How to find and join an Irish music session

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  • Опубліковано 3 лип 2024
  • I've had a few session-related questions come my way recently and thought a breakdown of the ins-and-outs of joining an Irish session, session etiquette, instrument selection, tune selection, etc. - all that stuff that goes into playing in sessions would be a fun topic to cover.
    DO NOT NOODLE.
    Also don't play it if you don't know it. Forgot that one.
    Good discussion on "standard" Irish session tunes: thesession.org/discussions/4234
    Good session calendar: www.brownbearsw.com/cal/ceola...
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 37

  • @irishflutegirl9022
    @irishflutegirl9022 2 роки тому +15

    I recently started my own in my home bc of restrictions and things fell apart 😭 ….soooo…... I found some irish music peeps . We now have a flute, whistle, drum, violin, mando, and guitar. Ive never been happier to have self sustained sessions! 😉.

    • @whistletutor
      @whistletutor  2 роки тому

      Nice! It's great to get back to tunes again!

    • @djlogan1222
      @djlogan1222 Рік тому

      Lol, what city is this in? 👍

    • @irishflutegirl9022
      @irishflutegirl9022 Рік тому

      @@djlogan1222 winnipeg ..friendly Manitoba 😉 🇨🇦 ☘️

  • @seacoastlife
    @seacoastlife 2 роки тому +7

    For us rookies this is very helpful. I appreciate your videos and tips a lot. Thanks so much. Cheers!

  • @markrains6620
    @markrains6620 9 днів тому

    Learned bodhran so I could pack it in luggage on a trip to ireland so that i could play in a session, prepared with advice that only one player per session would be welcome; but that if I bought the other a pint, I could play while they drank and we'd both be happy.

  • @CelticPrincess2400
    @CelticPrincess2400 2 роки тому +2

    We have a decently sized piping scene where I am and a local Irish group organizes and leads one. It's kinda anything goes as long as you be respectful and have fun! A little bit sing a long; a little bit session and a whole lot of Guiness.

  • @talonbertrand5133
    @talonbertrand5133 2 роки тому +2

    Thanks for the video! I found a group on Facebook that gets together every other month and plays Celtic folk music. Usually at a pub or someone's house. I just messaged them and told them I play whistle, they invited me out

  • @Kate-sn3vx
    @Kate-sn3vx 2 роки тому

    Your tutorials are great! Very appreciated ☺️☘️☺️

  • @Boreen70
    @Boreen70 Рік тому

    This is absolutely great advice! Thank you.

  • @cwilde
    @cwilde Рік тому

    Great video, Sean! And the opening .... 🤣 ... Essential viewing! Thank you so much.

  • @jamesmcdonough7414
    @jamesmcdonough7414 2 роки тому +1

    Thanks, Sean! I always love when you post new tunes, but mixing it up a bit is cool! Lots of good tips, and I found some sessions nearby that I would never have found otherwise!! Hope to make it to a few!

  • @bammillison8192
    @bammillison8192 2 роки тому +3

    Very useful video! I've been playing with the des moines IA session group now for a few months and it's the first one I've joined. We have a session every week and I couldn't be happier! Also, without your tutorials I wouldn't be at this point right now so I'm thankful!

    • @whistletutor
      @whistletutor  2 роки тому +1

      Nice! If Dean and Phil and Leon are still there say hi for me!

    • @bammillison8192
      @bammillison8192 2 роки тому

      @@whistletutor Absolutely! Leon actually just had knee surgery but he hasn't missed a beat!

  • @josephconroy3717
    @josephconroy3717 Рік тому

    Very helpful, thank you

  • @thecookiedemon6085
    @thecookiedemon6085 2 роки тому +1

    ok. That was probably the best intro everrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

  • @westgeorgiapiper9339
    @westgeorgiapiper9339 11 місяців тому +1

    Bringing that ceol mor will get you 86’d pretty fast from most sessions! lol
    Even shuttlepipes are questionable because a huge chunk of tunes will be out of your playable range. It’s a big reason I decided to take up the whistle in the first place as a piper.

  • @stevemaherart
    @stevemaherart 2 роки тому

    good man, thanks.

  • @ssgiddyup
    @ssgiddyup 2 роки тому +1

    Around here, the few Irish pubs wouldn't have any idea about sessions. Google or Facebook. And there are other types of tunes besides jigs and reels!

  • @GordonHudson
    @GordonHudson 5 місяців тому

    I live in Scotland and we don't have much of an Irish music scene. We also dont have a lot of "Irish" pubs. I'm Irish, but I have never actually been in an Irish pub. Been in many pubs in Ireland of course...

  • @sarabrock234
    @sarabrock234 Рік тому +3

    Do these groups typically play songs in common whistle keys? Like if I only have a D whistle, am I likely to "sit out" on songs they play in other keys?

    • @whistletutor
      @whistletutor  Рік тому +2

      If you're talking songs then it's a bit of a crap shoot - some singers will sing in whistle/Irish music friendly keys and some won't, so I'll tend to sit those out more often than not. But if it's tunes (instrumental, jig/reels etc) it'll all be in whistle friendly keys.

  • @patrickhanly7458
    @patrickhanly7458 17 днів тому

    Thanks for this. Is the mandolin thought of as a melody or rhythm instrument or both in session music? Thanks.

  • @david_1214
    @david_1214 2 роки тому +2

    no slow session here... only Seasoned Musicians welcomed😢. oh, well - I'll keep playing alone at my kitchen table. At least there's no improprieties to worry about there!

    • @djlogan1222
      @djlogan1222 Рік тому

      We made a compromise. The first hour is reserved for beginners if needed. Regulars have pledged to support them.

    • @andrewwigglesworth3030
      @andrewwigglesworth3030 9 місяців тому

      How did those musicians become "seasoned"? When I first started going to sessions I had had to listen for the vast majority of the time. For years I hardly ever started a tune, I listened and learned. Occasionally I was indulged, but mostly I simply practised at home, got better and gradually joined in. It's a process, and you have to be a bit obsessed about it to succeed.

  • @Mojokiss
    @Mojokiss Рік тому

    I'm a player. I went around the states looking for sessions a couple years ago when it was all closed... now I wanna do a tour and find the sessions, or make them happen like johnny apple seed. i'm open to ideas.

    • @whistletutor
      @whistletutor  Рік тому +1

      There are a couple lists that are well maintained for the major session areas (Chicago, NYC, Boston) and they will often touch on other smaller markets, but the info can be a little stale. Facebook is an option, as many of the smaller groups will keep in contact that way (at least most of us do here in Nashville and around the Southern US) - otherwise there's always asking around at Irish pubs as those are likely your venues, ultimately.

  • @spikedmace
    @spikedmace 2 роки тому +1

    Is it actually a good idea to drink alcohol during the session? There is always a person who overdue his portion and possibly ruin the session. Would't it be a good idea to drink after the music?

    • @whistletutor
      @whistletutor  2 роки тому +2

      Depends on the person - there’s often a parabolic curve at play. A drink or two unlocks the variations; six or seven unlocks your evening’s dinner.

    • @andrewwigglesworth3030
      @andrewwigglesworth3030 9 місяців тому

      Where I live, sessions (English, Irish, mixed etc) are in pubs. It's people's night out, we're there to play music and socialise. Most of us have a couple of pints or whatever, some just have soft drinks; no-one cares or particularly notices. It's a very, very long time since I've seen a drunk musician at a session, just the occasional merry non-musician drinker.

  • @MarkTrudgeonRulez
    @MarkTrudgeonRulez 2 місяці тому

    Ah feck, not another session 🙂

  • @thecookiedemon6085
    @thecookiedemon6085 2 роки тому +1

    3:05 is that the manslater? ua-cam.com/video/ezVib_giTFo/v-deo.html

  • @jantonisito
    @jantonisito 18 днів тому

    You forgot harmonica.

  • @joineralbert2493
    @joineralbert2493 9 місяців тому

    Savage people in the usa , no backing guitars or bodhran , they've already got one 😮
    Never come across people not invited back or players of "lesser" skill not allowed to play and learn
    Hilarious and disgusting at the same time........

    • @whistletutor
      @whistletutor  9 місяців тому

      Couldn't follow most of this I'm afraid, but glad you got some hilarity out of it at least!