June 23rd 2011
Over half way now – past the solstice and heading for harvest time. Not for a while though.
What’s on my mind this time? Well the perennial problem of getting people to sessions.
I have been to two recently which were very poorly attended. The first one was so poorly attended that we didn’t even try to play any music. The second was a struggle with just three musicians. Not that there wasn’t enjoyment to be had in both – just not quite what I was expecting.
Now why does this happen?
Well to start with, neither of the sessions has critical mass or at least barely makes it which means they are vulnerable to anyone dropping out.
There are certain alliances which means if one drops out for any reason, it usually means another won’t come. So this compounds the decline.
I suppose the question is (and we’ve been here before) – why do some sessions dwindle to critical mass or lower and when is it a good time to put them out of their misery as humanely as possible?
The answer to this mystery may never be known but various people have made comments in the past which may or may not be pertinent:
“young folk won’t want to play with fogies like us”
“You need an audience”
“Irish music just isn’t that popular anymore”
The solution? Well find a good session. I know that sounds like stating the blindingly obvious but as sessions get fewer, the sessioneers tend to congregate in fewer centres with more musicians and better prospects. By definition they are further away.
Or hold inclusive sessions that welcome all types of music and see which flavours come out of the mix. Not suitable for purists but if the choice is playing or not, what’s the alternative?