"the session"

[pickinBob]

Are there mp3's at "The Session" web site? I have been looking but cant seem to dog them up.

[keithd]

pickinBob,

The session is a great website, but they don't have mp3 files. Try this site though; it's put together by a fellow who runs the slow session at the Plough & Stars Pub in San Francisco; it's a great resource for learning session tunes:

http://www.slowplayers.org/Slowplayers_Music_List.html

There is also an O'Carolan website that has mp3's; when I dig up the URL I'll post it here.

Keith

[Martin Jonas]

There are a few sites that have MIDI versions of tunes, which for learning purposes is probably at least as useful as MP3. #Try The Digital Tradition (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Yet+another+Digital+tradition+mirror%22) for song airs and Nigel Gatherer (http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/midi.html) for tunes in MIDI, standard notation and mandolin tabs. #If you have abc files (which can be found in loads of places), then you can make your own MIDI files using abcMIDI (http://abc.sourceforge.net/abcMIDI/) (there's also a link here to make standard notation from abc). Finally, there's the invaluable abc tune finder (http://trillian.mit.edu/~jc/music/abc/FindTune.html), which combines a comprehensive search engine for abc files with a powerful online converter into standard notation or MIDI. I've never had a traditional tune that I couldn't find and listen to using this site.

Martin

[pickinBob]

A huge thanks to both of you. These are an emense wealth of information. It was almost immpossible to pull away from these site just to write this. Thanks a bunch.

[Dolamon]

The Session does have MIDI files for tunes which have been in the system for more than one day #... usually. Sometime Jeremy has his hands full and can't do the processing as regularly.

Open a tune which is more than two or three days old ... on the older, processed tunes you should see five menu listings; Details, ABC, Sheetmusic, Comments and Download. (If the particular tune has the "Sheetmusic" menu tab - the following will work.)

Go to the "Download" tab and three listings will be shown, Sheetmusic, MIDI and ABC. The MIDI file will play the tune back so you get an idea of the melody ... mostly played at 120 bpm. There is no articulation or syncopation in this file so it's a bit flat sounding - but the idea is there. If you use TablEdit, you can import the ABC and then create your own, exportable MIDI file. I think there are a few other programs which will create MIDI's from ABC but ... I'm not sure.

[Martin Jonas]

Just noticed that I pasted the wrong URL above for the Digital Tradition. THe correct one is here (http://sniff.numachi.com/~rickheit/dtrad/). Apologies.

Martin