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Oddly's Adventures: A session report

#62
nixdad said:
How enjoyable! You can’t go wrong with a supportive situation like that.
Click to expand...

It really is nice.
There's been several times I've played a wildly off note or three.
Others have started songs, sometimes repeatedly, in the wrong key or tempo, or claimed a key then proceeded to avoid that key entirely.
Others would, in some eyes, have no business even trying to sing.

But everyone is there for the love of music, and there's great appreciation of the fact that that passion is there, even if it's not exactly delivered as a perfect performance.
 
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#63
Hi,

Oddly said:
It really is nice.
There's been several times I've played a wildly off note or three.
Others have started songs, sometimes repeatedly, in the wrong key or tempo, or claimed a key then proceeded to avoid that key entirely.
Others would, in some eyes, have no business even trying to sing.

But everyone is there for the love of music, and there's great appreciation of the fact that that passion is there, even if it's not exactly delivered as a perfect performance.
Click to expand...

That's a real jam session. You're not really "jamming" if everyone knows the song, knows the arrangement, etc. I think a true jam needs that element of the unknown, you-don't-know-where-it's-going-to-go excitement. That can be really fun.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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#64
Update: Session #5

A week later than I'd hoped. A chest infection I can't seem to shake off had me miss 2 sessions last week.
Another good session, songs from Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Patsy Cline I felt comfortable playing along to, and some more traditional ones like Molly Malone and The Galway Shawl I must've heard hundreds of times but never occurred to me to play before...I think I got away with whatever I played for them!

Tonight's musicians included a German guy on banjo, which was a lot more pleasant than I'd have expected!
There was also a learning moment for one of the guitarists about the concept of 'concert pitch'.
She had a guitar, and it was in tune, just not with anyone else.:D

Also tonight, I tried out my new amp...a little 30w practice combo from Ashdown.
It did the job just fine, happily, so I think I'll be using it for this session in future...it's a bit smaller and lighter than my GK combo, a factor when I've to haul it in from a car-park and up two flights of stairs.
 
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#66
Oddly said:
Update: Session #5

A week later than I'd hoped. A chest infection I can't seem to shake off had me miss 2 sessions last week.
Another good session, songs from Tom Waits, Neil Diamond, Patsy Cline I felt comfortable playing along to, and some more traditional ones like Molly Malone and The Galway Shawl I must've heard hundreds of times but never occurred to me to play before...I think I got away with whatever I played for them!

Tonight's musicians included a German guy on banjo, which was a lot more pleasant than I'd have expected!
There was also a learning moment for one of the guitarists about the concept of 'concert pitch'.
She had a guitar, and it was in tune, just not with anyone else.:D

Also tonight, I tried out my new amp...a little 30w practice combo from Ashdown.
It did the job just fine, happily, so I think I'll be using it for this session in future...it's a bit smaller and lighter than my GK combo, a factor when I've to haul it in from a car-park and up two flights of stairs.
Click to expand...

Nice! Sorry you were sick. Glad you recovered. I'm enjoying following your sessions. :thumbsup:
 
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#67
charlie monroe said:
I really like the sound of these gatherings. I don’t think there is anything within 100 miles of me where everyone parks their egos at the door.
Click to expand...
Yeah, every time I hear about these get-togethers, I think, "How much is the airfare to Dublin?" :unsure:

Then I remember that they already have a bassist, so why bother! :p

:D


Carry on, Oddly! :thumbsup:
 
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#74
Wisebass said:
From the start: Tom Waits and Neil Diamond are on stage together!
Click to expand...
giphy.gif
 
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#75
Update: Session #6

Another fun night.
Musical oddity of the night being an autoharp, which I don't believe I'd ever heard live before, and found quite an interesting instrument with a great sound.
Songs from Iris DeMent, Bob Dylan, Randy Newman, Paul Simon (50 ways...I just tapped out a muted rhythm for that), and Peggy Seeger's 'Springhill Mining Disaster' which developed into an extended and very lovely jam, as it was one everyone knew.
One guy played some powerful versions of Creep, Psychokiller, and Teenage Kicks - all three I'd played many times before and was able to get nicely stuck into. (I'm getting better at catching on to tunes, but it's a relief to play something I actually knew!)

Once again there was a couple of new (to me) faces, but it's fast becoming a nice circle of friends, beyond just musicians playing together.
While the session has been running for a couple of years, it seems there's been a lot of turnover in people, but currently the core group has stabilised, and I think that makes for a fun environment.
 
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#76
Oddly said:
Musical oddity of the night being an autoharp, which I don't believe I'd ever heard live before, and found quite an interesting instrument with a great sound.
Click to expand...
When I was in elementary school, there was a nice older lady who would come around to the classrooms with her autoharp now and then for "music time," and sing-alongs. I'd never seen an autoharp before, and its function was a great curiosity to me. They're interesting instruments for sure! :thumbsup:
 
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#77
@Winslow , I'd seen them on video before a couple of times.
Dolly Parton, June and Maybelle Carter can all be found on YouTube playing one.
Billy Connolly, the Scottish comedian, apparently used one quite a lot in his folk-singing days...this is one of his songs tackled last night by the harp player.
I'd never heard it before, and was very impressed...I'd no idea Billy was such a fine songsmith.


Another old Scottish air...
 
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#78
Oddly said:
@Winslow , I'd seen them on video before a couple of times.
Dolly Parton, June and Maybelle Carter can all be found on YouTube playing one.
Billy Connolly, the Scottish comedian, apparently used one quite a lot in his folk-singing days...this is one of his songs tackled last night by the harp player.
I'd never heard it before, and was very impressed...I'd no idea Billy was such a fine songsmith.
Another old Scottish air...
Click to expand...
Yes indeed, Mother Maybelle & June Carter definitely made autoharps a household term over here.

And thanks for the Billy Connolly clips! He's an amazing talent! :thumbsup:
 
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#79
Glad to hear things are going well at your jams. It’s been a while since i’ve had the pleasure of sitting in a room with a diverse group of instruments and personalities for the purpose of making music. We had a small music shop about an hour north that held a jam on the third Thursday of the month, but the shop owner sold out, bought a motorhome and AFAIK is still riding around America.
 
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