Advice On Sessions

[Jay Lamsa]

A friend (fiddler) and myself (English concertina) were thinking about setting up a regular trad session in the basement of our church (don't worry - no evangelizing, just music). I am pretty new to this, playing my concertina in complete isolation for a couple years until this last North-East Squeeze in. What a blast playing music with everyone! I only got about 1 in 3 notes at best, but fun nonetheless.

 

So I've got a few questions - how do we find musicians? Also I've heard of sessions that work off of sheet music at times, others completely by ear - thoughts? And anything on general "session etiquette"? What makes a "good" session? How does one prepare?

 

Many thanks!

 

Jay

[ldpaulson]

Hi Jay!

 

Congrats on your ... uh, bravery! That's it! I'm replying as someone who tried to start a session a year ago to date. Specifically, this was an old-time session, but we had bluegrass and Celtic players there. It is a LOT of work. The big trick is finding a time and place that work for a majority of people in your area. We thought we had both, but even with more than 50 people on our e-mailing list, we had to scrap the once-monthly session eight months later after months of five people or fewer showing up. People just weren't as interested as they said they were!

 

I've participated in Celtic and jazz sessions as well. I'll throw in some of my views based on that as well.

 

So I've got a few questions - how do we find musicians?

 

Word of mouth! That's how I found out about the very first old-time jam I attended. I then was invited to join a Celtic session. Musicians talk to other musicians.

 

Call all your friends and have them call their friends! That's the best way to start. Don't try to go overboard. A good session should have about 10 musicians. At least they do around here.

 

You can ask people if they'd like e-mail reminders. You can then set up a simple mailing list and send a note out about 10 days before the session. This may become unnecessary if the session takes root.

 

Also I've heard of sessions that work off of sheet music at times, others completely by ear - thoughts?

 

Both are completely valid ways to structure a session. You can have sessions that do both successfully. The Celtic and gypsy jazz sessions I have attended/attend accommodate both. It really depends on the individuals and their learning styles or playing comfort level. The gypsy session, for example, also has sound files available on its website and gives serious newcomers a tunebook and a CD of the group playing most of the tunes as well as a list of suggested CDs. The best sessions IMHO offer some sort of resources for their members to learn the tunes in whatever way they wish -- including encouraging taping of the sessions.

 

What do you want to do?

 

And anything on general "session etiquette"?

 

What session etiquette is adopted depends on the group. Some frown on any singing, for example. Others have a setlist they work off with one leader calling the tunes and taking requests from time to time. Other groups might take turns going around the circle with each person selecting a tune and the speed at which they'd like to play it. This helps encourage participation by all levels of players.

 

If you have banjos ...this changes the complexion of the circle as well. Because there is retuning involved -- at least in old time or bluegrass sessions where banjos participate -- we typically choose a key at the start of the session, deferring to the banjo. We stick to the key for a while and then change keys.

 

What makes a "good" session? How does one prepare?

 

A good session is one in which everyone is challenged and has a lot of fun. New people come periodically to infuse the group with enthusiasm and new tunes. At least that's my definition. It isn't good when a few people feel obligated to show up and there's general malaise about playing the same old songs.

 

Refreshments are helpful!

 

Prepare? I don't know that you really can unless you are a relgious person and then praying might help. Just teasing! Most of the best jamming happens when something wonderful magically comes together that you weren't expecting!

 

Feel free to ask other questions. I'll be as helpful as possible. I can also point you to some URLs for sessions I've seen that post their music or session information online. I found the information -- if not the great set lists! -- helpful or interesting at varying times. I don't want to bombard you with information. I'll let this soak in.

 

Hope this is useful,

 

ldpaulson

[Alan Day]

Hallo Jay,

At the very second of being your first reply Idpaulson`s one came up and said the majority of what I was going to say.

The major pointers in the UK are to have a good venue, beer available and alternatives for those who are driving.A hardcore of reasonable musicians who are friendly and welcome new musicians and beginners and offer help and encouragement.Introduce favourite tunes initially that after two or three sessions people can join in with,usually the old tried and tested or corny ones.For beginners ,do not play loudly or speed up the tune.Do not join in with someone playing solo unless you know the tune,a player could have been practicing for weeks for that night and someone playing the wrong notes over his playing may stop him coming again.If lots of musicians are playing by all means join in but quetely.

As for musicians, go to other sessions in or near to your area and pass the word around,above all do not clash your evening with another session on the same or near to the same night,

Good luck if you achieve great sessions there is no better experiance or thrill.you just never know who will walk through the door.

Al

[Daniel Bradbury]

Hello Jay,

 

I concur with all that's said above. I think that the most important thing is the FUN. I don't think it takes 10 or more to have a session. We often have sessions of only 5 or so. The trick is that people SHARE. Search for tunes that you all know and then tunes that each other know. You will find music to share, make no mistake about that!

 

Etiquett = respect for one another.

 

Once you find a core of folks who enjoy sharing and playing together, you've got a session! The next hurdle will be to find enough excuses that your significant other will accept for your being away playing music.

 

Dan

[ldpaulson]

At the very second of being your first reply Idpaulson`s one came up and said the majority of what I was going to say.

 

Dearest Alan -- my very sincerest apologies.

 

As for musicians, go to other sessions in or near to your area and pass the word around,above all do not clash your evening with another session on the same or near to the same night,

 

Indeed. We tried Saturday afternoon. Even after everyone we spoke with gave that as a preference, they didn't show up. You also have to pick a time and place that works for you! You're the organizer!

 

That said, if you can find one or two experienced and friendly players to host the session or jam with you, that can be a great help. You can also delegate tasks as well as have your core group with those two or three.

 

if you achieve great sessions there is no better experiance or thrill.you just never know who will walk through the door.

 

Indeed! We did have the pleasure of getting a couple of well known pros sitting in with us when they weren't on the road. And the range of instruments may surprise you! We had a guy with FIELD PIPES show up at one of the Celtic sessions at the pub. He played two songs and scared off several of the patrons : ) But it was great fun to hear.

 

And again, Alan, my sincere apologies! I am interested in what you and otheres have to say about having a successful session in the off-chance I ever get crazy enough to try hosting another!

 

ldp

[ldpaulson]

Daniel:

 

I don't think it takes 10 or more to have a session. We often have sessions of only 5 or so.

 

As I said, that's my experience with local sessions in this area. Any session with five or fewer musicians has been tough. It's nice to have a balance of rhythym and melody instruments as well as folks of varying experience levels. Try having four fiddles, a gut-bucket bass and mandolin going for two hours! ; )

 

The more the merrier!

 

The next hurdle will be to find enough excuses that your significant other will accept for your being away playing music.

 

Agreed! I recently gave up a couple of jam sessions. Sad, but true. Keeping the peace is important -- even when the SO is too chicken to play out but should!

 

ldp

Edited December 31, 2003 by ldpaulson

[Rhomylly]

Other groups might take turns going around the circle with each person selecting a tune and the speed at which they'd like to play it. This helps encourage participation by all levels of players.

This is what our local slo-jam session does, and it's really very effective. As a novice (and I mean novice) player, that at least gives me a couple chances to pick 1) a tune I know in a key I can play on a 20-button and 2) the tempo.

 

Granted, our slo-jam is for beginning/intermediate players, but it's still really nice to have everyone take turns choosing a tune. I think it builds community.

 

I would imagine that in more advanced sessions, having folks choose tunes would give everyone the opportunity to learn something new!

 

Just my two cents'

 

I'd also advertise the session on www.thesession.org and maybe at local music stores.

 

edited for typos

Edited December 31, 2003 by Rhomylly

[Paul Groff]

Dear Jay and all,

 

This subject brings up so many thoughts...and concerns.

 

The great thing about playing your own music, rather than absorbing the commercial products of the mass media, is that you should be able to find your own unique voice. There is great freedom in finding your own way, discovering and creating the sounds you enjoy. The concertinas in particular are perfect for this -- so expressive, so many opportunities for melody, harmony, rhythm, making full multipart arrangements available to the solo performer, yet more portable even than a guitar. Even better to get together with family or friends and listen to one another or try to play together. Of course, this means you are now communicating to and with others (like going from writing poetry to publishing your poetry, or reading it in public), and your personal expressive freedom may be tempered by a desire to learn to make sounds OTHERS enjoy, or sounds along with which they enjoy playing or dancing.

 

This last issue turns out to be subtler than many beginners realize, and (for me at least), it seems to become subtler and subtler over the many years I have been playing.

 

When they begin to make music with others, most people who play for the love of it, who don't make a living doing so (amateurs) need to find a balance between 1) trying to make their playing (repertoire, skill level, kind of instrument) fit in with those whose music they want to join, and 2) trying to find kindred souls who appreciate, and fit in with, the way they already like to play.

 

2) can be very difficult, but very rewarding when achieved. Most "sessions" of amateur musicians (in the US at least) are like this. Over time, a great feeling of community can develop (despite the internal disagreements that seem inevitable). However, it should be admitted that the music produced may or may not be appreciated or valued by others outside this circle. This may or may not matter to those who are, in effect, starting their own family or community traditions.

 

1) can also be very difficult, or even impossible, depending on the player and his or her ambitions. I might like to play with the Red Socks*, but no matter how hard I practice, given my abilities and age, if I were let on the team somehow this would not be appreciated by my teammates , the spectators, or maybe even the opposing team! In fact I might have to work very hard to become an asset to a local amateur team. But of course, aiming for a higher standard is the only way to improve the quality of any skill.

 

In some musical traditions there is a very special balance between a respect for the craftsmanship of the most highly skilled, and an inclusiveness that allows even the least experienced or skilled to contribute (maybe one or two simple tunes played very slowly with the help of the group, or a party piece, a recitation, etc.). This balance requires the really skilled to be very patient (generous, welcoming, willing to sacrifice the perfection of their art in order to include others), and the less skilled to be very patient (deferent and not unduly forward or disruptive --see Alan's excellent comment above). If the balance tips one way, you might have the best possible music played only by the one or few best musicians (and at times this may be appropriate, if the "listening quality" of the music is valued more in that situation), and if it tips the other way you might have a real cacaphony (and at times this might be fun for all). The point is that to achieve this special balance there has to be a lot of mutual respect and understanding (perhaps of unwritten "rules" ), which may take a very long time to develop. This is what is meant by a "session" in some traditions, in some places, and I hope I have made it clear that this does not necessarily imply a democracy or a free-for-all. Just to give one example, O hAllmurain's book on Irish music makes it clear that for him a good session has a leader or "key player(s)."

 

Now in the last paragraph I used the word tradition (long, I guess, for "trad"). If your goal is to learn, to become part of, an existing tradition I think this can't be invented locally by beginners, any more than three Americans with a French dictionary will be able to re-invent French. In my opinion (and I'm sure there will be others expressed in this Forum), a musical tradition, like a language or a skilled craft, must be learned, over time and with committment, from those who really have it. If you don't learn a language or a musical tradition very early, you might want to undertake a disciplined apprenticeship of some kind with the very best practicioners and teachers you can find. You will learn much more than the kind of "information" that can be posted on the internet; each language and each different musical tradition has its OWN world view, customs, and yes, etiquette.

 

This brings me around to my first reaction to Jay's first posting. Whatever you and your friend (and whoever will join you) do in the church basement will have great value to you. Over time, you may come up with something that has great value to many. But if there is a particular, existing tradition of music that you want to learn to understand and play, and if you want to be a credit to that tradition, you ought to seek out the very best players of that music. Be guided by them, and listen to what they suggest. If you can induce them to let down their guard and be honest with you, their views may really surprise you, challenging much that you assumed about this music. They may have a very different idea than you about what kind of local session would best serve the tradition, its most dedicated local exponents, listeners, (and dancers?), and you as a learner. But there is no substitute for the understanding that has developed over generations of dedicated craftsmanship in some of the musical traditions whose beauty is appreciated by many outside these traditions. The best players of today are the custodians of these traditions, and if you try to take a shortcut, avoiding the committment of an apprenticeship with one of these players, you may be missing the most valuable part of the trip.

 

These are my views and I will be interested to hear those of other contributors.

 

Paul

 

* American baseball team

 

(edited to remove unintended yellow faces)

Edited December 31, 2003 by Paul Groff

[Rhomylly]

Paul,

 

I am finding much to think about after reading your post, in particular your comments about "tradition."

 

You wrote, "The best players of today are the custodians of these traditions, and if you try to take a shortcut, avoiding the committment of an apprenticeship with one of these players, you may be missing the most valuable part of the trip. "

 

For this, I must approach the issue as a dancer, as I've been an English County/Morris/Sword/Contra dancer for over 30 years. As an advanced dancer, I totally, utterly, and completely agree with your statement.

 

And I also think your comments on balancing the advanced performance with the communal beginner's cacophony are also dead-on, and that those comments compliment the quote above. To learn a tradition well enough to be one of it's custodians or "links in time," one must first be exposed to the tradition, either as a child or as a questing adult. And there has to be room and the freedom to be awful at it, at least at first. Sometimes this tolerance for beginners is sorely lacking.

 

And some traditions are not for everybody. Many require more of a commitment than the masses are willing to give.

 

With that in mind, I would encourage Jay, and anyone else starting up a regular jam session, dance event (which I am personally trying to do -- perhaps why Paul's comments have caused so much food for thought) or other folk venue to:

 

Listen to the needs of the group.

 

And outreach, outreach, outreach so the group and the tradition it represents will continue for another generation.

 

For instance, if the group is all or mostly advanced, it will develop a flavor that is very different from, say, the beginner's experience you may have originally had in mind.

 

Don't know if I'm echoing Paul or enhancing his comments or just rambling like an idiot, but those are my thoughts at present.

[David Barnert]

Jumping in late, here, after not reading concertina.net for a few days.

 

My thoughts on music stands, or more correctly, relying on printed music for session playing, are well-documented (and even joked about) elsewhere in this forum and I won't repeat them now.

 

All I think I need to add to the excellent comments above is this:

 

1) Hopefully, if it catches on, the nature of the session will evolve in unplanned and unexpected ways, so don't go too crazy about setting up policies in advance.

 

2) A local weekly session around here meets in a different location every month and has a web site. Here it is. Maybe it will give you ideas:

 

http://www.fiddlerstour.com/fiddlerstour/default.aspx

 

Also click the link at the bottom of that page for more.

[Jay Lamsa]

Wow! Thanks everyone - lots of food for thought here. The advantage of gaining the support from some willing (and patient) experienced players seems to be a key. And a willing spouse - although sometimes I think my wife is quite happy when I take my concertina and newly aquired accordion elsewhere!

 

The sheet music vs. by ear debate - I took conventional music lessons (piano) as a kid, and that kind of music education doesn't teach gaining one's ear. I end up TOO dependent on the paper, and I am now trying to learn more from recordings. That and realizing that I have more pieces memorized than I realize. There are times that reading music seems to be a disadvantage as it is such an easy crutch.

 

Best wishes for the New Year to you all!

 

Jay

[geoffwright]

I "fell into" a local weekly session, and by default, after some 2 years, ended up as one of the main session-leaders. The session grew, with no shortage of decent musicians, and in time we had to take a step back as you can end up going in various directions.

 

I took an executive decision to keep the session fresh by deciding on a theme I would try and introduce each week, usually a tradition we don't play as much of.

Some weeks, morris will appear, other weeks, English ceilidh, again, other weeks, I will get the mood for a slow session and the first half of the evening will be for the benefit of beginners, and also the experts, on whom I enforce a speed limit, making them put a bit more into the tune.

The early part of the evening is also quiet enough to encourage beginners by swapping instruments - they play mine, I play theirs, which also gives chance for a bit of discussion about instrument construction and maintenance.

 

I keep a mental note of what we played over the last month and introduce a few new tunes each week, recap on new tunes from previous weeks and make sure we keep the standard repertoire ticking over.

 

As I am a quantity of tunes person, the session evolved into a take-it-in-turns-to-lead session playing a few tunes at a time in sets, rather than one-tune-each around the set, but the sets seem to be random rather than the same each week, so everyone is kept on their toes. (This is fine as long as you have musicians that can do it).

 

It is not really a singers session, but just to prove a point, we do have an occasional evening, un-nanounced, when we do go around the room and everyone gives a song. We were all most surprised to find out how many of the session listeners could come up with a song even they played no instruments. The un-announced bit was to stop anyone having an unfair advantage by practising or bringing song-books.

 

Som time ago, the session had to move to another pub which already had jazz on, we started to be an alternate-weekly session and on the jazz weeks, we de-camp to various other musician-friendly pubs which is an excellent set-up as we cover a wider area and people from afar get chance to visit a session nearer them.

[bellowbelle]

So I've got a few questions - how do we find musicians? Also I've heard of sessions that work off of sheet music at times, others completely by ear - thoughts? And anything on general "session etiquette"? What makes a "good" session? How does one prepare?

 

Many thanks!

 

Jay

Just a quick hello...so great to find another English concertina player that's from Massachusetts! Yeaaayyy!!!!

 

I'll be back...can't even take the time to read this whole thread, now...gotta go, but, just saying 'hi' for now.

 

I play by myself mostly, still...still learning...but, having fun. Sometime, though, I certainly want to join some real people (not just that Automatic Man that The Virtual Session has.....he's okay, but....)

 

Okay...bye for now...more later.

[bellowbelle]

Back again...

I'm wondering, Jay, if you would like the group that meets every Friday(?) in a pub in Portsmouth, N.H. Tom Hall leads that one, I believe. I only heard them once, at a maritime festival....maybe someday I'll go to a session, but, it IS a 2-1/2 hour drive, IF I take the roads I prefer to take.

 

Anyway...I will never be one to start a session, I'm sure, and I am not too familiar with many tunes yet, but, I do have a picnic table in my backyard and people are welcome at it. (Kind of crowded, inside!)

 

In the summer, of course!

[Jim Besser]

What makes a good session?

 

1. Congenial people with good jam etiquette.

 

2. Someone to keep things moving when energy fades and chatting replaces music.

 

3. A decision at the outset about what kind of jam you want. One musical genre? Several? Anthing goes? If you're the organizer, it helps to make it clear in your invitations what the general parameters will be. Serious Irish players seem to dislike the freeform session, where you may be playing Trip to Sligo one minute, Tiptoe Through the TUlips the next; the people I generally play with don't care for the more structured Irish format. So you want to be fairly clear about this from the beginning.

 

4. New people. Jamming with the same people over and over again means you end up playing the same stuff over and over again.

 

5. Some good, solid rhythm players. In my humble view, it sounds so much better and is so much more fun when you have a good guitar/piano player in the group. When I have sessions at my house, I invite folks with varying musical skills, but always make sure there's a good rhythm player lined up.

 

6. Good snacks and drinks.

 

Notation vs. by ear: I've been to good sessions of both varieties, although I prefer the latter. You're the boss, do what YOU like, and let everybody know when you ask them to come.

Edited January 3, 2004 by Jim Besser

[Sandy Winters]

"- how do we find musicians? "

 

Put up flyers any where you can find a public bulletin board, but especially at local libraries, book stores and record shops. You might be amazed at how quickly you will draw new players. Good luck.