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[pikey]

I have one pet hate which, I suppose, is both a contravention of 'session etiquette' and good manners. My gripe is against those who take over a tune and deliberately speed it up because that is the speed at which they play it. In my view, the rule is (or at least should be) follow the lead of the person who started the tune and play it at their pace. I can think of several occasions when a set has been ruined because inconsiderate musicians have deliberately speeded the first tune up to such an extent that the second tune is ruined because it can't be played properly at the faster speed.

(Rant over...)

Sorry Bob, I am Spartacus..... I have a recording from Whitby when I did just that to you in Monas Delight.  In my defence,  im deaf, it was a new box, I was out of practice, and ad soon ad I realised I slowed down again !!!!

It would be nice to think that one had the determination and sufficient ability to isolate oneself from the surrounding noise simply to carry on at the initial speed regardless. I have a lovely mental image of a crowd of puzzled faces as the proceedings become increasingly cacophonous, and then the incredulous looks when they all finish the tune and the initial player still has 24 or more bars to go at the speed at which s/he started.  Sadly, I can't see it happening, though.

Graham

Bincis make this possible.........

......and the 48 bar version of Oyster Girl is a great tune to use - first time through, you'll hear 'the room' head back to the A music while you continue gamely into the C. 

Same with the three part version of Maggie in the Wood !

[Ebor_fiddler]

I seriously didn't know there was a 48 bar "Oyster Girl". sounds like fun! Do you have an abc or dots to share please Andy? 

[Jack Campin]

Dunno whether the FB site has mentioned this (I can't read it) but one of my things is snowballing.  Usually it feels better if a set builds up to include more and more people as it goes on.  What that means is that you head into more familiar material: you also restrict the range and tonality so more instruments can join in.  What you do NOT do is start in the 9-note pipe scale, extend the range downwards to that of a whistle, and then with no warning leave the whistle players trying to find a G string and a B flat.  (If the whole session is Shetland fiddle tunes, that's different, you know what you're getting into).

[Ollie]

Am I the only one who finds the above too much like over-planning? I'd rather just play the music...

[deltasalmon]

Am I the only one who finds the above too much like over-planning? I'd rather just play the music...

Hear, hear.

[Theo]

Exactly.

Treat a session like meeting friends for a drink and a chat.  All the same unwritten conventions apply.

[Jack Campin]

Am I the only one who finds the above too much like over-planning? I'd rather just play the music...

Assuming you were directing that at me: it's about being considerate to the people you're playing with and not cutting them out of the session when it's taking off into something good.  Which means, maybe, making the effort to understand a bit about what their instruments can and can't do.

I can think of one session dominated by a couple of "I'd rather just play the music" types which I have no intention of ever going back to.  (Given the instruments you say you've got, I can't imagine you fitting into it either).

[Ollie]

Am I the only one who finds the above too much like over-planning? I'd rather just play the music...

Assuming you were directing that at me: it's about being considerate to the people you're playing with and not cutting them out of the session when it's taking off into something good.  Which means, maybe, making the effort to understand a bit about what their instruments can and can't do.

I can think of one session dominated by a couple of "I'd rather just play the music" types which I have no intention of ever going back to.  (Given the instruments you say you've got, I can't imagine you fitting into it either).

It was. I just find that outlook a little too planned, arranged and staged. As Theo says, sessions should be organic. They're a place for amateurs to make music for the sake of making music, not to try and perform to anyone. Sessions are participatory, not presentational. I don't see the need to plan a build into a set, it'll happen naturally if all the players are on the same wavelength. By 'just play the music', I don't mean sitting down and bashing out tunes, I hate that, I mean sitting down and playing the tunes over and over again to see what happens. I go to a session where stuff regularly gets played in more exotic keys like Dm, Gm and E, which always gives me the opportunity to explore the limitations of the instrument that I play; I vamp chords, pick up the bits of the tune that I can, and improvise around the tune using the notes that I have available. Everyone else does the same, joining in where they can, and having fun. No one gets pissed off if someone starts a nice simple tune, and then goes into something with more notes, that's ridiculous.

[Anahata]

I don't see the need to plan a build into a set

I've never thought of doing that based on the instruments available in the session, but if I'm thinking of playing two tunes in a row and one is better known than the other I think it's more satisfying for everyone if the better known tune comes second.

Sometimes, of course, one's expectations of "well-known" can turn out to be surprisingly inaccurate.

[Ollie]

I don't see the need to plan a build into a set

I've never thought of doing that based on the instruments available in the session, but if I'm thinking of playing two tunes in a row and one is better known than the other I think it's more satisfying for everyone if the better known tune comes second.

Sometimes, of course, one's expectations of "well-known" can turn out to be surprisingly inaccurate.

I guess that's fair enough. I also feel that some tunes work better as second tunes; I love playing Seven Stars and Spirit of the Dance together, but can never work out which order is best...

[Jack Campin]

The Scottish dance music scene works like that.  Generally pipe tunes are either played in sets on their own, or at the end of a set of other tunes.  So if a smallpiper joins in with a set, they know they'll be able to to play it to the end.

[Graham Spencer]

I seriously didn't know there was a 48 bar "Oyster Girl". sounds like fun! Do you have an abc or dots to share please Andy? 

Neither did I, and I've been playing it for over 40 years.  I'd like to see the dots or whatever too, if they're available.

Graham

[Anahata]

It's The Oyster Girl as we know it, followed by the tune of a smutty music hall song called When There Isn't a Girl About. Alleged to have come from one of the East Anglian old boys - Walter Bulwer, or Oscar Woods or Percy Brown but I don't remember which.

It's approximately this:

X: 1
T: C music of the 48 bar version of Oyster Girl
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: G
B2c | ded B2d | g3- gfg| a2A A2B | c3-c2c |
cdc A2c | f3-f2e | e2d G2A | B3 B2c |
ded B2d | g3 f2g | a2b a2g | e3-e2g |
fgf e2d | c'2a f2e | d^cd e2f |g3 |]

[Lester]

I seriously didn't know there was a 48 bar "Oyster Girl". sounds like fun! Do you have an abc or dots to share please Andy? 

Neither did I, and I've been playing it for over 40 years.  I'd like to see the dots or whatever too, if they're available.

Graham

Here's the ABCs

X:2
T:Oyster Girl 48
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:G
d|ded B2 G|A2 F D2 D|G2 G BGB|d2 c ABc|
ded B2 g|f2 e c2 e|ded cBA|G3 G2:||
|:d|Bcd Bcd|e2 c e2 c|ABc ABc|d2 B dBc|
ded B2 g|f2 e c2 e|ded cBA|1G3 G2:|2G3||
B2 c|ded B2 d|g3 g fg|a2 A A2 B|c3 A2 B|
cdc A2 c|f3 f2 e|e2 d G2 A|B3 B2 c|
ded B2 d|g3 gfg|a2 b a2 g|e3 e3|
fgf e2 d|c'2 a f2 e|ded e2 f|g3||

[Graham Spencer]

Thank you, gentlemen - much appreciated.

[Andy Next Tune]

I seriously didn't know there was a 48 bar "Oyster Girl". sounds like fun! Do you have an abc or dots to share please Andy? 

Neither did I, and I've been playing it for over 40 years.  I'd like to see the dots or whatever too, if they're available.

Graham

Here's the ABCs

X:2
T:Oyster Girl 48
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:G
d|ded B2 G|A2 F D2 D|G2 G BGB|d2 c ABc|
ded B2 g|f2 e c2 e|ded cBA|G3 G2:||
|:d|Bcd Bcd|e2 c e2 c|ABc ABc|d2 B dBc|
ded B2 g|f2 e c2 e|ded cBA|1G3 G2:|2G3||
B2 c|ded B2 d|g3 g fg|a2 A A2 B|c3 A2 B|
cdc A2 c|f3 f2 e|e2 d G2 A|B3 B2 c|
ded B2 d|g3 gfg|a2 b a2 g|e3 e3|
fgf e2 d|c'2 a f2 e|ded e2 f|g3||

Thanks Lester, you beat me to the draw 

[pikey]

It's The Oyster Girl as we know it, followed by the tune of a smutty music hall song called When There Isn't a Girl About. Alleged to have come from one of the East Anglian old boys - Walter Bulwer, or Oscar Woods or Percy Brown but I don't remember which.

It's approximately this:

X: 1
T: C music of the 48 bar version of Oyster Girl
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: G
B2c | ded B2d | g3- gfg| a2A A2B | c3-c2c |
cdc A2c | f3-f2e | e2d G2A | B3 B2c |
ded B2d | g3 f2g | a2b a2g | e3-e2g |
fgf e2d | c'2a f2e | d^cd e2f |g3 |]

As recorded by the great Leeds Band on a Bob Davenport LP, played with Peggy Wood in the same set. Put together by the great box player Martin Clarke, who was one of those who started the English revival , at Oxford Uni with June Tabor, Tony Engle, Peta Webb, and my old mate Jim Sharpe. In the days before we had intellectual conversations about session etiquette 

[Sage Herb]

It's The Oyster Girl as we know it, followed by the tune of a smutty music hall song called When There Isn't a Girl About. Alleged to have come from one of the East Anglian old boys - Walter Bulwer, or Oscar Woods or Percy Brown but I don't remember which.

As recorded by the great Leeds Band on a Bob Davenport LP, played with Peggy Wood in the same set. Put together by the great box player Martin Clarke, who was one of those who started the English revival , at Oxford Uni with June Tabor, Tony Engle, Peta Webb, and my old mate Jim Sharpe. In the days before we had intellectual conversations about session etiquette 

Martin Clarke is a national treasure. I worked with him in his last band, The Old Chestnuts, but then he retired from playing the melodeon for some years. Happily, he's been playing again (as well as ever) for about six years now and singing well too. Annie (Dearman) and I shared a riotous gig with him at The Grove folk club in Leeds about five years ago, and he was recently the guest artist at one of the concerts that we run in our kitchen at home. Apologies for any thread drift.
Cheers
Steve

[Mike Carney]

Well, there was a bit to say about this subject after all...we have probably done this one now, I reckon,and are moving on a little to tune sharing (not in itself a bad thing!)...so, as the bellows of time tell me I need more air, and the landlord of destiny says "I want to lock up now..." I will close this one for now.
Mike