Session Guidelines

Otherwise known as "session etiquette." It's a set of conventions common to gatherings around the world where Irish music is played in public locales like pubs and other establishments. If you're competely new to this tradition, we recommend the Field Guide to the Irish Music Session by Barry Foy. It's a great little book, filled with tongue-in-cheek humor and wisdom about playing in sessions.

So, here are the basics:

• Respect the tempo established by the person who starts a tune, and don't try to speed it up if you feel it needs to be played faster. If you're starting a tune you know very well, then play it at tempo that's lively enough to express the dance rhythm and pulse in the tune, but try not to let it get away from you.
  
  
• We don't use sheet music or chord charts. Sheet music is provided for many of the tunes here on the Tune List page for home study, and there are links to sites with sheet music on the Resources page. A recording device is a great way to capture tunes you're not familiar with, for practice later at home.
  
  
• We'd like to have one guitar backer at a time, and also just one other chordal accompaniment instrument like bouzouki. Harmony backing for Irish traditional music is improvised over a fixed melody line, instead of following a fixed chord structure as in American folk music styles. Two or more guitar players will seldom have the same ideas about the chord selection and rhythm, which can easily distract the melody players. So please take turns, when there is more than one guitar player at the session.
  
  
• In a similar vein, we'd like to encourage bodhran players to play one at a time. Consider sitting out a few tunes here and there, to leave some space in the music. It isn't necessary to play bodhran on all the tunes.
  
  
• Learning "on the fly" for tunes you don't know is encouraged! However, please play quietly, or in an outer circle so you don't distract those who do know the tune. In an Irish session it's fine to sit out tunes you don't know. Use that opportunity to listen to the music, or order another pint from the bar. Unlike some other types of jams, there is no compulsion to play on every tune.
  
  
• Finally, don't forget to tip the wait staff and bartender!