I've been involved a couple of times with attempts to put "folk groups" together, and the stumbling block has always been an unwillingness for one or more (usually more) to rehearse sufficiently, if at all!

We'd manage to get through a song once without somebody screwing up (that's just the beginning of rehearsing), then a couple of people would start to pack up their instruments and say, "That sounded great! Okay, let's go grab a beer!" Or the attempt when one person, a fairly well-known singer in the area at the time, never bothered to show up for rehearsals. The implication was "You folks need the practice. But I'm a pro, and I don't." Or the times I showed up at a potential singing partner's apartment ready to practice, and her roommate tells me, "Oh, she's not here. She went skiing this afternoon."

That's why I work solo.

About the only times I've been able to work with someone else successfully was when our performances consisted mainly of swapping solos with a little banter between, interspersed with occasional duets. Because we were not always able to get together as often as we needed to, this sort of programming did seem to work pretty well.

I really have to hand it to groups that actually manage to get it off the ground. First, you have to want to get together, then you have to be able to get together, then when and if you do get together, you have to be willing to work until you get it to the point where you're all satisfied with what you've accomplished and people are willing to pay to hear you sing.

And when it comes to individual performances, if there is a lack of consistent practice, it really shows!

Don Firth

P. S. Of course, I'm talking performing professionally here. If I person just wants to sing and play for fun, then you have to decide how far you want to take it. Just sing in your own bedroom, sing for your family, sing at parties with a few friends, or post stuff on MySpace or YouTube? Great! But still, if you're going to ask that other folks listen to you, you want to do it well enough so they don't sit there writhing and flinching, right?