I find it interesting to hear that there are a lot of sessions and singarounds near Reading because I lived there for about 10 yrs and knew only of folk clubs in Reading, Bracknell and Nettlebed, and a very good Irish session in Slough. Its a shame there seems to be little actually going on in Reading as without a car I was unable to get to any of the things happening in the countryside.

I live in Coventry now and despite the fact that the city isn't as aesthetically pleasing as it could be, I'm v. happy because I can go to sessions 2 - 3 times a week. By this I mean tune sessions at which you may hear one or two songs during the night. There are also singarounds going on - that I haven't managed to get to yet but I'm working on it.

In my opinion the best sessions have songs and tunes. If the singer accompanies themselves than fairly decent musicians ought to be able to join in for the chorus and instrumentals etc. If the session is full of tune players then unaccompanied song isn't that suitable as people come to play with others. I'm a fiddle player and singer - but I don't accompany myself. I don't usually sing unaccompanied in tune sessions unless someone asks me too as there's frequently a lot of noise in the background and by the time everyone has gone quiet I've already sung a couple of verses and the meaning of the song is lost.

Regarding bodhrans - it is case of only playing if you can keep time and being sensitive to how many other bodhrans are already playing and how many melody players there are altogether. I find it a bit off-putting to play a tune and be drowned out by the percussionists, or worse still, bodhran players or other musicians speeding up or slowing down the tune after you've set the pace. The key thing is to listen and try in fit in with what's going on. I agree that a couple of good bodhran players can really improve the overall sound.

All said, the whole point of playing music is that it is supposed to be fun and enjoyable so you don't want to go to session and feel the folk police are there. There's no point in getting annoyed or angry and being miserable in a session - so if people do act like that then they're probably not worth playing with.

Would be interested in details of those near Reading events someone mentioned....

Louisa