A Session Diary

Happy New Year everyone. Not the real new year of course but that’s what we do anyway.

Interestingly, the two current favourite sessions are in pubs which are mythological beasts. How strange is that? So its the Chimera and the Griffin then for the odd Sunday bashes.

Sitting in the snug of the Startled Stoat last week, we were alarmed by the Tune Police who said ‘Hello, hello, hello. What have we ‘ere then? Call that a slip jig?’

Well of course we started to discuss the fineries of the rhythms and tempos and really just our whole existence and the meaning of life. Sorry. Back now. Well we did think about tunes and their rhythms and as you’d expect there are two ways of looking at it (Thank you Adrian).

One view says that the influence of popular country dance throughout the ages by virtue of being eclectic and gathering tunes from classical, Music Hall, Court, ‘Folk’ and of course shamelessly stealing foreign tunes and then playing them purely as melodies for a dance with whatever timing was needed (sometimes regardless of the clue in the name of the tune) has resulted in players who to put it politely, play outside the boundaries. So it’s OK to play slow reels, fast airs, horn-reels etc. and to mix occasionally Scottish, Shetland and Irish reels and maybe even further exotica.

The other view is a puritan view which as you’d expect is a much stricter regime. Reels must be reels and single, double and slip jigs must be clearly differentiated (and all tunes must come from Ireland of course).

As usual, most folk are in the middle and don’t get too uncomfortable with either camp as long as they don’t get too serious about the purity.

Please note that no sessioneers were knowingly disrespected in this posting. :-)

I don’t really understand the other session – the one at the Shackled Yak. I have been there as the only tune leader and while there is an element of pleasure (the teacher in me) of getting a session through to completion, it is not wholly a satisfactory affair as far as enjoying the playing is concerned. It can be brilliant when guests come and play something to follow out of the rut or when a particular set just gels anyway. I know everyone is keen and enthusiastic but I need to encourage more life in the tunes and that lovely lumpy quality.

Ah well, ’tis the Mythological Beast in Faversham tomorrow for an Irish Session. And so begins another week. Wonder if they’ll ask for the Heathery Hurricane again?