of these old guys and gals were wonderful musicians. What we have lost these days is musical dialect, but I am dubious that recreating little nuances is important to the music as a whole.
Usually playing Bush music implies that at some stage, you will be playing for dancing. Every once in a while there is an 'Irish' session centred on songs, but the last one I knew of was the Glengarry Castle session in Redfern. It lasted years and is much missed by all who went there.
Open Mic. Sessions.
Well, it is the electronic age! These sessions are enjoyed by budding soloists, and provide an excellent training ground for use of microphones and other gadgetry. It is excellent for getting one used to live audiences. The types of music can be as wide as the horizon, and especially cater to the budding singer-songwriter, the less 'folky' entertainer, and those with a more commercial stage in mind.
The Circle Session, or the Hosted Ones.
There are subtle differences, and we should also include the Blackboard Session. The Circle ones are where all performers face inwards and take turns in rotation. In a hosted session, the host will mingle the performers to get a better balance, and will probably include a small stage. The Blackboard variety will be a walk up type where you add your name to the list if you wish to perform. They will also perform in rotation as they come.
It is just my opinion (all of the above is) but I think you fare best with a strongish personality in charge. Some performers insist on hogging the limelight, others need to be encouraged and persistent talkers-in-the-background should be kindly discouraged. Variety is the key to the enjoyment of these, and brevity a virtue, so it is OK to tackle half of Carmina Burana on your penny whistle, but not if it exceeds your 10-15 min. allowed. I have known (nobody presently) unscrupulous folk who will start on the whole 57 verses of Tam Lin knowing they are unlikely to get busted. Or the Bush Poet who spends ages explaining how the inspiration took them, and then a further ten minutes on the poem itself. C'est La Vie, we are all human. A word on the hosts of such sessions - we are all amateurs and should not be unduly censored for a certain style or performance level. It is amazing the growth that can take place after a year or two of painful stumblings.
Material.
.The internet is yours to explore, but don't forget books and cd's. Apart from the Session pack I mentioned earlier, there are two or three Session websites where you can join in. Mudcat from USA is great for songs and I can usually find a version I like. Your local library is likely to have cd's of folk music which is great for finding out whether a particular artist suits your style. Beware of copyright, as even Traditional material can be adapted and copyrighted by artists. You have to change them back to the original or just not get famous yourself, which solves the problem.
Above all, just ask people what it is and where it came from if you take a shine to something.
It would be tactless to recreate the same one in their presence, but you can take it elsewhere, or change it a lot. Good Luck. Carole Garland.
