Roy will be hosting an afternoon of traditional music on Sunday afternoons from 2 pm to 4 pm. Drop in for a drink or some fine food.
Next session: Sunday, January 5, 2025 - 2:00pm
The Irish Traditional Music Session – Rules of the Road
(taken from Roche Island Washington session information)
Approach Irish music sessions like most folks do, with social awareness and common sense. Trouble may start when you approach with a self-serving agenda or without sensitivity.
The following observations/suggestions might be beneficial for inexperienced players curious about the ways of the session. It's not meant for the experienced, except if you're curious :)
In Brief
- Use your common sense, be humble, don’t be self-serving.
- If you don’t know a tune, don’t play. Never “noodle”.
- Understand the local customs before taking out your instrument.
- The player who starts the set dictates the set – tunes and tempo. Don’t push or drag.
- Quality is far more important than speed.
- Keep your instrument in tune.
- Allow breathing time between tune sets.
- Minimize cell phone usage.
- Backup instruments have the most impact of all, be ultra-mindful, play a solid simple texture at an appropriate volume, don’t play “stock” chord progressions, only one guitar or bodhran at a time. If you don’t know a tune and its chords, don’t play.
For melody players e.g. fiddle, flute, pipes, box, concertina, banjo
If there were only one guideline, it’s this: If you don’t know a tune, don’t play. Don’t drone, backup, interpret, or otherwise prettify. The best way to not play is to disengage from your instrument. Put it on your lap or on a table, then perhaps utilize your free hands to work your portable recorder.
Playing along while not knowing the tune has a special pejorative assigned to it: “noodling”. When you hear a tune at the session, you’re hearing folks that have dedicated significant time to learning the tune. To the Irish-trad player, sharing the tune at a session is the ultimate experience. The joy comes from the sharing - with the edges of the notes tightly lined up among the players. Noodling trashes this experience. The others do hear you and don’t like it.
If you approach an unfamiliar session with sensitivity and humility, you’ll be fine. Experienced players will likely welcome you, your repertoire, and level of skill. Before taking out your instrument, study the session culture: Is there a leader?, what is the leader’s role?, do people start tunes in round- robin order? randomly? when asked by the leader? At what tempo does the group like to play? Mostly reels? How many times through each tune? How many tunes in a set? Non-Irish repertoire OK? Songs OK? Once you have a handle on things and conclude you’re a fit, ask if it’s OK to join in.
Once you’ve sat down with the group, humility and common sense go a long way. Play along on tunes you know; sit out respectfully on tunes you don’t know. While sitting out, keep conversation quiet and to a minimum. When someone starts a set, it’s their set, their tunes, their tempo. Don’t drag or push on their tempo (or yours). If you start a set, choose a tempo close to the session norm – not much faster or slower. Watch your volume – each player needs to hear everyone else. Position yourself so that every player has a sightline to the center and to each other.
Don’t start two sets in a row, unless asked.
It’s exciting to play at higher tempos, but the relationship between speed and quality must be kept in perspective. Once folks hit a certain tempo, turning up the tempo turns down the quality. This effect is magnified in sessions; it doesn’t get mitigated due to ensemble sound. Jigs, in particular, are often played too fast because it’s easier to do so. Choose a tempo in which you can feel and be in control of each note you play, execute your ornaments, make music rather than a relentless stream of notes. When all players are in such control, the session can flourish.
Unfortunately, the session is not a place to learn the basics of playing your instrument. Wizardry is not required, but you should be able to clearly deliver musical phrases with reasonable intonation and timing. Ornaments are a bonus but not essential.
Your instrument should be kept in tune. Check often, even if it's not bothering you. One out-of-tune player can bring down the whole session.
For backup players e.g. guitar bouzouki bodhran
Backup players have an extra burden of responsibility. Deep tonality and percussiveness give backup a huge impact on the overall sound. The effect is much more than from a usual melody instrument, even when played softly. First of all, the above discussion about melody instruments applies to you as well. Including, among other things: “if you don’t know a tune, don’t play”. When “know a tune” is applied to backup players, it means that you recognize the tune and could hum it. You need to know the chords of each tune, just like the notes if you were playing a fiddle. If you don’t know the tune, you’re not going be in sync. You’re effectively “noodling”, which on a backup instrument is the most destructive form.
Chord players should attempt to play the chords suggested by the tune, rather than relying on “stock” progressions. Play simple rhythms, not fancy or syncopated. The sound of the pick striking the strings has a big effect on the overall feeling of the music. Pay close attention to this texture and be as perfect as you can, while not drawing attention. Play steadily and strongly, without interruptions. Watch your volume – the melody rides on top of your sound, not the other way around. You’ll know you’re doing it right when you notice the joy in the group, rather than hearing comments about your playing wizardry.
One bodhran and one guitar/bouzouki is the limit. With more than one, the combined sound is chaotic and dissonant. The music suffers. Take turns, perhaps?
For All
Sessions need to “breathe”. When the playing stops, let some time pass before starting up again. During this breathing time, do not play your instrument except to quietly tune it. When you play in the space between tune sets, you foster a negative competitive atmosphere. Downtime is good for conversation; get to know your neighbours.
Put away your cell phone. You would not pull out your cell phone when not involved in a slice of conversation. Why do it at a session?
Sunday Session Tunes
The session features mostly Irish tunes but depending on who is there we may play Quebecois, Acadian, Scottish and Cape Breton , Bretagne tunes as well. (a partial list)
Jigs
Swallows Tail (Em) , Kesh , Lark in the morning (D)
Morrison;s (Em)
Off She Goes (D), Connaughtman's Rhambles, Smash the Windows, Haste to the Wedding
Irishman's Heart to the Ladies(A), Paddy in London (Am),
Rolling Waves (D), Market Town (A), Scatter the Mud (Am)
Lilting Banshee (Am), Rakes of Kildare, Mum's jig, Caliope House (D)
Blarney Pilgrim, Out on the Ocean
Rambling Pitchfork (D), langstrom's Pony, Chase Me Charlie (A)
Humours of Ballyloughlin, Pet of the Piper's , A jig ?
Kitty Lie Over(D). Willie Coleman's(G). Up in the Air (Bm)
Sailor's wife (Dm)
Banish Misfortune(D), Tripping up the stairs (D)
Humours of Trim (Rolling Waves )(D) / Johnny Doherty's Jig (A)
Dust on the Window sill (Am)
Slieve Russell. Kilavil, Sean Ryan's, Mist on the Mountain
White Peticoat (Em) , Stan Chapman's (A) , Miller's Maggot (G)
the Orphan (Em), Hearty Boys of Ballymote, Up Sligo,
Bundle and Go (G)/ LA Maison de Glace (D) / Halloween Jig (Bm)
Northwest Quadrille Jig
Thunderhead (Bm)
Brother's Jig Dr O'Neill's Jig
Silver hand/ Johnny O'Leary's
Strawaway Child, Monaghan's (Em)
Slipjigs
Foxhunter's (D), Kid on the Mtn, (Em),
Last Night's Fun, Hardiman the Fiddler
the Choice Wife
Rocky Road to Dublin
Liam Child's
Molly Ruagh
Garech's Wedding
the Exiles's Jig
Coleman's, the Butterfly, Kid on the Mountain
the Snowy path
Reels
Banshee (G) Shehan's (G)
Cooley's, Tarbolton, Pigeon on the Gate, Toss the Feathers
Dunsmore Lasses, Morning Dew, Banshee
Flowers of Edinborough, Heather on the Hill, Miss MacLeod's/ Lord Mac Donald'sReel
St Anne's, McNabb's, Fairy Dance
Mason's Apron, Devil's Dream, High Road to Linton, Big John McNeill
Man of the House, Drogheda Lasses, Ballintore Fancy, Cup of tea
Wise maid, Silver spear, Merry Blacksmith
Maids of Mitchelstown (Dm)
Wind that Shakes the Barley ( Judy's Reel), Lady Anne Montgomery,
Jenny's chickens, Sleepy Maggie (Bm)
Musical Priest (Bm)
Drowsy Maggie (Em), Teatotaller's
Green Grow the Rushes, Mourne Mountains
Otter's Den (Bm), the Ashplant (D) , Martin Wynne's #2 (Bm)
Mountain Road (D) Crawley's #1 (D),Concertina Reel
Killarney Boys of Pleasure ( Em), Jackie Coleman's #1,
Julia Delaney (Dm), Seargent Early's Dream / Mother's Delight/
Spooteskerry Reel (G)
Brae Reel. Reel de Moules, Acadian Reel / Reel de Forgeron
Jack McCann's/ Brenda Stubbert's / Mutt's Favourite
Farewell to Erin/ Greenfields of Glentown
Homeward Bound/ Miss Susan Cooper/ Jack Daniel's/ Muise Reel/
the High Drive (D) Christmas eve (G)
Cape Breton'er s Welcome to Shetlands/
the Wedding reel medley ( three tunes )
Greenfield of Glentown (Am)
Farewell to Erin, (Am)
Hornpipes
Concertina (G) O'Carolan's Draft
Chief O'Neill's, Delahunty's, Harvest Home the Dance of the Honeybees
Boys of Bluehill, Off to California, Home Ruler, Kitty's Wedding
Walsh's (A)
Swinging on the Gate (G), Flowing Tide (G)
Bobby Casey's
Mulqueeny's (G)
Rights of man (G)
Polkas
Burke Polkas (D), (Bm), (A),
the Murroe ((G), Peg Ryan's (G), Sweeny's (D)
Dalaigh's (Am), Jer the rigger (Am), A major Bill Sullivan's
Sweeny's Dalaigh's
Little Maggie in the Wood - Britches full of Stitches - John Ryan's
Slides
O'Keefe's, Star Above the Garter, Connie Walsh's , Denis Murphy's (D), Where's the Cat
Dinny Delaney's (Am)
Merrily Kiss the Quaker (G)
Brosna Slides No 1 and No 2
Waltzes
Rosebud of Allendale (G)
Last Night in this House (Am)
South wind, Westphalia (G)
My Cape Breton Home (G)
Munster Cloak (G)
Crossing the Sea to Ireland
Owl Waltz
the Wedding Gift
Marches
Fingal's Cave (Am)
Father John Angus Rankin's March (A)
March of King Laois
Road to the Isles
Brian Boru's March (Am)
King of the Fairies
Airs
Neil Gow's Lament on the Death of his second Wife
Mr and Mrs MacLean of Snaigow
the Osprey
Innishear Air (G)
Magh Seola
A beautiful fresh morning
Da Slokit Lite (D)
O'Carolan's Draft, Shebeg Shemore, Captain O'Kanes/ O'Carolan's Farewell
the Island of Woods
the Parting Glass
Hector the Hero
Captain O'Kanes (Gm)
Barn Dances
Lucy Farr ( G) Bill Halley's
Mazurkas
Saddle the Pony/ Tommy People's (D) (G)/ Sonny's Mazurka (D)
the Singing Snail
Strathspeys
Tullochgorum, Haughs of the Warlock
Cutting Fern (Am)
Bretagne
I love a trurtle Dove (Em)
Road the Kerrigouach (Gm)
Gavottes by Padrig Sicard
Gavotte de Srignac
the Wren (an dro)
Rond de St Vincent Rond de Loudeac
Miscellaneous
Loftus Jones, Concerto, Hewlett, Morgan Meghan
Crested Hen (Em)
Planxty Irwin, Munster Cloak, Geroge Babazon
Rosin the Bow (A)
Give Me your hand (G)
Master Crowley's (Dm)
Fred Finn's
Bobby Casey's (Gm)
the Western Hornpipe (C)
High Drive (D)
Down the Hill (Gm)
the Virginia Reel