Absolutely not in my experience. Having grown up in the tradition and played ITM most of my life I've witnessed numerous people pushing against the boundaries. In Ireland and the rest of the British Isles (and elsewhere), traditional music (not just ITM) is constantly evolving and you only have to look at some of the innovative musicians and groups who have emerged over recent decades to see how the music has been taken forward in new directions.Well, if we're playing something called "traditional Irish music," then it's kinda hard to get away from being ruled by convention, isn't it?
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