bill_mchale

Lester, I understand your view, and I respect it, and I think there propbably is room in the world for what I guess we can call fusion sessions for lack of a better term. That being said, I think you underestimate the importance of sessions for carrying on various traditional music forms (well at least Irish Music, but I suspect much the same coudl be said of other forms, even if their sessions take place in the homes of the music lovers as opposed to a pub). As a person who has only been playing the box for a year (and making pretty decent progress on it if I do say so myself) I find that the sessions I attend, both to listen and to play has had a major impact in helping me improve. While I listen to lots of different styles of music, it would be impossible to learn let alone master more than two or three forms in the amount of time I have to dedicate to music. I don't want to be a casual browser of Irish Traditional music who knows how to play 20-30 tunes (my current range) and then move on to say 20-30 bluegrass tunes on a banjo and then another 20-30 tunes in yet another genre... Further, even in such a narrow category as irish traditional music, there is such a variety of styles and tunes as I think it will keep me happy exploring it for many years. My accordion teacher knows upwards of 3000 tunes, I would like to think that 500 or so would be a reasonable goal for me to learn in the next 5 years or so and if I get that many I might consider exploring other areas... but Irish music is my first real love in music. I am far more interested in learning how to play it on other instruments (like the concertina) than I am in learning how to play other musical styles. While I don't want to sound like a session snob, I suspect that many participants in many fine sessions feel the same way about their session; its not that we think that Irish Trad or Blue Grass, or Old Time is better than other forms, but it is what we love, and what we want to play. -- Bill

Michael, I'm wondering whether you could say more about the "button accordion" category in the context of this discussion (on English concertina for Irish music)... specifically I think the point that is related is that although the "button accordion" category is technically open to all types of button accordions, I've heard that the judges prefer the B/C system... and the All-Ireland button accordion champions have all won playing B/C instruments (is that true? I've also heard that even players who prefer C#D have competed using B/C boxes). (BTW there is a separate category for "melodeon" i.e. one-row diatonic accordion; additionally, I always assumed that other types of button accordions, i.e. 3-row B/C/C# etc, would compete in the misc instruments category.). Is this (non-official) preference for B/C true on all levels of the competitions? Does anyone bother to compete using other systems? (C#/D, D/G, etc.) Does this compare in any way to the absence of English concertinas in the competitions? I'm not bringing up these points as an "expert," I'm just hoping that someone who is more familiar with the competitions will address this. Andy Well I am not sure if it was always in the misc. category or evolved to it in the last few years, but I know John Nolan won on both the 3 row and the 2 row box (I think in the same All Ireland) so either there might at one time have been a 3 row category. Regarding the preference for B/C... Well I am pretty sure that Jackie Daley played a B/C for his all Ireland win.. and that seems to be the only time in the last several decades that his fingers were not dancing over a C#/D keyboard (well except when he has a pint ), so I would say that the preference for B/C is pretty predominant, though I have to believe that is starting to change as more and more really excellent C#/D players come to promience (though I have no plans on abandoning the B/C . -- Bill

Well there are quite a few Irish Session in and around DC and Baltimore (one pub in Baltimore has sessions no less than 3 nights of the week, a Monday Slow session, a Tuesday Session, and two sessions on Thursday (Slow Session from 8-9:15, regular session from 9:30 on)). If by rigid you mean that the Irish Sessions are pretty dogmatic about sticking to Irish Tunes played in Irish style... well yeah, thats what makes it an Irish Session, would expect the same of a Blue Grass, Old Time or other style session. I recognize that many people love playing all sorts of music on their instruments, but others love a particular style of music and wouldn't be interested in going to a session where you were as likely to hear tunes from other genres. -- Bill