I have listened to barbershop concerts and tried to think why I don't entirely enjoy it. I can see that it's skillfully done and that the singers are really having fun as well as working hard to communicate and entertain. So why doesn't it work for me?

I think it's something to do with the sentimentality of the delivery - all that exaggerated changing of tempo and volume, combined with the choreography, which just makes me uncomfortable. By contrast, traditional/folk music is often done in a very unsentimental way (more so in the UK than in the US I think) which I find far more affecting and engaging.

That's how I feel; of course there are other issues like the close-harmony style that defines barbershop - you either like it or you don't. The repertoire tends to be grounded in American popular music of the mid-20th century, which may not appeal to everyone. And then there's the dress code, which is quite at odds with the sorts of style favoured at folk events.

I'm sure that there are plenty of people who like both, while some of us just respond better to folk music. And for that matter, I expect there are barbershop enthusiasts who just don't "get" folk music when they hear it - they probably find it a bit rough and earthy, too earnest, too casual in its presentation and not polished enough.

But I agree we should keep an open mind and not dismiss whole areas of music without giving them a try.

Marje