The session is, by and large, an impromptu gathering of musicians who play lots of tunes, sing songs and get the onlookers tapping their feet and maybe even dancing. The pub is generally the favorite place for these events but someone s front room or the street and even a wake are good enough places to break out your instruments and lash into a few sets of reels or jigs. Of course if you break out the wrong instrument you could be in trouble. You would be set upon by a hundred pairs of unimpressed eyes saying get that trumpet out of here Most sessions do prefer the more traditional instruments and what's okay in one session may not be so accepted in another. The guitar is a good example.
Today there are thousands of good guitar players on the traditional Irish music scene.
Some play the actual tunes but mostly the guitar is used to accompany the tune players. There are even web sites books and tapes devoted to the art of playing along with traditional music but lots of traditional players frown when they see a guitar player walk in to the gathering. Even when the guitar is accepted, things can get a little awkward if a second or, God forbid, a third guitarist turns up. Another great fear in the minds of good tune players is the bodhran. The bodhran is the Irish drum, held in one hand and beaten with a tipper in the other.