Arnie -- yes! yes! yes! It's those small,intimate audiences that send me into the land of no lyrics and smudged licks. In an ensemble setting, I can usually laugh this off, clown around, goof, pace, until those pesky, ellusive lyrics find their way to my lips. But solo...well, I haven't figured out a comfort zone for this experience. My feeling is to keep playing, never drop the rhythm, and hope the lyrics- search my brain is doing will be successful...sometime soon! And, like yourself, these can be songs I've sung thousands of times. I'm playing out tomorrow night for a small audience and have been including, in my practice sessions, some of the coping techniques I've learned from this thread. I'll report back?

Banjo Bonnie - 5 string? Old timey? I don't run into many women banjo players these days. That, in itself, is a sisterhood...we all have very strong neck muscles!

seagoddess