[reasons for accompaniment should always be made on artistic grounds rather than commercial ones]Jim do you play an instrument or sing yourself. I think not,you have never been in the position of a professional folk songer, wondering where the money for the next phone bill comes from.It is hard enough to earn a living as a professional folk singer,but to try and do it as a purely unaccompanied singer is out of the question. I have stated before that I think most people sing better when they only have to concentrate on singing only, But I think that the majority of audiences prefer to hear contrast, perhaps a guitar backing, a concertina backing, and an unaccompanied song.if Harry Cox were alive today and chose to be a professional folk singer, he would have to accompany himself to get gigs,.Just because one of the reasons to use a backing instrument is a commercial one, it doesnt follow that the accompaniment cant be an artistically sensitive one.Finally I repeat there is no earthly reason why accompaniments cant be both commercial and artistically sensitive, look at some of the Beatles arrangements, or Nic jones or Tony rose
   If you bought any of my c ds or l ps [MartinCarthy played guitar on one]you would realise that you were teaching your grandmother to suck eggs, my concertina accompaniments are generally considered skilful and sympathetic to the song.I have also bought out a song accompaniment tutor for the concertina that stresses just that, that accompaniment is accompaniment,the tutor is called The Concise English concertina. DickMiles