What do you think of the new site?

So, here it is…the all new Session.

I know it’s been a long time coming - I hope I didn’t get anybody’s hopes up too early by announcing the new site all those months ago.

Well, I hope it was worth the wait. I’ve tried to make it as easy to use as possible.

I wonder if there’s anybody who remembers The Session’s humble beginnings? The site started as a small collection of tunes on a free host. Later, the site moved to my own web space. I also started added things like the searchable tune archive, the mailing list and the ability to post comments on the tunes.

But as the site and the mailing list grew, I realised two things. I was running out of tunes and there was a lot of people out there who had tunes to offer.

That’s when I started planning this redesign. Seeing as I was going to let people submit tunes, I thought why not recordings, links and discussions too?

I hope you don’t mind having to use a Username and Password to log on to the site’s best features. It’s the easiest way to keep track of who submits what.

I urge everyone to make use of the Tunebook feature. When you find a tune you like, you can put it in your online tunebook. When you’ve got a decent-sized tunebook, you can sort it by name, tune type or key and download an ABC file to your hard drive with all your tunes in it.

I’ve used some technology on the site which means it’s going to look much snazzier in newer browsers (Internet Explorer 5, Netscape 6). You’ll still be able to see everything if you use an older browser (like Netscape 4), but it will look fairly dull.

So, now I want your feedback.

Is anybody having any technical difficulties?

Is everything fairly clear and easy to understand?

Does anybody have any suggestions for improvements?

I think it is pretty cool. I like what you have done. The site has grown since I joined a little over a year ago, and it has been immeasurable the amount of help and direction it has given my playing. Thanks, and keep up the great work!
Tom Joyce

Hi Jeremy! The new site is going to be great! I’m looking forward to using it. Must’ve been a lot of work on your part -- I hope you know that it’s worth it!

Zina

Looks good me Mr K, but I’m unable to change my password, which I’d dearly love to do.
I’m wondering if anyone else has noticed, should you want to find Bluegrass/old time American tunes on the web you’ve pretty well got to pay for the priviledge, but guys like Jeremy do it all for the love of the music and the tradition. Thanks,
The Wookster.

Mr.Jeremy ,
congratulations with your site , it ’s a diamond of an site!
I would like to change my password but I’m unable to do so !

Any password problems should now be fixed.

I think the problem was happening for people using Netscape 4. The link to change your password (which actually just points to the bottom of the page) wasn’t working.

If anybody still has problems, let me know.

Thanks for all the hard work Jeremy. I love the site and look forward to the new turnes and updates. It is especially nice to have them available in standard notation and ABC.

Again, Thanks for all the hard work!

Kevin Miller

Very good !
It’s new and very easy to use.
Just a question : where can i find the list of all tunes like in the last site ?

Thank’s a lot and “bravo” !

francis

Previously I just received the weekly tunes in my email. Now I will bookmark this site and use as often as I get a chance. Bravo, Jeremy, for all your hard work!

Hello Jeremy
The new site is excellent-I’m one of those people who need to hear the tune to figure it out so the midi is just what I need. Thanks.
Caroline

Just to answer Francis’s question:

To find a list of all the tunes (like on the old site), go to tunes, leave the search box blank but “all tunes” selected. The resultant search will show all the tunes on the site (in alphabetical order).

If you want to see all the jigs or all the reels, then again leave the search field blank but select “jigs” or “reels”.

Hi Jeremy

Ben and I were away in NJ and unable to attend the dinner for Bill and wife. The new site seems to be easy enough to get around. I like it and I am far from computer savey.

I was looking for some waltz’s particulary Margarets Waltz. We will be at the Greenbriar on Monday night. Is everything the same schedule?

Mary Ann

hi, Jeremy. Still can’t change my password! ___johnnypither

the new site is probably the best thing to happen to trad music since pub sessions were invented but how can I save recordings of the tunes to listen offline?
thanks

When you’re logged on and looking at a tune, you’ll see a tab labeled “download”. If there is a soundfile available for the tune it will be there. Right mouse click and download.

These soundfiles are midi files generated from the ABC notation, not recordings by musicians.

Hello,

I can’t change my password either.

Wadefox

For all the people having trouble changing passwords:

The link “change your password” does *not* lead to a new page. It takes you to a form on the same page as your details.

If, after using this form, you still can’t change your password, then please report the problem with as many details as possible - “I can’t change my password” doesn’t tell me very much. Let me know what browser you’re using and exactly where in the process something goes wrong.

Thank you.

I like the new site -the only quibble being that their is no guitar chords to provide the fiddlers with accompaniement.
I too can’t change my password - I am using Explorer 4.
Keep up the good work - all the best from Scotland.
Alan

Okay - for everyone who was having trouble with their passwords, I’m pretty sure it’s all fixed and working now.

This new website is FANTASTIC!!
I think more websites need to be organized, clean, fast, and easy to
navigate through like yours is.

Hello Jeremy,
In one word fantastic. Keep on the good work, you make a lot of people very happy.
Marnix

Excellent ! Keep up the good work Jeremy ! Congrats !
Jef

Next to my weekly dose of tunes at the local tap room, this online session is what I live for. Now that there’ll be more tunes submitted more frequently by a broader bunch of players, it can only improve. Thanks Jeremy for all your efforts! The only problem I’ve had (and I’m using Explorer 5) is that there are gaps in the screen where the wallpaper shows through instead of the sheet music, abc notation, discussion text, etc. Is it me, or something with the site? Also, we should set up a discussion chain or bulletin board for posting requests for specific tunes. I have nearly 700 tunes transcribed on my hard drive and would be glad to fill any requests for tunes that I can. Thanks again and hullo to everyone sitting in on this rather farflung session! Will

Hi Jeremy -

First, a word of appreciation for your excellent work here. The good features of the new site have been mentioned already so I won’t repeat. Here’s the onIy aspects I don’t like: 1. Printouts of sheet music are now quite a bit smaller and harder to read than before, no matter what option you select (it was somewhat marginal to begin with). 2. Tune titles do not appear unless you use the “printer-friendly version”, where they are way up above the ABC’s. Both of these are limiting to folks that print stuff out, copy it and collect it in a notebook. I am using Explorer 5.0. - Bill

I’d like to address some points from the last few posts.

First of all, Will: a bulletin board for posting requests for specific tunes is a good idea. I had something like this on the old site.
I’d like to make it possible for more than one person to request the same tune and then have the request list ranked with the most requested tunes at the top of the list.
I’ll start working on this. I’ll need to decide if it should be its own seperate section or part of the tunes section.

Secondly, Bill: the sheetmusic is intended primarily for screen reading as opposed to printing. You say it’s “limiting to folks that print stuff out, copy it and collect it in a notebook”. Well, this is the whole idea behind the member’s tunebooks.
By collecting all the tunes you want into one file you can download, you’ve already got your book preformated. Of course, you’ll need some kind of ABC software to turn the tunes into sheetmusic for printing (see the “Links” section), but this way you have far more control over the final printed version.

I’ve designed the layout of the pages so that they really make sense when you’re surfing as opposed to printing. I kind of envisioned the tunebooks as I kind of take-away version of what’s served up on the website.

Well done, Jeremy!

See you on Irtrad🙂

Jeff Lindqvist

Great site! One suggestion. Do you think you could develop another heading that would list folk sessions. Just a city and contact would do. Thanks

Thanks, Jeremy - for your response about printing. I’ve been living in the computer dark ages. I’ll have to order ABC2WIN and I’ll be in good shape. Again, thanks for the fantastic site!
Re comment about listing sessions: you have that as a heading under links without content yet, but in the meantime the requester may wish to check out: http://www.sessioneer.com which is maintained by Mike Simpson (another Atlanta, Georgia guy!)
- Bill

Hi Jeremy,
the site is excelent - it has the information I am looking for, the recordings database is very useful, I like design of the site.
The first site I have found Lunasa Otherworld tunes. Thanks.
Otakar Kverka

Jeremy:
Seems to me that some keys are still missing from the form to submit a tune. For instance, I can post Eileen Curran (a la Martin Hayes’ Lonseome Touch), but it’s in Gm. While we’re at it, the “help” list of keys and modes would be even more helpful if you expanded it to include every key signature and their corresponing modes.
Thanks,
Will

I’ve added Gminor to the list of key signatures. I’m aware that this list isn’t complete, but I don’t want the choice to be too overwhelming. That’s why the list contains the more common modes in Irish music.

I will add further key signatures by request. If anybody has a tune in a key signature that doesn’t appear in the list, let me know and I will then add it.

The same goes for tune types, as long they have consistent characteristics. For instance, I can’t add “O’Carolan composition” to the list of tune types because it doesn’t say anything about the meter of the tune.

its great site for all musicians, great work, keep it up, !

The site is a treasure! well done. Your database of tunes is particularly good . I hope to submit some tunes in the future---at the moment I’m just an ABC beginner!

I like the site. I have just started using it. However I have to agree that the decision to make the sheet music almost unreadable when it is printed is a mistake. I have 5 people using one computer in our household. This makes it difficult to have the computer to yourself for any length of time. I am starting a tunebook and can see why it is a good idea but we really do need to be able to print out readable sheet music. There must be others who cannot be tied to a computer and want to be able to browse and play the music.

Mary Ann

cool - absolutely fantastic - I have been a classical flute player for many years but have always been drawn more towards the life and enjoyment you can get from trad music. Your site is a real gem for me
and I really value its contents and discussions from members - I am also a web designer and appreciate its clear structure and layout - you really must have put hours of work into it!!!!!! - please please please keep up the good work.

I also don’t get to visit it as often as I would like - with the recent explosion of new tunes is it possible to do a search by date so I can get an idea of what’s been added since my last visit? (at the moment the new tab only shows the latest 5)

Hopefully , thanks to your site, I will be able to join in local sessions armed with some good tunes and be able to contribute some of my own back to your site - once again thanks for some outstanding work.

Jason

Smashing! I shall be submitting some tunes just as soon as I get my artichokes in gear.

aha. I was writing you to beg for the old session back because my browser wasn’t reading the new one. I sorted myself out. Turns out with some digging I found a Mac version of the explorer 5 version and it solved my troubles. I’m looking forward to discovering what’s been happening here since you upgraded.

This site is really cool !
I come from a small frisian island in the north of germany, so it’s very hard to learn this kind of music when there’s no one except my father and my friend to make music with. But on this page i get the opportunity to ask advanced musicians about ornamentations, timing, etc.
Thanks for that !
seamus

My two-penneth!: Great site!

A smash! The site is great, very useful and i’m astonished about the kindness of musicians (or simply music lovers) who join to discussions ! …..and most of all, thanks to you for keeping the site alive ’n fast to download! Woa! I love all this!

Jeremy, the site is great. It is my ‘homepage’, and I check in 4 or more times each day, just to catch the latest comments. Lots of features, all of them easy to use, easy to find my way around, and it keeps me connected with hundreds of trad musicians, every minute of every day. Does life get any better than this? Can’t wait for you to install the taps!! What kind of software will I need to download pints of Newcastle Brown? 😉

Wonderfull
the tradition goes on

Jeremy,

This is a real treasure chest. I am still finding my way around the site and finding so much great music “stuff”.
Thanks for this great site.

Len Buswell

Yay, Jeremy. Great stuff.

Just checking whether it’s possible for me to post back in time….or at least before “my time” here at the sesh.

If you only had a crystal ball then Jeremy to see how successful this site has become.

Well done and thanks again!

Danny.

LOL -- the comment was made, this past weekend, that we have Jeremy Keith to thank for many a gathering of close and good friends these days. Someday, we all agreed, we’ll have to meet up with him to thank him in person. Ireland next spring, anyone?

Wow Jeremy, I really like this time-travel feature. My beard isn’t as gray as it’s going to be in June 2004, and I haven’t said anything I’m embarrassed of yet. I can even prevent that unfortunate mishap where I knocked over that little old lady on the cable car in 2003. Thanks Jeremy.

Yeah, thanks a million Jeremy! I’m going to be meeting some freinds from the site this weekend, that I’d probably not even know about if the session wasn’t here! Hopefully I can meet you eventually and thank you in person too!

Hey, this is the first discussion ever. Cool.

-Max

Great site. Hope to make at least 1457 posts before August 2004 and getting to know the above members, eg Zina, Will etc much better. 🙂

Well as the oldest serving member here I’d just like to say….

Naw I’ll be caught out too easily. Just wanted to pretend I was in the Old Boy’s Club.

Here Conan, let me help you kick start that Zimmer Frame - & get you back to reality!

Curses! Foiled again. If it wasn’t for you meddling kids…..

Hello Everyone. My friend Jeremy just sent me up from early 2001 to find out what a good music site should look like. I stumbled on this one by accident. He will be thrilled! It is fascinating how you combine music & medicine. I hope you find a cure for the ITMs, whatever that is. It sounds excruciating. Have to get back now & save up some money to put on that Landis bloke in the 2006 Tour de France. Any of you hear of a group called the Chieftains?

hahaha
But seriously,
Who are you and what have you done with Jeremy?

If you’re still reading these, Jeremy - thanks so much for creating such a brilliant resource. If you’re ever in Perth, WA, or I’m in Brighton, I’d be proud to buy you a drink or two. (I’m fairly handy with IT things also, so if you’re looking for help…)

I have spoken to the Vatican, and there’s a chance we can get your canonization through within 5 years of yer death. I had to assure them you played melody and not backing though.

groovey, It’s a gas.

It’s still the same as ten years ago (isn’t it?)

Thanks Jeremy!! I love this website!

I didn’t think I would ever find the very first discussion…

Wonderful site, absolutely changed my life. The most valuable musical resource i’ve ever found. Thank you so much Jeremy. Words cannot describe how much this site has helped me.

Thank *you*, Jerone. That means a lot to me.

It’s not bad actually… More innocent times. ;)

Some early “talented regulars” on this thread.
🙂

It shows great promise.

Happy, belated 21st birthday, Baby!
“I’ve used some technology on the site which means it’s going to look much snazzier in newer browsers (Internet Explorer 5, Netscape 6). You’ll still be able to see everything if you use an older browser (like Netscape 4), but it will look fairly dull.”

We’ve come a long way.