Michele, Roy, how come I've never met you at that session?!We've had to contend with dancers who could only dance at the tempo their CDs played at, and some who could only dance to the specific tunes on those CDs. A couple of the more obnoxious ones flounced out of a session (which they apparently mistook for a dance performance) when we wouldn't play the "right" reel for their dance. Of course, it didn't help that we just up and laughed at their demand because we couldn't think of anything more polite to do... (They really were obnoxious, and they're moved far far away now.)
I don't really have a problem with only 3X through a tune, but the old-timey musicians who wander in surely do. With them it's 8X through minimum and d*mn the narcolepsy. And 3X through is plenty if everyone's playing it exactly the same way each time through, just like they learned it from The Book. And spare me from the guitarists who have to have the chords written down for them! Don't these people even *listen* to music? I don't play h-g well enough to play in a session, but I've run into the "not Irish" comment about my harp! (Hel-lo! It's only the national instrument, on the flag, the money and the beer.) More frequently, however, someone (well-meaningly, I hope) says "You can't play a harp in a session" to which I smile sweetly and say "Yes I can." And then I do. I suspect what they're really saying (the non-rude ones, anyway) is "You won't be able to keep up with the jigs and reels on that thing because we've only ever heard someone play slow airs on the harp, and besides no one will be able to hear you anyway." On the other hand, when challenged I could always say, "Gosh, I never knew that. Let me get my bodhran instead!" Bwa-ha-ha! <gracefully descend soapbox> -- Tracie If you know the names to all your tunes, you don't know enough tunes. (Anon.)
