Basic Logistics
Here is some basic information for anyone who might be unfamiliar with the mechanics of our session. The group sits approximately in a circle, which expands and contracts as people arrive and leave. Tune selection rotates around the circle, person by person. When selecting a tune, please call out its name (or names) and its key. Telling the group the key makes things a little easier for those who do not know the tune.
It is customary in Irish music to link two or more like tunes (e.g., two reels, two jigs) into a medley, so feel free to do so if you can think of two tunes that go together well. Otherwise, one tune is fine. It is OK to pass when your turn comes up, but if at all possible try to name a tune. If you name a tune but do not know it very well, feel free to ask someone else to get it started. Also, players of rhythm instruments typically ask someone else to start the tunes they call. In general, however, the person calling the tune starts and stops it. Ideally s/he starts by playing the melody loud and clear, at least until everyone else gets into the groove. Tunes are usually played at least three times through, sometimes as many as five or six times through. At the point where the person calling the tune wants to stop it, s/he should raise his or her foot during final time around (raising it at the start of the last part seems to work well). During the first tune of a medley, the raised foot indicates that we will soon switch to the second tune. Calling out "last time," "one more" or whatever is more common in old time jams than in Irish sessions, but it is a workable alternative to foot raising.
Any of the many acoustic instruments used in traditional Irish music are welcome. Often at this session guitars are in short supply, so guitars are especially prized. Some participants bring sheet music and peek at it discreetly, but most participants play by ear. Please do not bring a music stand. Space is usually too tight to accommodate stands or other bulky items around the circle. Similarly, we usually put instrument cases outside the circle.
For a PDF file of the list of tunes we typically play, click here.
Contact Information
Patty Lambert of the local band Callanish is the session leader. Greg Smits maintains this web site. Please direct inquiries about the session itself to Patty. To stay informed of this and other Irish music sessions and events in Pennsylvania, you might want to join the Penncelts group on Yahoo and Centralpaceltic, also on Yahoo.
Web Sites of Possible Interest
Irish Music Radio & Other Programs
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/thelatesession/
http://slainte.web.infoseek.co.jp/links_en.html
Sites for Tunes
http://ncfolk.net/sessions/
http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~ef//
http://www.freesheetmusic.net/
http://www.traditionalmusic.
http://www.thewhistleshop.com/
http://www.blackflute.com/
http://www.wildfiddle.com/
http://breizhpartitions.free.
http://irishflute.podbean.com/
http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/
Hetzler's Fakebook (To play MIDI files at any speed and in any key use
vanBasco's
Karaoke Player freeware.)
http://freesheetmusic.net/oneills15.html