Why are Irish sessions so fraught?

[Cathy Wilde]

BTW, we probably shouldn't tar all old-timey sessions with the same sunshine brush based on one example, either. Here in Kentucky, there are some pretty darned high-level old-timey jams where me and my flute, no matter how accomplished my playing might be, wouldn't be either welcome or appropriate beyond our initial novelty value.

Sessions have different personalities, and the people who run them have varying goals. It's up to the guests to be sensitive to, and respect, these. Otherwise, get your own show.

[Nanohedron]

Here in Kentucky, there are some pretty darned high-level old-timey jams where me and my flute, no matter how accomplished my playing might be, wouldn't be either welcome or appropriate beyond our initial novelty value.

If Old Time it must be, I'm hoping sbfluter plays more than flute!

Sessions have different personalities, and the people who run them have varying goals. It's up to the guests to be sensitive to, and respect, these. Otherwise, get your own show.

Bang-on.

[NicoMoreno]

I wouldn't be at all surprised if there were old time jams where the exact same thing happened that sbfluter is whining about from an irish session. Just as she's generalizing (erroneously!) about all irish sessions from one experience, so is she doing the same for old time jams.

Straycat puts it very well. It's at least a possibility, anyway!

(BTW Nano, sbfluter did mention that at the old time jam she's only allowed to play strings... "Don't play flute" is ok but "Don't play if you don't know the tune" is not... hmm!)

[Nanohedron]

(BTW Nano, sbfluter did mention that at the old time jam she's only allowed to play strings... "Don't play flute" is ok but "Don't play if you don't know the tune" is not... hmm!)

'Kay, thanks. It's become one big-ass thread and, well, you know.

[NicoMoreno]

Yes indeed!

How's Minnesota these days? I was sad to miss you at the tionol, by the way.

[Nanohedron]

How's Minnesota these days?

Just got done with a really sweet heatwave, thanks for asking. Now it's more seasonably cool, and the sensible among us are now layering our sartorial elements - preferably with an eye to making at least an acceptable, if not stunning, impression. Plenty of time to fire up the grill yet, too.

I was sad to miss you at the tionol, by the way.

Aw, shucks. I missed everyone, too. Yeah, I felt like Gollum in a cave or something.

Truth be told, my set's under *ahem* ongoing medical observation, as it were, and as for my own pipering I regret to admit that for now I am, shall we say......"internalising".

[NicoMoreno]

It's a little chilly here for grills now, not that I have that going on anyway! Too bad about the pipes, too... But yes, internalizing is always a good thing. Must listen, lots, after all!

[Nanohedron]

But yes, internalizing is always a good thing. Must listen, lots, after all!

Ouch. Bitten by the irony, I was. IOW there was no reason for me not to attend the tionól anyway. Damn your reasonableness!

[NicoMoreno]

Heh heh heh. There'll be more than one non-piper or fiddler there I'm sure! It's not too late, our mutual fiddler friends found very cheap flights the last two days into New York from there.

[Infernaltootler]

<timid voice> excuse me, what is old time? </timid voice>

[Denny]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old-time_music
http://www.oldtimemusic.org
http://www.oldtimemusic.com

[TheSilverSpear]

This is sort of diverging from the OP's complaints, but one need not be a beginner to be an obnoxious git. Experienced players can do this too! Regardless of how amazing you are, you have to read the session and figure out what is appropriate to that session. If it's "your" session, you can obviously play what you want. You shouldn't cater to the lowest common denominator at a session (unless of course it is intended to be a beginner's session). But there's always a tension. I've been to plenty of sessions where the regulars just want to do their thing, play their repertoire of obscure tunes, and not be bothered with any out of town visitor who passes through. That's fine. It's what's fun for them and it's what they want to do. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna have a moan about it and probably means I won't go back to that session. I don't need to play on every tune but I kind of like it when people at a session talk to me.

But if you're an amazing, awesome player and you drop in on a session -- even one where the average ability is less than yours -- and proceed to "take it over," you're just as annoying as the beginner who wants you to play the Kesh and the Butterfly at a snail's pace all night.

The point is, you have to be able to read each and every individual session's dynamics and work out how best to fit in. There's no right answer because sessions are all different. It takes time and experience.

[crookedtune]

I hope I'm timing this right.

In honor of our 16th page of fraught: http://www.angryalien.com/aa/sixteencandlesbuns.asp


Oh, bother. I missed.

[Denny]

well, no

there's one more post after this one

[benhall.1]

Could be this one f'raught I know ...