Hi pcviola44,
In my experience each one is different but a lot of session qualities do tend to overlap. I would say that for any time you are thinking of joining a group its a good idea to get a lay of the land so to speak. Try to preview the session beforehand, maybe not even expecting to play to see if you’re at the level that the players are. Most of the time there is a leader of the session and they other players will suggest the tunes, so evaluate if they are playing tunes you know.
It doesn’t matter what type of session you play in but always some etiquette is best observed from a distance or if you’re in a new town and you’re only going to play there once, its OK to listen to a tune or two to see if you’re a fit and if so just approach the group, introduce yourself and play along.
For playing tunes in groups with Irish and Scottish music there is generally speaking a session variation that is pretty well known and in common with everyone. If different than your version the idea is to blend along or to compliment the music. I’ve found playing in groups is a good time to play in unison or as close to the group rather than playing any fancy variations I’ve learned. Not necessarily dumbing down my tune but trying to blend with the group sound. Solo breaks aren’t common in either settings, however occasionally a player will introduce a new tune to the group. I hope this helps. As I recall there might be more specific session Etiquette tips printed on thesession.org
Good luck and have fun, sessions of either genre are fun, exciting and a time to learn a lot.
Best, Roland Forum Moderator
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