New Year Greetings

Hope you all had a peaceful Christmas and may I wish you all the best for 2008!
Just to remind you that the next slow session will be on Monday 7th January at 8pm.
Please bring along any music you wish to share with the group and also anyone who may like to join us!
Looking forward to seeing you next week

Ray

Happy Christmas

Hi all

Just a quick note to say hi. I am back in Northampton from Friday until 2nd Jan. If anyone knows of any folkie happenings over the Christmas period I would be grateful for the heads up. I will be at the Artisan session on Saturday and going to watch the morris on new years days.

Hope to see you

Love Paul Dennant

Hi from Paul

Hello all

Just a quick note to let you all know I am doing well up here in Jolly Newcastle. It is hard work particularly keeping up with the youngsters and they like to keep you busy the whole time but am learning lots. There is lots and lots of music up here with sessions most nights somewhere the only problem is you do need to stay in sometimes to do the work. So do not believe it when they say students have it easy ITS NOT TRUE. All the tutors are really nice its great when you are have a lecture about something and you know the lecturer was there at the time although it can be tricky if you disagree, I described a piece of music as 'Irish Muzak' which didn't go down at all well.

The plan is to go back to Northampton on Fri 21st Dec and return here after New years day I am afraid it isn't long but hope to catch up then if Sam is having his pre-christmas session in the artisan I will try to get to that and also the boat on New Years day

Love to all

Paul D

Next Session- Mon. 19th. November

Just a reminder that tomorrow's session will start at 8pm. There was a great turnout for the last session, with many 'first-timers' who brought fresh musical talent - and were most welcome!
If you are visiting this site for the first time, please consider coming tomorrow- bring your instruments or voices and give it a try, or simply just turn up and revel in the ambience. We are very supportive and will not push you to perform if you don't feel you are ready.
The last sessions have featured vocals, guitar, fiddle, bodhran, percussion box, whistle, recorder, melodian, accordian, autoharp and psalter! All styles of folk music are represented: traditional english, irish, scottish- country and western- r'n'b- thru to contempory composition.
We have been meeting for a little over a year and our level of playing, from beginners to more advanced players, is improving all the time.
We meet on the first and third Mondays every month. Please join us!

Ray ( Session Coordinator)

Last Sesion

A big big thank you for all your kind words and thoughts on Monday.

It has been a pleasure and privilege making music with you all. It has been a joy growing together and helping each other build in confidence. It was really nice to see some new people coming along.

Tune Set 2

The unlabled tune is Foxhunters jig

Tune Sets

Here are the dots for the tunes we play for the first hour

next session

There is no session on the first of Jan the next session will be on 15th Jan

Happy new year to all

Nov 6th

Another good night thanks all for coming it was good to see more new faces. I have put a couple of new links on the site. One from Ray Mad for trad, and a link to the Great night folk club's web site

New Tunes

New Tunes that were played this week Include ,

The cuckoo's Nest, Sally gardens(song), Planxty Hewlett, Foggy Dew, Australia (song) Rochdale coconut dance, Trippping up the Stairs, The Geesein the Bog, Morrison's
Some people were asking about local session here is a list of ones that I have gone to.

Mondays 2nd Monday of the month at the Telegraph @ 8:30 in Molton

Wednesdays Each Wednesday at the Cannon @ 8:30 in Newport Pagnell (can be fast)

Thursdays Fortnightly on Thursdays at the Walnut Tree @ 8:30 in Bilsworth
1st Thursday at the Cock @ 8:30 in Pottersbury

Saturdays Last Saturday of the month at the Artisan @ 8:30 in Northampton

Sundays Each Sunday at the Vaults @ 12:30 in Stony Stratford
1st Sunday of month at the Watts Arms @ 12:30 in Hanslope ( Manly English)
3rd Sunday Comhaltas Irish session @ 8:00 (is moving will post new location)

red haired boy_Rights of Man

Rights of Man

red haired boy

From Philippa

Hi - Thanks for a great evening on Monday and - good idea about the blog. I should be posting this, maybe,but I haven't worked out how to do that. How do you get the musical notation posted? Do you have a program for doing music or are the tunes scanned?? (I use a program called Capella for sort ofword-processing music.)I had an idea a while ago that it would be a good idea to have a website devoted to all the Irish/folk musicin and around Northampton. You could try and get the pubs and other places to send notice of sessions and gigs, so you had a really big time-table of stuff going on. Then with a bit of work you could get links to the various musicians, pubs, the Comhaltas - anyone who wanted to put up their information. And a chatty bloggy bit like you've started. I guess there is perhaps a local folk site already. It was just wanting to know about all the Irish music that first made me think of it.Just dreaming anyway ...See you soon - Philippa

Philippa.
All the music the I have posted so far has come from www.thesession.org (link on the Right) and that lets you down load an image file of the music. Then when you post a message here there is a button that says add image; follow the onscreen instuctions add hey presto there it is.

Paul D

my love is in america

her mantle so green

calliope house

Bill Sullivan's Polka

Tunes this week

Hi all

Here is a list of tunes new this week

centenary March
Gentle Anne
The Frost is all Over
Colin Nelson
Androw
poverty poverty Knock
Brew the Cow
Carolan's Welcome
Road to Dundee
Paddy's Return
Willy Coleman's
Up in the Air

Egan's Polka

Tunes we have play so far

Here is a list of tunes with have played at the session so far.

I am going to to find the dots for them and post when I can

Egan’s Polka
John Ryan’s Polka
Winster Gallop
Jamie Allen
Davy Nick Nack
The New Rigged Ship
Out in the Ocean
The Kesh jig
Dingle regatta
Off to California
Planxty Hewlett
Spanish Lady
Merry Blacksmith
Kilfenora Jig
Road to Lisdoonvarna
Tip Top Polka
Rakes of Mallow
Bear Dance
Three around three
Michael Tuners Waltz
Shoe the Donkey
Donkey riding
Angelina the Baker
Old Joe Clark
The rights of man
Tralee Jail
kerfunken jail
Gallope House
The Mantle soon green
Tenpenny Bit
The Hunt
statten Island
Galopede
Iorn Land
King of the Farries
Lucy Farr Polka
Lilting Banshee
Connie's Walsh's
The Little Beggerman
My Love is in America
Brain Boru March
Bill Sullivan's Polka

Black Lion session

Black Lion session

Slow play Folk Session-Workshop

Upstairs at the Old Black Lion, Marefair, Northampton.
(near the Railway Station)

Every first and third Monday of the month at 8.30pm

Have you ever been at a session and thought I wish I could join in!

Playing at a session can be daunting, the idea is to play traditional folk music at a steady pace and maybe learn some new tunes together. Often people can be put off joining in with the public watching so this is a great opportunity have a go with a group of like minded people. Even if you are comfortable playing at sessions and would enjoy playing at a steadier pace come along. The main thing is to enjoy making music.

welcome

Welcome to the new site for the slow play session held at the black Lion in Northampton