Dare to Suck

Dare to suck is, for all intents and purposes, my friend Pete’s motto. I’ve been playing Irish music with Pete since about 2010, and for as long as I’ve known him, he has encouraged people in his seisiúns to dare to suck. (I recently learned the phrase did not originate with Pete, I believe it came from someone else he used to play with before my time.) He says it to newcomers to encourage them to lead tunes when they’re reticent; he says it of himself and other more experienced players when a set of tunes — as they are wont to do — crashes and burns. It’s even spreading to other seisiúns via people like me and our friend Isele who know Pete and play with him regularly. The idea is that even those of us who have been playing for a while mess up, and the only way any of us improve is by trying and, sometimes, failing. It is also an acknowledgement that it takes more courage to try something you’re not sure you can do, then to do something you’re confident you can do. I think about it…