I find that my guitar is a substitute for a second voice - I never could find a permanent partner to sing with. It is probably why I am still singing. All the duos and groups I knew in my younger days have split up and the individual members no longer sing.

Some of my songs can take a plectrum accompaniment, but for most of the time I use fingerpicks to keep the volume down and prevent a metronomic tempo. It is definitely the guitar adding to the song and not me singing along to the music.

I write lefthanded, but am fairly ambidexterous so I use a 'right handed' guitar. I do not think of what I am playing when I am singing, I play a new accompaniment several times in order to get used to the chord changes, then sing along with it, until I can do it automatically.

I use a cassette recorder and listen to the effect once I think I have got close to the right combination. I use just one microphone and stand back from it - I need to create balance without a sound tech.

I think a lot of people never hear themselves - and it might be rather a shock to them if they did.

Anne