The warm weather is here, and it's time to launch a season of outdoor trad Irish sessions at Cook Park's Butterfly Garden, Tigard, Oregon. The sessions are weekly, June through September if weather permits.
Expect slow to mid-tempo. If some folks want to pick up the pace, there's plenty of room to break out for some faster playing.
The Butterfly Garden in Cook Park, Tigard, has wide open space where we can gather in shade, sunshine, or shelter. Here's the link to the park's website:
https://www.tigard-or.gov/community/cook_park.php
BRING A CHAIR AND AN INSTRUMENT
The park is a great place to take a walk or have a picnic before or after the session. If you come with companions, there is plenty of room for them to roam among the trees and trails and by the river if they want a break from the tune playing.
WHERE WE ARE GATHERING
As you enter the park via SW 92nd Ave, turn left at the open gate and head toward Shelter 4 (the park's website has a map). We'll gather on the lawn near Shelter 4, at the entrance to the Butterfly Garden. We'll pick a shady spot if it's a warm day, or grab a sunny spot if it's a cool day. If it's rainy we'll get under the roof of Shelter 4.
WHAT WE'LL PLAY
Anyone at the session may suggest the next tune (or set) we’ll play. Here's the link to the list of Irish/Celtic tunes we've played at this session in the past:
https://trailjams.org/irish-celtic-tune-list/
The TrailJams "Tune of the Week" is among the many tunes we might play at the session. Here's a link to the Tune of the Week page:
https://trailjams.org/music/tuneoftheweek/
NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT?
This session is a gathering of musicians to play traditional tunes. These are often referred to as "fiddle tunes." No audience is required, but passers by are likely to pause and listen for a while, and some enjoy settling nearby to enjoy the music. The acoustic instruments played typically include fiddle, concertina, guitar, bodhran, tin whistle, flute, and mandolin. The tempo of tune playing at this session tends to be moderate. This is not a sight-reading session -- aim to play by ear and from memory (though it is okay to refer to sheet music if you need to).
If you want to leave time for evening traffic to ease up after the session, there are some good nearby food and drink venues in downtown Tigard. There is no hard stop time to the session, so if the tunes are flowing we may stay longer.
To invite friends who don't use Facebook, you can refer them to this page on the TrailJams website for information:
https://trailjams.org/events/cook-park-irish-session/
Also check out other Music events in Tigard, Entertainment events in Tigard, Trips & Adventurous Activities in Tigard.
