Hosting or Leading a Session

Keeping the ball rolling and including everyone

Traditional music is a community sport. It’s participatory. It might be played at an event where others join in to play, sing, dance to the music, or take turns listening and presenting their own music, stories, or dances. Or it may be the glue, the expression, connection, or backdrop for a group function such as a wedding or funeral. It’s rare for fiddlers, pipers, accordions, etc. to play for people who merely sit quietly watching and listening. Even in performance situations, people listening to traditional music are usually tapping toes or otherwise moving to the music, eating, drinking, and letting out the occasional whoop when the tunes really get going!

One of the main ways musicians participate in a community is at sessions where everyone gets a chance to select and play tunes together. These days, it can be hard to build a community, and many people are more comfortable being observers than participants. For these folks or for anyone new to a session, I hope last week’s tips for ways to join in a session prove helpful.

For anyone wanting to create a session or keep it alive and kicking, I hope this column will help! It’s about how important it can be to have a supportive host and musical leader who can encourage players and keep a group momentum going.

Consistency

The ideal session is a repeat event with a fairly consistent group of players, allowing them to get to know each other and build a common repertoire. It’s nearly impossible to collect a group of musicians who are at the same level and play the same style and repertoire. This is why it can be important to have a good leader to help everyone play together.

The host, whether a pub or a homeowner, can help keep a session alive and well by sticking to a regular schedule, so that everyone knows when the next session is and can plan for it. If a private space is being used, it’s important to give people a way to RSVP. A minimum of three or four players makes it feel like a session, as opposed to just having a couple friends over for some music (which is also great, by the way!). And if it’s to be a sizable session, whether 6 or 20, it’s really helpful to have a good leader.

Food & Drink

When it comes to musicians, if you feed them, they will come! There are always some players who appreciate a chance to nibble snacks or nurse a drink, listen to the music, and chat with others without feeling pressure to play all the time. This is one reason a pub or coffeeshop is a nice place to hold a session, but of course a private host can provide food and drink, or establish a pot luck tradition for the group.

A Helpful Leader

A good session leader smooths things out and keeps the music going. Some pubs hire a leader to make sure there’s good listenable music for their patrons, and to attract a critical mass of session players. They might also offer a free beer to session players so as to keep them coming. The energy of folks gathered to make music makes for a great atmosphere for a pub, coffee shop, party, or festival.

It’s ideal if the leader is not only sensitive and helpful to others, but also knows lots of tunes. This way, they can support someone trying to play a tune they’re not sure of or can't quite recall how to start.

Leader Styles

Session leader may have very different styles but work out equally well. I’ve seen leaders that start all tunes, even if they take suggestions from others. Other leaders are more subtle, allowing and encouraging others to start tunes, and jumping in to help when there is a lull, or if someone is starting a tune but having a hard time with it.

One strategy I like for leading some sessions is to have every participant feel comfortable starting a tune. And I really mean everyone. This may take some cajoling, because there’s always someone who blanks out on what tune to play, or imagines they’re not “good enough” to start a tune. But as long as nobody minds doing a tune that’s already been played or playing a popular tune at a different tempo, there’s always a tune each person can start, especially if the leader is able to jump right in and help. A round-robin can be set up so everyone knows when it’s their turn. Or the leader can simply notice who hasn’t started a tune and invite them to chip one in.

Respecting the Tune Starter

It’s important to respect and follow whoever starts a tune, whether a beginner playing a simple tune slowly, or a pro who wants to jump into a challenging tune that, hopefully, at least some others can play as well. If the session leader shows respect for whoever starts a tune, everyone will feel welcome. It’s best to encourage people to keep an eye on the person who starts a tune and follow them. When people don’t pay attention, they tend to go their own way, sometimes even speeding up so the person who started it can’t even play their own tune. Not fair to them!

Player Hesitations

Everyone at some point wonders if others will know or like a tune they want to play. It doesn’t matter! Encourage people to play first and ask questions later! Everyone wants music to be happening, so it’s great to have tunes offered up by whoever thinks of them. It’s possible that someone will start a tune nobody else knows — no problem. Let them play the tune through so people can enjoy hearing a new tune. The leader may have to step in, though, if the player keeps playing unknown tunes — this changes a session to a performance! It can be nice, though, for people to occasionally sit back and listen — after all, it is all about music and not about how many notes people play. I’ve been to some sessions where the leader will take advantage of a lull to invite a fine singer or player to do a solo for everyone. Of course, if there are too many solos or they go on too long, you’ve lost your session.

A more beginning player may make the excuse that they can’t start a tune — don’t buy it! If they are present at a session with their fiddle or other instrument ready to play, they know at least one tune, and should feel free to start it, and at their own pace. They really only have to play the first 4 or 5 notes before others join in. Remind them that suggesting a tune is not a performance. Everybody is looking for musical suggestions so they can play a tune, any tune. A beginner can help just as well as more advanced player.

As to the perennial worry about not playing fast enough, respecting the tempo of the person who starts a tune can make everyone comfortable knowing they will have a chance to play something they can enjoy. It’s not so hard for beginners to listen or try more difficult or faster tunes, and it’s not so terrible for advanced players to enjoy playing a tune slower than they’re used to — they can always experiment with ornamentation or a variation, or may learn something about the tune that they never noticed. As they say, “if you play too fast, you miss the scenery.” And there’s always the option to have a bite, take a sip of a drink, or chat with a neighbor.

How Do They Do That?

It can be magical to see how session musicians almost always know when the end of a tune is approaching. Some will actually signal the end with an outstretched foot or a verbal “hup!” but in many sessions, people don’t need these markers. If you watch the player who started the tune, you can usually get a sense as to when they’re ready to stop or go on to a new tune. That’s the time to jump in with a new one. Don’t wait for someone else. It’s very rare that two people start a tune at the exact same time, but if they do, usually one will go on, and the other will start the next tune.

Encouragement Wanted

If someone comes to a session but spends too long without feeling there’s an opening to jump in and play or start a tune they know, they may well leave early and feel uncomfortable about coming back. An attentive session leader can encourage that person to start a tune before too much time has passed without them joining in. The leader can support them by playing along as soon as possible. Someone may even know the person well enough to start a tune that person likes to play, at a pace they can handle. They’ll appreciate it and stick around. I remember a session where one player always started Spootiskerry at some point — it’s great to know the repertoire of others so that you can start playing a tune that you know others can and will join in on.

Nobody Likes to Play Bad Cop

The main thing a session leader has to do is think of the good of the group above all. It’s okay to let things happen, like speeding up or slowing down, or skipping a part of a tune, but they can ry to get things back on track as soon as possible.

If the session is billed as a specialized one — advanced, beginner, Irish, bluegrass, Scandi, etc., and somebody starts the “wrong” type of tune, enjoy it, and then remind people of the goals of the session. It’s nice to hear a variety but also nice to provide a place to play a particular type of music. If that was how the session was announced, that’s probably what people came for.

Sometimes a session leader may have to play bad cop, but only for the sake of the group. Nobody likes to see an individual called out, but if someone is really insensitive to others socially or musically, you don’t want to lose the whole group for the sake of the one person. It might be necessary to take someone aside privately for a chat (or ask them to run a special errand across town!). It can be pretty disruptive if a strong player skips beats or phrases, for example. This can have a big impact with more unforgiving instruments, such as drums, piano, or pipes. Fiddles don't usually cause a problem because their sound tends to blend, averaging out individual quirks.

One time at an Irish session, a bodhran player was being disruptive. The player next to him expressed fascination with the beater (drumstick) of the bodhran player, and asked to take a look at it. He marvelled at its beauty and passed it along to show the next person, who also marvelled at it and passed it along. When the beater arrived about halfway around the circle, the group starting playing again! A very understated group effort to tame an unruly bodhran!

The All-Important SQ

I like a session that keeps the musical momentum going, instead of allowing a lot of stopping and starting. When I’ve taught groups to play together as in a session, I’ve jokingly made up a statistic I call the “SQ” (it makes you seem very intelligent if you have an acronym), which stands for Session Quotient, and I tell people they need to keep their SQ to less than 3 seconds — meaning, if a tune ends, try to get another one going within 3 seconds. It is almost mystical to see how well musicians at a good session can sense when it’s time for a new tune, and lob another one into the game to keep things going.

With help from a supportive host and leader, a session can get a ball rolling that nobody will want to stop. Enjoy!