Joining in a Session

In the last article we talked about hosting a multi-level session.  Let’s take a look at how to participate in a session, however it’s being hosted.  If it is a multi-level session of the type I described in the last article, it’s no problem for you to participate.  All you’ll really want to have ready is some tune that you like and know how to start, so that when it’s time for you to jump in, you know what to do.  You might want to have two tunes in mind, in case one of them was recently played already.  You’ll be able to start it at the tempo you like.

The most important trick to starting a tune at a session is to make its rhythm clear.  Even if people know the tune, they can’t join in with you until they figure out what kind of tune it is — jig, reel, strathspey, air, waltz.  For others to know, you have to know, and convey, the rhythm.  Regardless of your level as a player, you can certainly choose a reliable session tune for yourself, and know the type of tune, the title, and the key.  True, many session players don’t know these things, but if you just have a tune or two ready to pitch in to the group, it’s not so hard to look up and remember a few things about it.  It can help accompanists if you call out the key, and helps melody players to know the name of the tune if they ask afterwards.

To play with good rhythm depends on knowing the beat notes.  All you really must do to feel comfortable starting a tune at a session is

to practice the first phrase of a tune, the first four beats.  Know which notes are the beat notes, and make them clear with a strong bow on each.  I’ve heard people try to start a tune that, as it turned out, I knew well, but because they played all the notes without a clear beat, it took me most of the A part to figure out what they were playing.  If you take a waltz like “Happy Birthday” and play it as a reel, nobody will recognize it!

Rhythm is the heart of a session.  Someone who plays in time can play with anyone, even if they miss lots of notes.  Someone who plays every note perfectly but skips beats or changes tempo or format of a tune, is very hard to play with in a group.

Every session has its etiquette.  For one reason or other, it might not be appropriate for you to start a tune.  It’s best to watch a session for a little while to see what kinds of tunes are being played, whether they are all started by a leader, or whether players in the group are starting various tunes.  Is it a session devoted to one kind of music, such as Irish?  Then it’s best to pitch in with an Irish tune that fits the bill.

Some pubs will hire a lead musician to make sure there’s a critical mass of musicians and quality music for the pub’s patrons to enjoy.  Often the leader of a session will invite people to start a tune, but sometimes they like to collect ideas or provide their own, and start the tunes themselves.

Some sessions happen without a specified lead musician, though there are usually folk who are there every time and know the routines.  Talk with them.  At these sessions, people show up just because they like to be there with friends, have a pint (sometimes given free to musicians), and share favorite tunes, or challenge themselves by learning new tunes on the fly.  Most groups welcome newcomers and various levels of players, though some favor the regulars, and are particularly conscious of presenting good quality music to the listeners.

What do you do if you want to play along but don’t know some of the tunes?  You have a few choices.  One is to listen and enjoy the music.  Another is to record some of the tunes you like best and try to work on them at home if you plan to come back.  Many sessions play a lot of the same tunes each time they meet.  It’s part of the fun.  Another option if you don’t know a tune is to listen for the phrases — often there’s a first phrase, second phrase, first phrase again, and an ending in each part of the tune.  By working on tunes on the fiddle-online.com site, you’ll get used to recognizing phrases pretty quickly.  By trying to work out the first few notes of the first phrase, you can try to jump in when that phrase comes back, even for a few notes.  Then, like building bridges, you can venture out to add a few notes to the ones you know.  Sometimes an ending phrase is repeated in both (or all 3 or 4) parts of the tune.  It’s always nice to end with everyone — you’ll look like you know what you’re doing!

Some people try to play chords or drones with a tune, but that’s harder than it may seem.  You have to be used to hearing the harmonic patterns and know how to find them on your instrument.  On the fiddle, many of the necessary chords can often be played just using some combination of open strings and one finger, so that’s not hard in itself, but since rhythm is the heart of session music, you have to support the rhythm of the tune, change bows with the beats and parts, and not get so wrapped up in finding a chord that you lose the beat.  Better to play the wrong chord or note in time than to play the correct chord or note but off time.

Be prepared to start a tune by having ready that tune or two tunes we talked about.  The other players will really appreciate it.  Everyone’s there to play, and nobody wants to sit around talking too much about what to play.  They’d rather have someone start a tune and try to join in.

Always watch the others as you play, especially the person who started the tune being played, and keep an eye on the musicians across the group if it’s a large session.  This helps you stay in time with them and keep the group together.  You’ll also pick up signals you may not expect or hear on your own, such as a sense that the group is ready to end a tune and/or start a new one.  In some sessions people shout “hup” to indicate they’ll be moving on to a new tune, or they’ll stick out a foot horizontally to say the tune is ending, but these signals are not necessary most of the time.  If you’re paying attention to the person leading a tune, you can tell when they’re ready to stop or when they’re moving to a new tune.  Then you can stop and listen, and see if you can join in with the new tune.

If you don’t know a tune it’s okay to try to pick up bits and pieces, such as the first phrase or the ending as mentioned above, but not a good idea to scratch away randomly, hoping to pick up a note or two.  You can’t figure out the notes without playing and listening to what you’re doing, but to jump in on a tune you don’t know without listening carefully and getting a sense of where it’s going, can be annoying if it happens too much.  Those who do know the tune may be tolerant of others learning to play it, but they also want to enjoy playing and hearing their tunes, so be sensitive to that.

Finally, be aware of the impact of your instrument. Fiddle, flute, or guitar generally blend in with the others.  Pennywhistle, accordion, pipes, drums, bass and piano are instruments which have a pretty big impact on the group, and if you play one of these you need to concentrate mightily on keeping a good beat with everyone (with, not for, everyone!).  If you’re not sure about some tunes or about the style, go easy, take breaks, play when you can but tune in to what the others are playing, and try to complement it.

In the end, a session is for participation, so join in.  It’s not a concert, but it’s also for listening, so enjoy listening sometimes too.  Some sessions have leaders who invite occasional players or singers to do a solo for everyone.

Part of the magic of a session is to see how connected the musicians are to each other.  How do they know when to move on to a new tune, or stop at the same time?  In some ways they have a sixth sense about these things.  Often there are visual signals, or someone will give a little shout to indicate a change of tune.

A session is never a test.  It’s for fun.  And it’s not a performance.  Starting a tune is a musical suggestion that you are making to people who are dying to play a tune, any tune!  If you come to a session regularly, you get to know the repertoire and people get to know yours.  It becomes a community.  Enjoy it, you’ll make friends and learn lots of tunes whether you mean to or not!

©2017 Ed Pearlman