‘Tis the season, and there’s nothing more heartwarming than playing music with friends inside a warm & cozy pub. I've been in Asheville, NC for over a month now and have been joining nightly jams playing Old Time and Traditional Irish music. It's been an absolute blast- and so welcome after searching high and low for jams in other places I've lived to little avail.
There's something magical about playing a tune in a circle with other musicians on various instruments. As the rhythm takes over we all channel our notes into this tremendous flow that rises and crests over our heads and swirls around the audience like a fog until the last note settles.
These sessions highlight that the whole is greater than the individual (unless you're playing the wrong notes!) and it truly feels like community as everyone comes together for the good of the songs.
There are literally thousands of songs to learn in the Old Time and Irish genres. It could take a lifetime, and that's good! Part of why I picked up fiddle later in life was to be able to learn songs from my heritage (Scottish/Irish/French), and to have melodies I can both learn and master for as long as my fingers will pluck the strings and my arm commands the bow.
I was told that my great-grandmother (Wallace) played fiddle. She and Papa Cross had tough living on a small farm in central Texas. When their daily chores were done, Papa Cross would retire underneath his favorite tree and roll his Prince Albert cigarettes. Mama Cross would sit on the front porch with a plug of chew and play tunes on a fiddle. I wish I could have been there to hear her- did she play Irish, Scottish, or Old Time?
Traditions and rituals bind us across time. They cross barriers, they lift the spirits, and provide us a way of navigating life's sometimes turbulent waters.
This to say, as we are now fully in the holiday season, I encourage you to find time to seek out places where you can catch local musicians and maybe even join in singing or playing as well. It's our birthright, and a true privilege… aren't we so lucky?!
Slàinte Mhaith!
xo
Heather