Q: How do you play an Irish session?

Impromptu and organised trad sessions or seisiúns [pronounced seshoons] often crop up in the corner of a bar. They’re friendly gatherings and one of the best places to hear amazing musicians in action and to learn new tunes. Unless you are competent and can keep up, it’s better to enjoy the sounds rather than try to join in. If you are fortunate enough to have found a session for learners, you'll find them great fun and informal. Someone will suggest or begin a tune and if you know it, you can play along.

Q: What are typical Irish instruments?

The most popular instruments you’ll hear are the fiddle, tin whistle, guitar, bodhrán, flute, button accordion and concertina - precisely those covered in Alison’s Traditional Irish music courses. Other wonderful instruments which are not quite as common include the harp, uilleann pipes and the bouzouki.

Question 1

How can I learn Irish music?

Accepted Answer

The first step to learning Irish music is to choose your instrument. This can depend on your personal taste, your budget and the availability of the instrument. It&rsquo;s easier to find a guitar than a button accordion. Do you want to carry a bulky instrument around or would a neat little concertina, a flute or a tin whistle that fits in your pocket be better? Once you&rsquo;ve decided on your instrument, simply enroll on Alison&rsquo;s Beginner 1 course and you will soon have the basic skills and techniques down and be ready to learn some tunes!

Question 2

What is the easiest Irish instrument to play?

Accepted Answer

A basic rule of thumb is that the tin whistle is the easiest instrument to learn and the perfect gateway to harder ones like the flute. If you don&rsquo;t have a particularly musical ear but have a good sense of rhythm, the bodhr&aacute;n is the one for you. It&rsquo;s quite easy to master basic rhythms and is an enthralling instrument in the hands of a master like Alison&rsquo;s tutor Dermot Sheedy, of Hermitage Green.

Question 3

How do you play an Irish session?

Accepted Answer

Impromptu and organised trad sessions or seisi&uacute;ns [pronounced seshoons] often crop up in the corner of a bar. They&rsquo;re friendly gatherings and one of the best places to hear amazing musicians in action and to learn new tunes. Unless you are competent and can keep up, it&rsquo;s better to enjoy the sounds rather than try to join in. If you are fortunate enough to have found a session for learners, you'll find them great fun and informal. Someone will suggest or begin a tune and if you know it, you can play along.

Question 4

What are typical Irish instruments?

Accepted Answer

The most popular instruments you&rsquo;ll hear are the fiddle, tin whistle, guitar, bodhr&aacute;n, flute, button accordion and concertina - precisely those covered in Alison&rsquo;s Traditional Irish music courses. Other wonderful instruments which are not quite as common include the harp, uilleann pipes and the bouzouki.

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