Quote Originally Posted by Iolaus
When I took a six week summer class at the community college, the teacher had us working on a half dozen different tunes. There seems to be a standard canon of tunes that are expected to be mastered before you are considered a competent player.
I'll tel you...that's what blows my mind when I get to some of the seshuins that happen around here...these are those weekday evening "jam sessions" for the Irish musicians that happen in bars...the older guys who play the button accordian knock me out because they seem to know literally thousands of tunes and can recall them at will. There is a core of "standards" but these musicians take perverse glee in digging up some real obscure-o's and tossing them in to confound the assembled multitudes. My buddy has spent years with the Chief O'Neil book and his mandolin...just going through the book and playing every tune.

I guess you start at eh beginning and work your way up.

Best

AA