Seisiun Etiquette


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A few words about sesiun Etiquette per request of past Gaelic Roots students.

By Myron Bretholz

At Gaelic Roots, students have the opportunity to meet and play with musicians of their own level and experience. So, Seamus has asked me to put down a few words as a guide for those of you who have either never experienced a session at all or who have experienced any unpleasantness while involved in a session. You may hear, or have your own, divergent viewpoints about this admittedly volatile subject but allow me to pass on a few pointers which have stood me in good stead over the past two decades of my involvement in Irish traditional music sessions: It is always better to be asked to play than to ask to play, especially in a roomful of strangers.

Remember, it's all in the timing. Don't rush it - you've got all night! Which leads to the next pointer: If you come to a session in a hurry, then you shouldn't be there in the first place. A session is not a race or a competition. It is a place to forget all of the cares of the day, play a few tunes, and catch up on the latest goings-on and gossip with your friends, play some more tunes, and just generally have a relaxing time, with little regard for the clock. It is not a place to trot out a dozen new tunes in an hour, play them at breakneck speed, and then march off like a victorious general to the next conquest. I've seen that phenomenon occur ― and there's no quicker way to ruin the relaxed atmosphere of a session.

Use your ears first, then think about taking your instrument out. Unless you're an accomplished listener, you'll never be an accomplished player. When musicians want to pay one another a compliment.

They frequently refer to one's possessing "a great ear."

That's no coincidence. As trite as it might seem, don't play a tune that you don't know. And that goes for accompanists as well.

Many's the aspiring bodhran player or open-tuning guitar neophyte who has caused a session to crash and burn owing to their insensitivity or indifference to the sounds which are going on around them.

Even if you are playing a non-melodic instrument, keep your eyes and ears open for key and tune changes. If you see or hear the fiddler on your left calling out a change into an E minor tune, you can make yourself ever more indispensable by passing on that information to the accordionist on your right.

Accompanists beware! One guitar and one bodhran are usually enough ― some would argue more than enough ― to complement a session. Again, use your ears. If it sounds too chaotic already, then don't add to the chaos. Just sit back, listen, and wait your turn. It will come. Even accompanists have to relieve themselves at some point.

If the music sounds or feels too fast, then it most likely is. If the music sounds or feels too slow, then it is probably just right.

Remember too that the best players (in any idiom, not just Irish music) have spent hours nay, lifetimes polishing their tunes to perfection in the privacy of their own homes. Sessions are certainly a place to trade tunes - and even the best players come armed with a portable tape recorder for just that purpose but they are not a place to keep everyone else waiting for the next group tune to begin while you work out the finer points of a tune you don't quite have down yet. Finally: remember once again that it's always much better to be asked to play than to have to ask. And, above all, knowing when not to play will make you all the more appreciated when you do decide to play. Silence, like music, is golden! Having said all of that. it also must be noted that you have paid for the privilege of spending a week surrounded by some of the best music you're ever likely to encounter. So ― enjoy yourself! Play to your heart's content! But always be considerate of your session mates. We at Gaelic Roots hope that you take your week-long immersion into this wondrous music with you throughout the coming year. and we wish you every success and enjoyment in any session in which you happen to find yourself participating.

More Session Etiquette

Need to hear it again? Below are a few different takes on being civil.