Sessions
An excerpt from Musical Memories,
Traditional Irish Music, Volume 1, by Charlie Lennon
I am often asked,
usually by people from abroad who take more of an interest than the
locals in such things, what a session is and how it works. They
cannot understand how a gathering of musicians can sit down and play
together, switch keys and tunes, change speed and finish together –
all without direction! Others can't count in blocks of 8 and 16,
never get the structure of a tune sorted out and never know when it's
likely to end. There are yet others who cannot differentiate between
tunes.
A great insight can be
gleaned from a Cockney man's description of a session. As told by my
good friend Pat Finn, the Cockney had been brought to a session in
London by his Irish girlfriend and enjoyed the atmosphere very much.
Commenting afterwards he said: “It was a great night, but one thing
I could not understand. The musicians played the same tune all night
and at the end everybody stood up and they played it all over again!
Cor blimey!”.
A session is usually
comprised of the participating musicians, listeners and onlookers and
a third group who neither listen nor look. The importance of good
listeners positioned around the musicians cannot be overstated as
they help to bring the best out of the musicians and make the session
a success.
A session by its nature
is unrehearsed and spontaneous and it is not possible to say in
advance whether it will be very good, fair or mediocre. There are
also certain unwritten rules which everybody should respect.
The fact that you are a
musician, a bodhrán player or a bones beater doesn't give you the
right to join an existing session. If the players want you to share
in the session for whatever reason then they will invite you to join
them.
A session is usually
controlled by one person, sometimes aided and abetted by one or two
others. Between them they decide on the tunes, the repeats, when to
start, when to stop and when to call for a song. With gentle
movements, unnoticed by those outside the circle, the leader fashions
and weaves the entertainment for the benefit and enjoyment of
everyone around.
A good session can
leave you walking on air, send you home happy and keep your mind
filled with music for a whole week. New tunes, old tunes, new
settings, old settings, all are there to be enjoyed, captured and
stored in the treasure box of the mind, to be recalled in a period of
quiet reflection or at the next session.
