Although I'm not at all "new to the folk experience" like astro, I too feel like a bit of an outsider in this discussion, since I've never rewally been part of any folk-singing community, nor have I much experience at all with the kind of group-singing sessions under discussion here.

My only knowledge of "Rise Up Singing" comes from having mail-ordered a copy from CL Martin a couple of years ago. I needed to buy a replacement pickguard, priced at about $3-4, and the minimum order was $25, so I got a copy of this book I had begun hearing about via Mudcat.

I've browsed through its many pages on occasion, and usually come across a song or two I was glad to find. In some cases, I will have forgotten the lyrics to an old familiar melody (or perhaps half-forgotten the chorus and never really known all the verses), in other cases, I might even learn something new from the rudimentary chord progressions.

I've been pretty amazed and sometimes quite pleased to find songs I never would have considered to be "folk," including many B-way show tunes and fake-book-type "standards." I've also been put off, even horrified, by some of the recently-written "PC" material that many folks here have alluded to.

(Aside:) If there should ever be a chance that at any future time I'll be tempted to sing "It's Only a Wee Wee," I am asking God, right here and right now, to please strike me dead immediately! In fact, the same holds true for just about any selection in the "Men" section of RUS, with the single exception of Paul Simon's "The Boxer" (which I find is more properly played in the key of C, not G).

But anyway, back to the question of these singing sessions with which so many of you seem to have experience: what about instrumental accompaniment?

Do 50-60 people show up with 50-60 guitars? I wouldn't think that would be practical. Is all the singing a capella? Perhaps so, but probably not in every instance. I would imagine that there might be instances where a single piano-player might "lead" a group, but such a situation would minimize the degree to which the experience was truly a "group" effort ~ and also, such instrumentation is not characteritically "folk." Maybe there are regular meetings where a small number of designated "leaders" bring their guitars, banjos, etc., while the majority of the participants simply sing without playing instruments of their own.

I would imagine that sessions or "jams" where most if not all of the group bring instruments and play them would fall into a whole other category, where the question of whether or not to use a "hymnal" would not be a primary concern. (I'm sure there would be other controversies, of course.)

Have I asked enough questions to provoke another round or two of debate?