We could sum this section up as helpful hints and topics for players who feel they are no longer beginners, and are ready to move onto the next stage of their development.
Our opinion is not intended to be definitive, but simply a conversation that you might have with your fellow musicians when you become a more established session player.
In no particular order, here are some bullet points of the subject matter which often exercises those that regularly frequent music sessions
- Speeding-up. This is a contentious issue and often frowned upon by musicians, but it does happen! The question is, how should a bodhran player handle it?
- When it comes to speeding up, we take the view that the ‘lead player’ – whoever starts the tune – is in charge of the timing and It may be rude to haul them back, just in case they DO in fact want to speed up gradually to create some excitement. There is a recognised musical term for intentional speeding up, which is accelerando, although it’s more probably adrenaline playing its part!
- Double-Time. Please note that in the previous bullet, we are certainly not talking about the technique of playing a piece slowly to start with and then doubling the speed in the later stages. Bodhran players should be aware of this in advance, as you need to know when to change speed.
- Silence. Do work out when to leave notes out and stop playing, rather than ploughing on like a drum-machine! For instance, the moment when every player in a session emphasises the end of a phrase by NOT playing a beat, is musically very powerful. This can often coincide with the changeover between a set of two tunes. Do experiment and work out what you think musically sounds best.
- WRT the above bullet, you will benefit from learning the tune in question. In short, the more you play, the more you will learn…and the more you will be able to contribute to the session.
- 8-bars. There is a convention that the ‘lead player’ will normally play the first 8-bars of their chosen tune on their own, before all the other players join in. This rule is adopted more often in a performance setting rather than a session, but make sure you know what the ‘house rules’ are before you play. Dependent on the level of expertise, sometimes the ‘lead player’ may be experiencing some difficulty in getting a tune started, in which case it may be wholely appropriate for other players to come in during the initial 8-bars to offer some guidance. Even a bodhran beat can help, but only if you are absolutely certain that your contribution will be appreciated.
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