Progressing through the Session - A Quick Guide

By Liz Doherty

Progressing from the Practice Session through to the Slow Session and then to the Step-UP Session takes time, practice and commitment. Remember that this is a journey – one that will bring you, over time, to the full-on or Peak Session. But don’t be in a hurry to get there – or put yourself under pressure. Enjoy every single step along the way!

I hope that this little guide helps you to figure out where you are at right now on your session journey – so that you can find the right fit and get the most out of your session experience!
Feature Practice Session Slow Session Step-UP Session
Content Upper-Beginner to Intermediate Upper-Beginner to Intermediate Upper-Intermediate – Advanced
No. of years playing to prepare for this level of session 2-3 years 2-3 years 4-6 years
Participants Peers and session leader/director Peers and session leader/director Peers and session leader/director
Learning focus Building basic familiarity with tunes and playing in groups. Following direction. Building basic familiarity with tunes; playing in groups; awareness of the context and etiquette of the session. Following direction. Expanding on repertoire and musical fluency Contributing to the flow of the session.
Repertoire Limited (musicians know what they know), simple tunes, played individually (with repeats). Limited (musicians know what they know), simple tunes, mostly played individually (with repeats) Tunes organised into sets; repertoire expanding more rapidly; musicians know what they know and are encouraged to contribute to the choice and organisation of tunes.
Use of notation Often sheet music Tunes played from memory Tunes played from memory
Tempo Very slow Slow Steady
Style Basic, often all players following same notes at the same time. Basic, often all players following same notes at the same time. Emerging; players may not be playing exactly the same versions of tunes simultaneously; individual choice around ornaments and variations emerging.
Session Etiquette Largely unaware of this – focus is on playing the tunes. Awareness of how a session works. Growing awareness of and contribution to the session etiquette.
Goals Play each tune successfully from start to finish. Play tunes from memory. Build up repertoire. Continue to build up repertoire (from memory). Learn how to transition.