Irish Seisiún Rules
FolkWorks March-April 2004 – Page 12
Cáit Reed passed away December 11, 2018. Comments on The Session
Any complaints and other useful comments can be sent to Cáit at caitreed@aol.com. Please see disclaimer at the bottom.
- No
- There is no rule #2.
- If you don’t know the tune, don’t play unless:
- You can play really, really
- You can clearly hear the tune being
- You respect the music… Otherwise, go feck
- If you play guitar or bodhrán, please re-read rules #1 & #3.
- Flute players, whistle players (and pipers) should refrain from drooling on the fiddlers and visa
- Fiddle players should only start tunes in the keys of Bb, C, A, F, E and related minor and modal keys when the woodwind players and/or pipers head off to buy a round or go to the
- Punters should pay attention to the music as well as to each Dancing, clapping, clogging, hooting (in rhythm) are encouraged, as is putting money in the hat and/or buying drinks for each other and the musicians.
- Jokes and conversation and good-natured antics, except when someone is singing, are happily
- Fiddlers will please endeavor:
- Not to take over by banding together in large groups and playing end- less Gm tunes and other obvious fiddle tunes unless they are the only ones left because they have already alienated the woodwind players in some other In such a case, they should continue to play until they are kicked out or the whisky runs out, whichever comes first.
- Not to speed up the
- Not to kick over other people’s pints of beer in their haste to get to the
- All players should strive to play at a speed at which they can successfully EXECUTE, as opposed to MURDER, the
- Guitarists will kindly pay attention and try very hard not to noodle. [Noodlng- an inedible form of flat, half-baked playing with neither beginning nor end]. They do enough of that at If they must noodle, they should try to play very quietly, so as not to disturb the delicate silences between sets of tunes or to confuse other players into thinking they have just started a tune they intend to finish.
- Pipers should try to keep their enthusiasm for pipes, popping straps, bore measurements, bellows, ivory (and other body parts from endangered species), complicated out-of-rhythm ornamentation and reed-making in check and should refrain from playing together in groups of one or more unless:
- Their pipes (and drones) are in tune with each other and themselves, preferably at A-440 concert (But then one might be worrying about the fact that hell has indeed finally frozen over).
- There are only pipers and/or other deaf people
- Prior arrangements have been made to politely alienate other musicians by playing on flat sets at the other end of the room and therefore having at least appeared to have made allowances for non-piper’s
- Accordion and concertina players who insist on bringing Eb instruments and who expect everyone to tune up a half-step, or to sit there quietly and reverently as the player plays tune after tune in a key that no one else (except guitarists with capos) can play In the former case they should buy several rounds for the other players to make up for the wear and tear on strings and causing the whistle players to have to haul extra whistles in funny keys. In the latter case they should just feck off and play somewhere else.
- It is appropriate for a singer to offer a few songs during the This is a signal:
- For the punters and musicians to quiet Shushing can really work due to the guilt factor, especially if the song is unaccompanied. NOTE: the shushing trick can only work a few times in an evening and so should be reserved for emergencies only.
- For the rest of the players to make a mad dash for the bar and the
- Guitarists and banjo players should refrain from beating their instruments about the head and shoulders in order to hear themselves, otherwise known as Assault and This type of behavior can be tolerable if there is only one guitarist playing, but unfortunately mob rule can take over when multiple guitarists band together to form a guitar gang. REMINDER: Believe me when I say that everyone else in the room can hear you better than you can hear yourself!
- BEWARE! Traditional musicians should be on the lookout for counterfeit seisiúin and should make themselves aware of the difference between a seisiún, and a band rehearsal or performance posing as a seisiún. In the case of it being a band rehearsal or performance posing as a seisiún, this should be made clear from the outset to avoid offending even more people than
- Some tips on taping and other recording etiquette:
- Always ask permission to record, even though most players play much worse once they know they’re being Fortunately, they’ll for- get soon enough if the taping is done in a subtle fashion.
- The use of handheld overhead mic-booms, fancy multitrack digital programs and other obtrusive equipment are likely to get one labeled as an “ubergeek,” which is not considered a flattering term amongst Irish traditional
- Try not to edit as you go, as this draws attention to the recording process and away from the HINT: It is especially offensive to make a show of starting and stopping recordings mid-set as it might give impression that you don’t want to waste tape (or digital space) on someone’s heartfelt performance. Really the best way is to carry a small recording device and a small mic in a bag that is disguised either as a purse, a whistle-bag or other fashion accessory.
WARNING: These rules are intended as guidelines and the author is not responsible for any fights that might break out in the enforcement of said rules.
- Pianists, harpists, flautists, and violinists should watch, listen and
- Piano, bodhrán and hammered dulcimer players will be not be tolerated for long unless:
- Their instrument is in
- The player actually knows and likes the
- The player can play quietly and with sensitivity to the fact that they will most likely be drowning out the other instruments in the PLEASE NOTE: On certain rare occasions this may be called for if the band really sucks or if there are severe rhythm or acoustic problems.
Càit has been mad about Irish Traditional Music since she had the good fortune to hear and play with Joe Cooley (of Peterswell, County Galway) and Kevin Keegan (of Galway Town) when they and other distinguished guests would come “up the country” to visit her and her friends and coconspirators for weekends at a ranch in Cloverdale called Preston. Those were rare seisiúns; lasting entire weekends, played by firelight and kerosene lamp in the old wooden church with the old clock beating out the hour and the half-hour. Cáit has been playing and teaching since 1970. Her Web site (www.caitreed.com) is under construction and her first solo album, The Rolling Wave will be released any minute now.
Irish Seisiún Rules
FolkWorks March-April 2004 – Page 12