The Fribourg (CH) session has been held for many years at the fabulous Banshees’ Lodge pub.
It takes place on the first Sunday of each month, from October to April (inclusive), from 5 PM to 8 PM. A mailing list keeps you up to date with the latest news. To sign up, simply send a short message to: sessionfribourg@gmail.com.
The session is aimed at experienced musicians playing at a fast tempo, with an exclusively Irish repertoire. Musicians who prefer a more moderate tempo are warmly welcome but may find the atmosphere and pace of a slow session more to their liking.
Session Guidelines
Venue and Hospitality
The session takes place in a public space, namely the Banshees’ Lodge pub. We are their guests and respect their guidelines. Yves and Zoé ensure ongoing communication between the session and the Banshees’ team. Feel free to reach out to them with any requests.
The first drink is offered by the pub—thank you to them!
The Banshees’ Lodge hosts us in their establishment, and musicians are encouraged to maintain a polished musical quality to ensure a pleasant and harmonious atmosphere for the clientele.
Level and Balance
Our Irish sessions are open to all, in a spirit of conviviality and sharing. However, we aim to preserve the high musical standard that defines the quality and reputation of the Fribourg Session. If you are a beginner or less experienced, you are most welcome to listen, learn, and participate respectfully.
We encourage everyone to contribute while keeping in mind the balance of the group and allowing advanced musicians the opportunity to play at a tempo they enjoy. This ensures a rewarding experience for everyone and allows each participant to learn at their own pace. We recommend recording the tunes if you wish to learn them.
Respect for Taking the Lead
Taking the lead (i.e., proposing a set) plays a key role in the dynamics of the session. To ensure an enjoyable musical experience for everyone, we invite participants to adapt their contributions to the overall level of the session, focusing on collective playing and exchange rather than a succession of solos.
If you are less experienced, we recommend waiting to be invited to start a set. This helps maintain a pleasant musical flow.
In keeping with Irish session habits, we favor instruments traditionally associated with this repertoire, such as the fiddle, guitar, bouzouki, uilleann pipes, flute, whistle, accordion, concertina, banjo, harp, and bodhrán.
Accompanying and percussion instruments alternate or complement each other to enrich the harmony and maintain a balanced sound.
More information (french): https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Session_irlandais
Tunes
Here are a few sets. There’s no guarantee that these will be played every time or in this exact order. However, if you know these tunes, you can be confident they are familiar to the Fribourg Session:
https://thesession.org/members/167149/sets
Recommended Sites
Slow Session Lausanne: https://slowsession.ch/
Very-Slow Session Bern: https://www.facebook.com/vssbern/
Session Steffisburg: https://www.alteschmitte.ch/events
Contact for the session at Lapin Vert, Lausanne: session.lapinvert@gmail.com
More information:
