I run (I use the term loosely) a mixed session in Devon. It's a free-for-all setup, but the regulars look out for anyone new or timid and invite them to contribute. It's mostly tunes, with the odd song and a fair bit of crack and chat in between times. I don't think anyone hogs it; I certainly don't, and if I find I hardly ever need to start a tune because the music is flowing so freely, I'm happy.

In the same pub there is also, on a different night, a traditional song session. Until recently this has been run on a round-the-room basis, but the leader is now experimenting with a "jump-in" system. I don't mind much either way, but some singers don't like this and I think there may soon be a mutiny.

It does seem that the open system of starting a tune whenever you like works better, and is more common, for instrumental and mixed sessions than for song sessions. It's got a lot to do with the participatory nature of tune-playing: once a tune gets going, people are hardly aware who started it, so it doesn't much matter whose turn is next. Songs, on the other hand, are owned by the singer, and often performed entirely solo, so having "your" turn at a predictable point is more important to some singers.

Marje