Join us for a little taste of Cape Breton in the heart of the Nation's Capital!

Last Update:

2020-01-03

The aim of Ottawa Cape Breton Session is to share Cape Breton music and culture with the National Capital area. The Sunday Pub sessions are open to anyone who enjoys the music. Sessions are primarily for the musicians to share the experience of traditional music, rather than perform for an audience. They are loosely organized, open to anyone who can play the common tunes of the tradition, and a great way to learn new tunes and meet new people. Want to join in? You can!

Open Jam Sessions: 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month. Sessions are led by Aylene, or sometimes other folks. This session is a mix of session and solo playing, let us know if you have something special to share with the group. Sheet music permitted. Generally a pretty fast pace. Jam ouverte avec concentration sur le pieces de l’ile du Cap Breton, de l’Écosse et de Glengarry. Apportez un instrument ou venez partager une chanson avec nous. Ou, venez savourez la musique et notre plaisir. On ne sait jamais qui s’y présentera, mais c’est certainement toujours un groupe avec un accueil amical avec qui passer l’après-midi.

House Sessions: 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month 2pm-5pm various locations. More of a practice session, slower pace for learning new tunes. Mainly aimed at those who read music or learn by ear quickly. For intermediate/advanced players. Session à domicile:  Session à vitesse moyennement accéléré où apprender de nouveau ‘sets’ de pieces, généralement  à partir de feuilles de musique mais aussi ‘à l’oreil’. Lieu idéal pour faire l’essaie d’une  nouvelle chanson, ou pratiquer de nouvelles pieces avant de les jouer à la session au pub. C’est aussi un bon temps pour faire du ‘social’ avec des gens forts sympatiques et pour savourer des grignotines délicieuses.

Reel Slooow Jams: The Reel Slooow Jam is an occasional and irregular gathering for those who are new to playing fiddle (or piano or guitar) and who would like to learn Cape Breton tunes. The focus is on tunes such as airs and waltzes, as well as playing jigs and reels from the session repertoire but at a slow learning pace with more time for those who don't read music to learn by ear. On vise les débutant(e)s au violon (ou piano ou guitar) qui désirent apprendre le pieces de l’Isle du Cap Breton dans un millieux amical et sans pression. Plusieurs aires et valses lentes ainsi que des jigues et des reels à partir du repertoire régulier, mais à une vitesse plus lente; ceci donnera plus de temps à ceux et celles qui ne savent pas lire la musique a apprendre à l’oreil. Vérifier la page “Tunes” pour la liste le plus souvent joué au Slow Jam (“jam lent”).

To really capture the Cape Breton flavour of a tune, it is best to hear it played by a Cape Breton fiddler. Use Alan Snyder's Cape Breton Fiddle Recording Index to locate publicly available recordings containing the tune you are interested in. The index also returns the first few bars of the tune in notation and midi, it is very helpful when you know a tune but can't quite get it started (it happens to us all!).