My wife said the other day that she wasn't so keen on folk because the music wasn't inherently complex. That is, the dots written on the page are almost always a pretty simplistic tune, repeated ad infinitum. Which can't really be denied, because they are.

The difference is though that folk isn't a case of playing the dots. Folk is an improvisational form, so the dots are a starting point for someone good to put their own interpretation around, varying from simple phrasing and accidentals to harmonies or occasional complete deviation from the tune. And a good player is unlikely to do the repeat the next time in the same way as they did the first time - in fact if they're good then they won't.

Which I think is why sessions are almost always boring for non-players. The players are having fun playing, but often they're not good enough to be putting interesting variation in there. And hearing the same thing repeated over and over is generally not appealing for "outsiders".

Graham.