Interesting Topic About Irish Sessions

[Greg Jowaisas]

I'd like to second Bill's observation that contest competition and a performance mentality can excellerate the tempo, sometimes to the detriment of the music.

 

I don't think it is a question of "never" playing for dancers but the "separation" of the art forms of music/dance that once were so closely linked. But I'll certainly agree that other factors can be involved.

 

I've often enjoyed taking my banjo to the park and playing clawhammer style beneath a tree. But if people start to gather I find myself much less inclined to experiment and more likely to play pieces I know well or that that have some ooomph to them. I've seen the same kind of change come over a fiddle player who was playing beautifully one on one but became faster and flashier as a crowd gathered.

 

I don't suppopse dancers are any different.

 

Put aggressive speed dancers and speed musicians together and you can have a runaway clogging or "Riverdance" train. I'm not so sure that both art forms don't suffer in the process.

 

There are a couple of nightspots in the Cincinnati area where the local Irish music school participants gather for sessions. By and large they are an accomedating group to less experienced musicians and will entertain a moderately paced reel.

As the night wears on and more fiddlers gather the mucic often gets faster Sometimes the results are inspiring; sometimes speed leads to disaster. At least there are times when i feel that musicality suffers.

 

So it seems the speeding up of tunes can be part of an internal competition, or testing, or a pushing each other to the limit, among musicians.

 

Greg J

 

PS. I stand guilty of occasionally getting out my english and playing a couple of

reels inordinately fast (but with rhythm and taste, of course!) just to irk my anglo instructor.

Edited June 15, 2005 by Greg Jowaisas