Update On Starting A Session

[Rhomylly]

There's an article in today's local paper about a group of musicians who meet the first and third Sunday of the month about 15 minutes from here to play mostly "country, gospel and bluegrass." Refer to themselves as "pickers" and mostly seem to be retired men. It remains to be seen whether or not a 41-year-old female "squeezer" who plays mostly Irish will be welcome in the ranks. I plan to call this afternoon and ask. Also to find out details such as: by ear or by dots? *can* I bring some Irish tunes into the mix? etc. etc.

 

I'd much rather hook in to an existing session than try to start my own, but I desperately miss playing with other musicians. Plus, it would give me a chance to put all my newly-learned music theory into practice, and maybe even reinforce what I'm learning in the college-level basic music theory class I'm currently taking.

 

Ken, still haven't met your cousin yet.

[Ken_Coles]

Well call him and tell him I sent you! (505)-356-4692 Steve Durand

 

He kidnapped his mother this summer and took her from a hospital in Indiana (the state, that is, not the PA town I live in now) to convalesce in Portales and she seems to like it. Hope you do too. Me, I'm hunting up music in Pittsburgh.

[Animaterra]

Cool, Rhomylly! Keep us posted as to your success!

[Rhomylly]

Still haven't talked to the coordinator, left a message but haven't heard back yet. Ken, I will call your cousin -- need advice on some local service matters...

[Rhomylly]

Oh help.

 

I talked to the organizer. Yes, me and my squeezebox are most welcome. However, most of the people who go to this can't read music. It's all played by ear.

 

Any helpful hints on how to increase my by-ear abilites from nonexistent to...something would be really appreciated. Am I going to look really stupid by constantly asking what key something is in?? I am not good enough a musician to just "know."

 

Given time, I can pick out tunes I know...when I'm practicing on my own. I have a feeling I'm not going to be playing much my first few times.

 

Help!

[Chris Timson]

Any helpful hints on how to increase my by-ear abilites from nonexistent to...something would be really appreciated. Am I going to look really stupid by constantly asking what key something is in?? I am not good enough a musician to just "know."

Make sure you take some sort of recorder with you - minidisk is ideal. The you can practise playing along at home. That was the single biggest thing I did right when I satrted going to sessions. If you can't join in tunes at first, just try and practise working out what the key is. Dunno about your side of the pond, but over here the set of keys is pretty small (G, D, C and relative minors, mostly) and it doesn't take long to learn how to detect the key (I can rarely tell just by listening, but you can pick up the key note normally from the last note of the tune, and sometimes from the first note. Don't be afraid to play it quietly by your ear to ckeck - if you look, you will see others doing the same).

 

I went and started sitting in sessions long before I could play the tunes, but just sitting there with a concertina in your lap and listening is such a buzz. When you start to play, there is a natural tendency to play quietly, so that people won't notice the bum notes you play. This is a mistake. If you play quietly you won't hear yourself, which will guarantee bum notes. Play with a bit of welly, and you'll make a lot less mistakes. Bizarre but true.

 

Above all, stick with it. Playing in a good session has given me some of the greatest pleasure I have known.

 

Chris

[cplayer]

I think you should give it a try most string players can offer realy good back up to a tune. I played in a small barn dance band for two years ,with key board and 5 string banjo ( I played anglo concertina) not all but some of the tunes gave me quite a buzz.The banjo can give a tune quite a lift just watch the dancers feet.

While this may not be quite your style mixing wiht other instruments will enhance your playing.

[JimLucas]

Dunno about your side of the pond, but over here the set of keys is pretty small (G, D, C and relative minors, mostly) and it doesn't take long to learn how to detect the key...

I think for "country, gospel, and bluegrass" you'll probably see a lot of C, D, G, and A (not necessarily in that order of preference), with some relative minors and "modals" (such as "A" with only 2 sharps... using G chords instead of E chords, if that means any thing to you).

 

Finding the key: Play a single notes by your ear and see if they seem to fit with some parts of the tune. I'd say start with a G. If it fits, then try D. If they both fit, the key is probably G. If not, it's probably in C. (Try C to see.) If the G doesn't fit, try D. If that fits, they're probably in D. (Try A, to be sure.) If not, try A and hope. Unless it sounds like it's in minor. Then in the above, substitute E for G, A for C, and B for D. (I think F#, the relative minor of A, is unlikely.) Or if it's "modal" -- not quite either major or minor -- the two notes/chords that fit best will be right next to each other, e.g., A and G, or E and D.

[Samantha]

Jim and Chris both have some good advice here. Basically, take your concertina, try to find out the last note of the tune being played (by quietly playing a likely note on your concertina close to your ear) and that is probably the key note of the tune. I have been welcomed at sessions playing a sort of very simple descant which consists of one or maybe two notes per bar found out by Jim/Crhis's recommended methods. Have atcher! Good luck!

Edited September 26, 2004 by Samantha

[David Barnert]

Also, learn what a few guitar chords look like. If you can tell by looking whether the guitarist is playing a G, D, A, E, or C, then you'l have no trouble finding the key.

 

See the thread "More on Playing by Ear" for other thoughts.

 

Edited to add above link.

Edited September 27, 2004 by David Barnert

[Dan Madden]

As Jim points out, the popular keys in American are C, D, G and A. I'd add the occasional F and E.

 

If there is a 5 string banjo in the session, there is a way to narrow down the key faster.

 

If the banjo doesn't have a capo on, its probably C or G.

If it's got a capo, it is probably on the second fret, and that means the key is either D or A.

Usually the banjo player will retune to make a switch between C or D and G or A.

If the capo is on some other fret, try F or E, but don't count on it.

 

All this changes if the banjo is a "long neck". Then the open tuning is probably F; capo up 2 is G or D and up 4 is A or D.

 

This seems more complicated as I write it down, but it still might help.

[Chris Timson]

Am I going to look really stupid by constantly asking what key something is in?? I am not good enough a musician to just "know."

From all the above, you should have gathered that all those musicians who "just know", actually have evolved a whole lot of shortcuts and stategies to find the key note. So it's not so unatainable after all!

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

[David Barnert]

From all the above, you should have gathered that all those musicians who "just know", actually have evolved a whole lot of shortcuts and stategies to find the key note. So it's not so unatainable after all!

Actually, while the guitar and banjo tricks are useful shortcuts for those who have not yet learned to hear the relationship between a known note coming out of their own instrument and an unknown key that pervades the room, please read my comments in the other thread referred to above.

 

With some work (yes, work) one can develop a familiarity with the sound of each degree of the scale, so if you play a C on your instrument and everyone else is playing in G you will recognize that you are playing the 4th of the prevailing key and can figure out from their that it must be G. This is much more satisfying and efficient than having to look at the guitarist (who may not have a clue). I only resort to that when I can't reliably hear my own instrument, or when a tune has an unusual harmony in it.

[Bob Tedrow]

I am a guitar/5st Banjo player too.

 

They will probably enjoy your concertina. I suggest you woodshed on a couple of the crossover "hits" like

 

Redhaired Boy

St Annes Reel

Durang's Hornpipe

College (Sailors?) Hornpipe

Learn that maudlin tear jerker Ashokan Farewell

A few hymns might fit in

 

Also know that bluegrass "session" has a different format than ITM

 

They are not likely to understand that you may play the melody only and not be concerned with "back up"

 

 

Usually the group will play "back up"(the chords) while one person "takes a break" or plays the lead. If you are playing the melody at the same time, they may consider that inappropriate. Just pay attention to the group dynamics and try to fit in.

 

Also, don't be concerned if you don't play the melody exactly like the rest of the blugrassers, it is very likely they don't "know" the melody either and will be

noodling around (very skillfully likely) around the harmonies. As a matter of custom, those who noodle very skillfully are held in high regard.....even if they use the same "licks" on every single tune in the key of "G"

 

Speed is often prized more than accuracy...many players play "physically" rather than "cerebrally" (is that a word?)

 

 

I get a different feeling playing bluegrass or jazz compared to ITM.

 

have a good time....be sure to ask the fiddle player to kick off that OBS for me.

 

 

best,

 

Bob Tedrow

[Chris Timson]

Not disputing what you say here (though I do dispute what you say in "the other thread" (sounds a bit like the parliamentary phrase "another place")). But it is a matter of stages. By all means learn to identify the key from the sound, but don't think you can't go to sessions until you have attained this nirvana. What is also certain is that many musicians in English sessions (I can't speak for American ones) use shortcuts.

 

Chris

[Chris Timson]

Just pay attention to the group dynamics and try to fit in.

That is excellent advice for any session.

 

Chris

[David Barnert]

Not disputing what you say here (though I do dispute what you say in "the other thread" ...

If I understand your comments there (and here, quoted below) correctly, you dispute what I said about the Anglo Concertina (fair enough, you play one, I don't) and not what came before them about learning the ins and outs of the diatonic scale.

By all means learn to identify the key from the sound, but don't think you can't go to sessions until you have attained this nirvana.

I most certainly didn't mean to imply that.

 

How else does one learn? I know, I answered that already: work. But at the same time the work must be reality-tested in the field. Just as I would never suggest that beginning dancers don't come to dances, I would never suggest that session musicians be "fully formed" on their appearance at their first session.

 

I have more than once been told (in the same words) "You have the patience of a saint" when working with fledgeling session musicians.

[Rhomylly]

Thanks much all, for the advice. I hadn't really considered, Bob, that a bluegrass session would be different from ITM, so thanks extra much for the heads-up, there (and I've been looking for an excuse to learn Ashokan Farewell, so...). I am curious, though, to hear the differences in "buzz" for you between playing ITM and jazz/bluegrass?

 

What I'm hoping is that I can scribble notes (so-and-so song, played in G, this-other-tune, played in D, etc) and work on stuff at home. I never thought my closeted slobbering fandom love (closeted until now) of bluegrass would pay off, but after thinking about it, I realized that I can identify and hum more bluegrass tunes off the top of my head than I can ITM. Wow, attending all those McLain Family festivals in the 70's and 80's just may finally pay off...

 

And I did warn them that my singing ability for bluegrass and gospel is far superior to my playing ability for same at this time. This did not seem to present a problem.

 

Much as I *love* ITM and will certainly continue to play it for my own enjoyment (and hopefully sneak in a few tunes when it's my turn to lead a number, which is how they structure the session) it is just not to be found around here, the nearest session being 5 hours away in Albuquerque.

 

I swear, as soon as I get my lap back, I am taking guitar lessons. Thankfully, as long as I have access to a kneecap (preferably my own, lol), I can still play concertina!