Sessions

We hold regular traditional tunes sessions suitable for both beginners and experienced players. We encourage everyone to come along and learn some tunes that can be played in sessions, have fun, and meet new people.

We don’t teach individual tunes in these sessions. Instead we focus on playing tunes at a steady pace so that people can learn by ear or read music.

Tunes we play

We have put together a group of tunes and sets (tunes played together, one after the other) so that we have something to work from in the sessions. You can download a PDF of the tunes below.

We always welcome people bringing new tunes to play at the session, and suggestions to add to the list.

What to expect

All sessions are slightly different, but hopefully this gives a flavour of what local sessions are like, and in particular what to expect at our slow & steady sessions.

A session is a gathering of musicians, usually in a pub, to play traditional and related tunes together. There are other names for the same thing, such as musicians’ session, traditional or trad session, pub session, or sometimes just trad!

The instruments that people tend to play at sessions include fiddle/violin, whistle, mandolin, melodeon, accordion, concertina, guitar, banjo, bouzouki, spoons or bones, bodhran (an Irish drum), to name just a few. Less common instruments include cello, flute, bass guitar, and keyboard. 

If you don’t already play an instrument, it is not too late to start! 

What are the venues like?

Regular sessions are usually held in a room or an area of a pub, sometimes upstairs. People tend to sit around the tables wherever they can. Often there isn’t space for all the musicians to face each other, and at popular sessions it can be a bit of a squeeze. 

Sessions at festivals may be held in a variety of venues, such as a tent or marquee, a cafe, a concert or teaching venue, a village hall or other community space.

What sort of music is played?

The tunes that are played are mostly dance tunes – from the various traditions from England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, America, and other countries with closely related traditions. Included in the mix are both traditional and modern tunes. 

Some tunes are played on their own, perhaps two or three times through, and others are joined together to make sets – the same combinations or sets are played in many sessions.

The repertoire of tunes that is played is different from one session to another, but there are some tunes that are probably played nearly everywhere. However, if a session is described as an Irish session, you can expect only Irish tunes to be played (or Old Time tunes for an Old Time session, and so on).

At our slow & steady sessions we play tunes from a variety of traditions, and we try to choose tunes that are easy to learn and widely played.

Who decides what tune is next?

Who calls the next tune, or set of tunes, differs from session to session, but in general anyone can start playing, and others will join in. Someone starting a tune or a set may say the name of the tune and the key, but this doesn’t always happen.

When you play in a session you will hopefully be invited to start or choose a tune, but you don’t have to if you would rather not. If you are not invited or don’t get the chance to start one, ask the other musicians if you can suggest one.

At Folk for All slow & steady sessions we try to shout out the name of the tune we are going to play next, to make it easier.

Can I come and listen? Can I chat?

Usually there is space to stand or sit and listen to the tunes but if a session is very popular or busy, and it’s held in a separate room, there might not be room for listeners.

If you want to chat to a friend, a session might not be the easiest place to hold a flowing conversation, but between the tunes there is often a little break for a chat and a drink. Sessions have an ebb and flow. Sometimes lots of tunes will be played in quick succession, and sometimes there will be longer pauses. As long as you’re not disrupting the music, it should be fine to chat during tunes, but this will differ from session to session.

Do I have to be able read music? Can I bring the sheet music with me?

At regular sessions, tunes are usually played from memory rather than by reading the music. This is quite different to playing in an orchestra or perhaps a community music group. It’s great fun once you get the hang of it. Don’t worry if you make mistakes – everyone does.

In our slow and steady sessions you can either come along and learn the tunes by ear, or you can bring sheet music with you and read from that during the session. We play at a steady pace to make it easier. We encourage both approaches and we aim to create a comfortable and supportive atmosphere so that more people feel able to join in and give it a go.