« The Rattlin' Forum » New to trad sessions - any tips?
Hi everyone, I just started going to sessions here in Cork and I'm absolutely terrified lol. Everyone knows the tunes and they're all so fast and I just have my whistle and I'm barely keeping up. Does it get easier? Any tips for a complete beginner?
It absolutely gets easier. Every single person in that session was once where you are now. The experienced players remember what it's like to not know the tunes.
Tips: listen more than you play at first. Learn the Rattlin' Bog if you don't know it already—it's the gateway drug to trad music. Don't be afraid to sit out a tune if you don't know it. And most importantly, the people at sessions want you there. They want new players.
You're going to be grand. Keep going.
Cork sessions are the best. Which pub are you going to? There's a good crowd on Thursdays at Flannery's. I'll be back in Cork next month—come find me if you're there. I promise the terror goes away.
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