SESSION TERMS & ETIQUETTE:

A casual gathering of musicians playing Irish traditional music extemporaneously, most often in a pub or bar, is the loose definition of a ‘session.’ However, this is not the end-all-be-all of the definition. Sessions occur at different types of gatherings including house parties, wakes, weddings, parks, farmers markets, etc. and as such expectations and etiquette can change drastically. Take a look at some of the terms below found in the sessions listing in the previous column to better familiarize yourself with their meanings.

Beginner Session: A session for musicians just starting out on a new instrument who have very few tunes and limited skills but are enthusiastic and looking for community. They likely include a developing tune list so that no one musician is required to ‘lead’ the session. Quite often novice musicians spend so much time learning how to play their instruments and learning tunes on that instrument, that when they sit down at a session to play with other musicians it can feel like starting over again. This is why beginner sessions are so important - they allow us to build a community of humility, humor, and enthusiasm around our shared experiences as beginners. Quite often because of this, beginning sessions are held in a private space like a house or backyard where musicians don’t feel pressure to perform.

Intermediate Session: A session for musicians who have developed a modest level of skill that allows them to work through preordained sets of tunes with relative ease. Here musicians can focus more intently on acquiring skills beyond the beginner session - faster tempos, variations, changing tunes, non-verbal communication, etc. The intermediate session is the perfect place to start to explore new tunes and establish a shared repertoire that can be developed into sets unique to the group. An intermediate session may have a few anchor musicians who act as session leaders to keep the music flowing by suggesting tune sets and holding down a steady tempo. Sometimes these types of sessions play out in public spaces during non-peak business hours to allow the business to develop a relationship with the group of musicians.

Advanced Session: A session for musicians who play at a high standard and can move easily through tunes and sets with very little effort via non-verbal communication and call out key changes to accompanists. Musicians who attend this type of session are able to listen through a new tune a few times to pick up its bones to play along should they feel moved to do so. An advanced session has a steady tempo and creates lift and pulse that is palpable to the audience, which often elicits cheers and engagement (like dancing). Quite often this type of session is scheduled at peak business hours at a pub or bar as a way to entice patronage from passers by who might hear the music. As a result, session leaders are generally paid to uphold a standard of music that is acceptable to the publican.

Open Session: A session that is open to any and all musicians regardless of their skill level. This can be a very welcoming session for beginning and intermediate musicians that varies in standard based on who shows up. It is a great way for musicians of all skill levels to rub shoulders and socialize casually without the pressure to perform.

Session-By-Invite: A session that is organized by a leader and likely part of regular entertainment at a venue. Should you want to join, it’s necessary to ask the session leader. Even if the leader has given you the go ahead, you may be asked to play only a few tunes but not to play for the entirety of the session and that’s okay. It’s important to build a foundation of trust rather than overstep your bounds.

Closed Session: A session that is curated and populated by a consistent number of musicians to ensure a very high standard of music and entertainment for both the musicians and the venue. You are welcome to listen but bringing your instrument with you might be considered presumptuous or in poor taste. Listings for these types of session aren’t regularly or openly posted but information on them is generally spread by word-of-mouth.

Bodhrán & Accompanists: Bodhrán, bones, and spoons players as well as accompanists often hold a precarious position within the session. Highly skilled ones have the ability to support the tempo and lift generated by the melody players to create an exceptionally rich finish to the music. However, they can just as easily frustrate said tempo and lift. For this reason, it’s extremely important to be honest with your abilities and understand the difference between holding down a tempo (beginner) versus playing with the tune (advanced). The session leader will certainly hear the difference straightaway! Also, it’s important to communicate and coordinate with other bodhrán players and accompanists so that no more than one bodhrán/accompanying instrument is playing at one time unless otherwise requested by the session leader.

A final note: Sessions are imperative to our development as musicians and as a community. Our individual feelings are important but should be balanced by our community’s expectations. This is why we’ve defined the terms above and have used them when describing the sessions in the previous column. A vibrant music community will have musicians of all skill levels and sessions at these diverse levels to accommodate them. Welcoming in new musicians can often be frustrating when community expectations aren’t obvious or when these expectations are ignored in favor of our personal gratification. As such, the enthusiasm of welcoming new musicians into our community should not be paramount to supporting musicians in our community who have invested a considerable amount of time to be able to play to a very high standard. The key to this balance is communication. Ask questions, observe, and be patient when you arrive to a new session - listening to the music, sipping a pint, and getting to know the bar staff are also valid activities at a session before you decide to resin your bow or tighten your bodhrán skin.

We look forward to seeing you out at a session soon!

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