🎻 On playing through nerves and putting yourself in the big room

Hi Reader!

So I've been living in metro Detroit for a little over a year now, and it's been one of the best decisions I ever made for my well being. One factor in particular that motivated the move was the expanded opportunity to put myself in sessions where I don't know all the tunes played.

I've heard various versions of the advice "put yourself in rooms where you can learn" before -- and maybe you have too! But it can be helpful to put concrete examples to that advice.

Just the other night I was playing tunes with the Gavin brothers, who are a treasure trove of older tunes. While there were plenty we played that I knew, there were plenty I didn't too!

Sometimes the phrases are familiar enough that I can string together most of the tune as we go by the second or third time through and subtly hang back on sections that were still iffy (the benefits of playing an instrument that can quickly switch from quiet to loud).

Other times, it's nice to just sit back and listen. I've long since abandoned my need to play on every tune!

When I hear a tune I don't know, it's not particularly discouraging these days. Instead it's exciting. I get to practice my interval recognition and see what I can pick up on the fly!

It's particularly gratifying to witness or hear about other fiddlers I've worked with attending sessions that may intimidate them but they go for it anyway, or when they play a tune in a different key for the first time on the spot at a session. That kind of flexibility and excitement to challenge ourselves is an energy I can always get behind!

On the performing front, Bear and I will take to the Kerry Stage in Muskegon this Saturday from 1-2pm for our first ever time playing at Michigan Irish Music Fest. We are SO excited, and we're also practicing every day like our lives depend on it.

We'd be playing polkas and slides even if they didn't put us on the Kerry stage, but we figured this was particularly apt to round out the Sliabh Luachra representation since we studied in Limerick and Cork (hence the Shannon Lee name for the two rivers)!

We're nervous, but in a good way. It's our biggest gig to date, and some of our musical mentors and icons will be around. It also feels like exactly where we should be -- in a room where there's space to learn and a high standard to strive to meet/exceed.

From my practice room to yours this week -- happy playing, and I hope you enjoy your own growth process in your musical endeavours, even when it can feel scary!

~Hannah

P.S. This week I added a video tutorial to the Tune Library bonus resource area all about recognizing reel bowing patterns that help you play your reels faster without sounding frenetic. The Library is primarily a tune learning resource, now with additional trainings to support the technical skills that help make that process go more smoothly!