Irish Music Sessions – An Introduction

By Jonathan Lay, June 9, 2025 (revised July 13, 2025)

In this article:
– What is an Irish music session?
– The Art & Etiquette of Session Playing — 10 Tips
– How to Find Sessions

You may have seen an Irish music session and been perplexed. The music is good and the players and listeners are happy, but . . . Is this a concert? Why do half of the musicians have their backs to me? Why is their table strewn with musical instruments and an assortment of empty and full drink glasses? Should I applaud? Why did they start playing a tune that they don’t seem to know? May I join them? If you are new to Irish music sessions, these are all worthy questions. Read on to learn about Irish music sessions, session etiquette, and where to find sessions.

Not a concert, not a jam, a session is something else.

What is an Irish music session?

Not a concert, not a jam, a session is something else. An Irish music session, or seisiúin, is a gathering of musicians to play traditional Irish music together. Traditional Irish tunes – melodies played on instruments – are at the core of most sessions. There may be songs, and there may be dancing, but if those emerge it is between or amid the tune playing. 

To keep the wording simple, “session” is used in this article to mean “Irish music session.” Seisiúin (pronounced say-SHOON) is the Irish word for this kind of session.

It’s not a concert: While appreciative listeners are welcome, a session is complete with just the musicians, their instruments, and a flow of shared tunes. If you are a listener, you are not expected to applaud, but a little bit of cheerful noise from you at the conclusion of a group of tunes is very welcome. And a little bit of applause is okay too.

It’s not a jam: The difference may seem subtle, but what distinguishes a jam from a session is the amount of spontaneous musical invention involved. In a jam, spontaneous invention is the defining ingredient. In an Irish music session, traditional tunes are the essential ingredient. Played with embellishments (ornamentation) and variation, established melodies in a session are respected and preserved. So when someone uses the phrase “Irish music jam,” it’s alright to wince a little bit.

Traditional session instruments: The instruments in an Irish music session form a cast of characters that is pretty universal worldwide. While new instruments have gradually been added to the Irish music tradition over the centuries, introduction of new instruments is a very slow process. Instruments you are very likely to hear and see at a session include fiddle, tin whistle, concertina, button accordion, uilleann pipes, tenor banjo, flute, mandolin, octave mandolin, bodhran, and bouzouki. You may also see harp, cello, piano, and bones. You are quite unlikely to see (for example) trombones, jaw harps, bombards, or marimbas. While melody instruments such as fiddle and tin whistle are essential to sessions, rhythm instruments that provide chords and percussion enhance the session but are entirely optional.

What do “trad” and “traditional” mean? Irish sessions and music are often referred to as “traditional” or “trad.” At the heart of the repertoire of Irish music is a body of tunes and songs that have existed for a century or more, and whose authors are unknown. Those are clearly traditional. But part of the Irish musical tradition is to create new music in the old style, and to import music from other sources and adapt it to the Irish tradition. So in a “trad Irish” session, you may find a few tunes composed in recent years or imported from other lands.

Are “tunes” the same as “songs”? In the parlance of Irish music, a “tune” is a melody. By contrast, a song has lyrics and has a tune (or melody), but it is not a tune. So no, they are not the same.

What is a “set” of tunes? In Irish session tradition, tunes are usually played in “sets.” Sets are medleys of tunes. For example, a set may have three tunes, with each tune being played three times before moving to the next tune. Usually, but not always, the tunes in the set are all of the same type – for example, it might be a set of jigs, reels, or hornpipes.

What about singing? Singing is certainly an important part of Irish music. Sean-nós (pronounced SHAWN-nos) singing, in the Irish old style, is often performed in the Irish language and without instrumental accompaniment. Sometimes those old songs are translated to English or another language, and sung with the old-style phrasing and ornamentation. Other songs, old and new, may find their place in a session. While a session may have a few songs interjected among the tune playing, it is unusual to have more than one or two songs per hour. It is common for a session to last for hours and have no singing at all. By contrast, some gatherings might be “song sessions” or “song circles,” where singing is the focus and there are no tunes played at all.

What are “open” and “closed” sessions? Irish music sessions are often called “open,” meaning that if you have an appropriate instrument, are able to play it, and know the tunes and traditions, you may be welcome to join in the tune playing. Or if you are a singer and have some songs appropriate for a session, you may be welcome to insert an occasional song into the session. You “may be welcome” is an important point to understand – be sure that you check with the session group or leaders rather than assuming that your participation is welcome. Other sessions are “closed,” meaning that a small group of musicians is invited or hired to play, and you are welcome to listen.

May I join the session? Session music is community music. It is music played for the joy of playing together. So in general, the answer is yes, you may join in. But before you do join in, take some time to build your skill at playing an appropriate instrument, learn some of the tunes typically played at the sessions you are interested in, and get familiar with sessions and session etiquette.

The Art & Etiquette of Session Playing — 10 Tips

As with all things people do in groups, there are some best ways to participate smoothly in an Irish music session. There are norms and informal rules. There is etiquette. Here are a few guidelines to help you make your way.

1. Be nice. Be respectful of the other musicians, the listeners, and the establishment hosting the session. Be encouraging and welcoming to new players joining the session. If you need to comment on a problem, do your best to make it a comment that builds and supports the session and its people, rather than being diminishing and insulting. No matter how good your musicianship is, if you can’t be kind and respectful, you don’t belong in the session.
2. Know the tune. In Irish sessions, tunes are almost always played from memory and not from sheet music. You’ll need to invest the time to memorize the tunes you’ll play at the session. If you don’t quite know the tune, or if you are unsure, then play quietly so that you don’t harm the music. If the tune being played is not familiar to you, you are expected to not play, or to carefully pick up bits of the tune as it is being played. (“Picking up” tunes as they play is a skill that you can develop.)
3. Take a turn, give a turn. If you started the last set of tunes, don’t start the next one. In general, you are not the only person who wants to choose and start another set of tunes. Give other musicians in the session plenty of opportunity to either ask for or start a set of tunes.
4. Savor the pause. Part of the satisfaction of playing tunes together in a session comes from the pause between tune sets. That’s when the “craic” (pronounced krake or crack) emerges – the lively conversation, the jokes, and the bits of story. That’s when beverages are sipped and instruments are tuned. That’s when players and singers get prepared to introduce a song or new set of tunes. Often a pause of half a minute is plenty, but sometimes more time or less time is appropriate. Don’t be overly rushed to launch into the next song or tune.
5. No noodling. Don’t “noodle” on your instrument between tunes. The end of the pause between tune sets is usually signaled by someone starting another tune. If you are playing bits of melody during that pause, you may be sending the unintended message that you are starting a set. Intentional or not, playing bits of melody in the pause has the effect of you – perhaps rudely – dominating the session. Don’t do it.
6. Respect the singer. Singing a song in a mostly-tune session is challenging. Often the songs are sung without accompaniment. And often the session space is noisy. The singer needs the support of the other session musicians to get the song off to a good start, and to deliver it well.
   
   To accomplish that, there are some things you should and should not do. First, if you notice that someone wants to start a song, help the other session players to be aware that a song is starting. Then, for the duration of the song, keep your instrument quiet: don’t tune it; don’t sound your instrument to figure out what key the singer is singing in; don’t try to accompany the singer (unless they invite you to do so). Don’t talk – just listen and be quiet. If the song has a chorus, do your best to join in singing it.
   
7. Let the melody rule. This applies to rhythm and percussion players. Rhythm (chord playing) and percussion can add magic to a session. They help the session stay in sync, add dimensions to the music, and can give lifts that keep the music dancing forward. But if you are playing guitar or another instrument to support the tunes in an Irish session, be sure that your playing does not overwhelm the melody. Try to make your rhythm propel the music and not hammer it down.
   
   Full chords played loudly on guitar tend to fill the soundscape: they limit the options of melody players, and drown out the melody. Often partial chords where only a few strings sound and where the chord is quickly muted provide good harmony and rhythm without being overwhelming. Open “omit three” chords that leave out the middle note in a triad leave room for melody players to define whether the chord is major or minor. For guitar, DADGAD and drop-D tunings are helpful alternatives to standard tuning – they are well-suited to producing open partial chords for accompanying Irish tunes.
   
   A limit of one rhythm (chord) player at a time is a good rule for sessions – that provides good rhythmic support for the tunes and allows the rhythm player to spontaneously choose chords. With two or more rhythm players, there may be too much chordal sound and there is likely to be dissonance as each player chooses different chords.
   
   Similarly for percussion, usually a limit of one bodhran player at a time is a good rule. Bones and spoons used as percussion instruments are as likely to be resented as appreciated, so they should be used sparingly.
   
8. Play in tune. If your whistle, flute, fiddle, or other instrument is out of tune, it damages the overall sound of the session. Beyond that, your out-of-tune instrument frustrates fiddlers who rely on hearing accurate pitches to get the intonation (pitches) of their playing right. Be sure to tune your instrument before starting to play in the session. Then check and correct your tuning during the session.
   
   If you notice that someone in the session is playing out of tune, politely let them know and give them a moment to get tuned up. It is worthwhile pausing the session now and then for everyone to adjust their tuning. If you don’t own an electronic tuner (or tuner app for your smartphone), you should get one, know how to use it, and use it to tune up at sessions.
   
9. Play in time. For the music to sound good, players need to be synchronized. Be sure you listen carefully to make sure that you are not falling out of sync with other players. There is a skill to listening to the group, where you lift your awareness away from the sound of your own instrument, and listen to other instruments in the session. It’s a shift of your aural focus that helps you match your tempo, loudness, and melody with others. Use your eyes too — if you can’t hear the player across the session from you, you can gauge their tempo by watching the movement of their fingers, the tapping of their feet, the sway of their body, and perhaps the scowl on their face.
   
   If you are playing a rhythm or percussion instrument, you have a particularly strong ability to help or to harm the timing of the session. When a tune, especially a slow air, is deliberately played with a free meter, watch the body language of the tune’s leader to see when to speed up, slow down, or pause. To develop your musical timing, be sure that you include playing along with a metronome as part of your practice.
   
10. Drop the dud. Sometimes, when it’s your turn to lead a set of tunes, you’ll start a tune and see quickly that nobody else in the session knows it. At that moment, in that session, the tune is a dud. It’s time to drop it and move to another tune. Don’t continue to play it as a solo performance. The other players are not there to hear your solo. So finish playing the tune — just once — and move on.
    
    If the tune that was a dud is a really good tune that you want the other players to learn, take a moment later to talk it up. The other players may already like it and want to learn it. Or you may persuade them to give it a try. It could be that the next time you have a session together it won’t be a dud.

How to Find Sessions

There are Irish music players and sessions all over the world. If you are traveling, you may want to find sessions that you can join or listen to in your travels. Or you might be looking for sessions near where you live. Two resources that are particularly good for finding sessions worldwide are The Session website and Carina Ravely’s Open Jam Map. If you are interested in sessions in Oregon and Washington, the CCE (Comhaltas) MÓD Branch of Oregon website has a comprehensive list.

• Find a Session with The Session website – Want to find a trad Irish session near your home or travel destinations? The “Find Sessions” feature on The Session website is a great place to look. Here’s the link: The Session
• Carina Ravely’s Open Jam Map – Created and maintained by fiddler Carina Ravely, this interactive Google map marks more than 1500 open jams all over the world. The map includes recurring old-time jams, festivals, fiddle contests, Irish sessions, and open contra dance bands. Contact Carina in the Old Time Open Jams Facebook group for additions and corrections. Old Time Open Jams map | Facebook group
• Oregon & Washington Irish Music Sessions – On the CCE (Comhaltas) Oregon website, the “Oregon & Washington Irish Music Sessions” page lists sessions and provides links for more information. CCE Oregon

Conclusion

Traditional Irish music is social music, and it is often most enjoyable when it is played in sessions. Sessions give musicians an opportunity to share music in an informal setting. They bring the joy of good company and of good music. With a few good guidelines and insights, along with building your tune-playing abilities, you can smoothly navigate sessions.

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