Is your H-D welcome at Sessions in your area?

[Dick Glasgow]

So, how welcome is the Hammered Dulcimer at the Sessions in your area?

Gypsy just asked me this question:

But wouldn't i just love to attend a jam in your neck of the woods..........big fun, yes?

Which reminded me of an anti-Dulcimer incident, which took place here, just last Summer.

It annoyed me so much that I reported it over at "The Session" forum & started a thread on the subject to try & guage just how other Irish Music enthusiasts felt about a Hammered Dulcimer appearing at their session .. which, it has to be said, is not a common event here in Ireland!

Anyway, to kick off this thread, you might like to read my post & the replies to it, before giving us your own thoughts, so here's the link:

The Anti-Dulcimer incident!

[ceadach]

AH yes, some one send me a link to this debacle when it happened.
It's true, moths do inhabit the insides of some craniums!!

Horrid things, eh? That's imaginative. They are just jealous of us!

I've heard some bona fide horror stories from other players. The worst: In another city several years ago, a good friend of mine who's a excellent dulcimer player and fiddler, who knows a boatload of tunes, was asked to leave the session, or "be thrown from the session". I suppose asked is not wholly accurate.

Reason given " that's not an Irish instrument." Amazingly he held his ground and replied brilliant, "Fine then...If one of you can play a tune that I can't play, I'll then leave." The other musicians dug their most obscure tunes from the recesses of their tiny minds and still he held out for three hours!

Sadly, this gentleman rarely plays in public due to a serious illness.

The sick thing about all this is when I've pointedly asked people, "what the h#@* do you have against the dulcimer anyway ? ", they give me the usual mindless rote answers and I refute them, they are very hard pressed to give a rational answer.

I personally have not endured many problems of this kind...the couple incidents that have occurred have been... brief. Maybe I'm lucky or am just so bloody mean that folks avoid sharing their opinions on H-D. Perhaps they figure that if I play H-D and uilleann pipes, that I must be dangerously unhinged and could snap at an moment.

That being said, most session musicians you'll encounter are lovely people. Unfortunately there are some rather hostile ignorant goons out there that inflict their existences upon us. Often ignoring or mocking these types is often best option!!!

Chad

[Dick Glasgow]

Chad's confession:

I must be dangerously unhinged and could snap at any moment.

Now he tells us!



;D

[ceadach]

Oh dear...the secret 'tis out!!

Anecdote of possible amusement: Locally we have a dulcimer player named Jim. Jim is a great fellow and been a good friend over the years. Young "wee" James here is built like a Marine arms instructor and sports a hair cut to match. Once I was in session with him and some eejot quipped " Say... those dulcimers aren't really traditional instruments.." He fired back "Say... that accordion would burn very well when lit!"

The twin cities have been fairly dulcimer friend since!
Thanks Jim!!!

[hdgal]

It's not just Irish sessions that sometimes reject the hammered dulcimer. I was at a Bluegrass session once and watched an entire group one-by-one move to another spot away from the HD player. It was at a picnic--not a pub and there were several little jams going on in various places, so it was kind of subtle, but it was pretty obvious to me. This guy is a great HD player, too, and is good friends with all the players he was jamming with, but they quickly moved away when he brought out 'the beast'!

I've heard the stories about HD players in Irish sessions so I have to admit that on my recent trip to Ireland I only brought my dulcimer to two pubs and that was when I was specifically invited to perform. Not once did I even attempt to join a session. It was very well received in a performance situation, though.

Here in the deserts of New Mexico I have a friend who regularly invites me to his session and they are very welcoming. I recently purchased Russell Cook's (Masterworks) 16-15 Soprano dulcimer. It gives me almost all the notes I have on my big dulcimer, but is smaller even than a 12-11. It fits nicely on my lap and doesn't take any more room than someone sitting with pipes or guitar. I play it lightly and even though it's high pitched (like a tin whistle) it doesn't end up being very loud at all. I think it will be more accepted in sessions than my big one. I'll let you know how it goes when I finally have time to sit in on a session.

[Dick Glasgow]

Hello there hdgal,

I'm interested in this Master Works Soprano Hammered Dulcimer - I must say it looks very nice indeed.

I, for one, will be very interested to hear how you get on in sessions with it. It sounds like just the sort of thing I could use over here, in our wee, small, tiny session pubs.

Here's an example: Last night a new American friend, Paddy, arrived in Bushmills & because she recently took up playing the H-D she was keen to hear me play, so Mrs Ptarmigan & I took her along to our local Session. However, we had to arrive a little early, in time to move the tables around, so that I could fit my H-D in!

Now if only I had something like this Soprano of yours hdgal, I would be saved all that hassle!

Please keep us posted!

Cheers
Dick

[hdgal]

As far as size and portability, I love the Soprano! I take it when I go on short trips so I can practice. I normally play a 16-16 with the extra chromatic bridges and I do miss those extra bridges when practicing on the Soprano. But most tunes I play in common keys (and definitely anything I'd play in a session) fits just fine on the instrument. I consider it a knock-a-round practice instrument because it goes anywhere with me (and would fit easily in the overhead of a plane).

The drawback is that it is a whole octave higher than a normal dulcimer and so I would never use it in a performance context. I tend to like low notes myself and I really do miss them when playing the Soprano. That's why I compared it to a tin whistle. If you can get used to the idea that the notes are going to be very high, you'll be fine with it. And, because the sound box is so small...that contributes to the high voice. Also...string spacing is pretty close together. Everything about it is small...which is the whole point I guess!

I'll let you know when next I take it to a session.
Jeanne

[Dick Glasgow]

While we're on the subject Jeanne, any thoughts on these other makes of Traveler H-D, for example, this one?

Traveler Spanish Cedar Top

Or this one?

Traveler Birch Ply Top

Or this one?

TK O'Brien's 12/11

[gypsy]

eh, when you consider the average local session in my neck of the woods has a ton of fiddles, and pennywhistles, i pay no attention if a fathead yelps about my dulcimer. Even less if they complain about the room i take up. But it is seldom that any one complains, most are happy to have another texture to the jam. o'course, most of the jams i go to i also host, so that might account for my attitude.

[gypsy]

CEAD MILLE FAULTE’ Okay, how do i say this with a thick United Statetion accent? Phonetically, please. Er........guess our definition of session is a little different locally. We have them in private homes, usually by invitation. We have one coffee house, that has errant performers in the afternoon, but would be nowhere near a session. So, yeah, if i were in your part of the world, i would not show up at a session in a pub, unless invited. And unless i had some idea as to charts, or playlist, to see if i had a chance of joining in, with chords, at least.
Now, i would hope that the musicians in the pub would have more compassion than was shown to these outside players...........someone to gently explain 'the facts of life' on how a session works. And yes, my feelings would be hurt if someone started a jam in the same room, away from me,cuz of my instrument, with no explaination.
Yup, here i am firmly of two minds. Dunno how i would have handled it. Philosophically speaking, yes, it is difficult to have beginners when the rest are veterans. HOWEVER, a lot of very good recorded artists tolerated me in the way back when, so my payback is patience with newbies. On the other hand, i no longer feel the need to be SO patient as to let them perform with me anymore, when $$$$$ are involved.
Yup, firmly of two minds here. Thanks for the link, it was interesting. Oh yeah, didja really mispell 'CEAD MILLE FAULTE’ or is it a dialect thing? I will be twigging you for pronunciation.....the last one i posted at Mudcat was for Turlough.........which i was firmly told would be pronounced "TUR LOW"..........as i recall, you have a little band over there, called the Boys of the Lough.......and it is said much higher than low! LOL! 'nuff rambling for me.........

[Dick Glasgow]

Hello Gypsy,

Here's a site on Cead Mille Failte which might interest you.

So, yeah, if i were in your part of the world, i would not show up at a session in a pub, unless invited. And unless i had some idea as to charts, or playlist, to see if i had a chance of joining in, with chords, at least.

Yes, from your description it sounds like the sessions over here are very different to your sessions. One of the cool things about a session in a pub here is that you never know who is going to walk in & join you. Now that's not always going to be a pleasant surprise for the regulars of course, but it keeps the whole experience fresh.

As for tune lists, some sessions have a lot of favourite tunes & sets of tunes they would play most weeks, but the best ones have the standard of musicians who don't work with lists or sets but just think on the hoof, so you never know what tune is going to come next, or in what key they are going to play it.

There are some rules of course, one being that whoever starts a set of tunes usually leads it till the end, although at some stage, they may nod to someone to take a lead.

However, no written music is ever used in sessions here & people do not join in with a tune unless they have actually learned how to play it, so there is no winging it, or just busking along & hoping you hit some of the right notes. That's a definite no no over here.

One thing about newcomers to a session here, is that the regulars have no way of knowing how good they are, but folks rarely ask if they can join in, unless they are aware of the levels of playing at a new session. Otherwise they know they will end up looking pretty foolish, with their instrument sitting silent for much of the night if they don't actually know many of the tunes.

However, that is about more than just playing ability, because good players could travel to another part of the country & find the locals there playing loads of tunes they had never heard before. Like Kerry, for example, where they might spend all night playing obscure old Polkas & Slides, which could easily leave an experienced player from another part of the country out on a limb, especially if they hadn't bothered to suss out the kind of tunes that were being played, first.

As for the Boys of the Lough - aye, we say Lough just like we say Loch, i.e. in a broad Scottish/Germanic accent so that the *ch* sounds like you are trying to clear your throat!

Cheers
Dick

[ceadach]

Yep Gypsy,
That one difference between Irish sessions and "old time" jams over here in the US too. In the sessions I go to generally no one has sheet music, chord charts or a set list, we/they seem to play by sense of smell, the possible exceptions being set lists, were you are playing a paying gig with others and need to remember what ye've rehearsed. Another exception that I've seen here and not in Ireland, are in "slow sessions" for beginners, they allow sheet music or charts for chord players. Avoid saying anything about either American or Irish politics. Other wisely heed everything Ptar wrote earlier if you are going to an Irish session! Save you it can! (I'm beginning to sound like Yoda, must watch that... )

Another interesting trait amongst some Irish musicians is not having names to any of the tunes...a veteran box player and consummate character here from Roscommon who is a store house of tunes, frequently can't honestly tell you what tune he's playing other than... "oh, it's this one and starts lilting the tune." A flute player I know simply calls them by source like this " da one I learned from yer man Vincent, etc."

Irish sessions can be rather intimidating at first if you coming from another style of music. Reels at breakneck speed and lots of them. Seldom is there singing, but that can vary from place to place. People named Packy and Finbar who speak fondly of "da mighty craic". But don't be too put off, generally we are a pretty fun loving, easy going crowd.

The American old time and bluegrass jams I've been to tend to be freer affairs. Tunes and songs come in roughly equal number and if you need chord charts for a song, no one gets too worried about it. I've met some bluegrass guys that are what my friend Jason calls "Trad Nazis", unless you mando was personally built by Doc Waston himself, they don't want to even hear you play... but luckily those types tend to keep to themselves and be few in number. Most are very welcoming tho. Up here, folks are just glad to have some else to play with!

AS to session space, I've been to some where find enough room to move my bellows arm, let alone my drones or my dulcimer! When I brought my harp to sessions most folks were fairly accommodating, and harps unless very small take up as much space as a H-D with stand. Playing legs are dangerous in such places, too easily bumped into!!

Ptar, I noticed a picture, maybe on the "Causeway site" of you playing in session with your dulce's treble rail on the edge of a table. I've done this too in crowded pubs and people seem to appreciate the effective use of space. None the less, smaller H-D's like the "travelers" you mentioned and soprano dulcimers are a tempting idea. The space issues does seem important, at least in the Irish sessions. ( Explains the idea behind Nick Blanton's "compact" instruments too.)
Chad

[gypsy]

ooooooooohhhhhhhhhh, i feel humbled right out. think if i ever make it over there, will be a spectator. i have about 300 tunes in my head, but get the feeling that it would be woefully inadequate. We have sheet music nazi's over here, but i tell them whatever crutch makes the sound better is fine by me. Especially if you can read fast! would be alot more convenient than memorizing things all the time!

[gypsy]

Cead Mille Failte was a lovely thing to read about. And a whole cow! that is true luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv. My stepdads mother was purchased for a sewing machine, and 3 mules. ah, the romance of it.

[Dick Glasgow]

My stepdads mother was purchased for a sewing machine, and 3 mules. ah, the romance of it.

Aye Gypsy, but I just wonder what a Mother-in-Law would be worth these days?

Or, put another way, what would a fella accept as a trade for his Mother-in-Law?

A sewing needle & a bicycle with only one wheel, perhaps? ;D