"group voice".   Right you are, mg. And it sure does happen at the Getaway--where seldom is heard a discouraging word---in fact never--since RUS does not appear. Especially at the after-hours sings or other events which haven't been organized in advance. Though even in the Saturday or Sunday concerts RUS would not be used.

And everybody appreciates anybody who leads a song without RUS--and is completely fine with the idea that verses might be left out, a different tune might be used, etc. What the leader of any given song who sings it from memory does--both tune and text--is by definition right.

So please, mg, try to make it to a Getaway. You won't be disappointed. Your attitude is exactly what we need.



Yet again, nobody has objection to groups of people using RUS as a hymnbook--if that's the musical experience they are content with.

But many, probably the vast majority, are not content with that.

RUS is far more pernicious than any other book or memory aid--for two reasons:   its pretense to folkie Holy Writ (ironically, not intended by the compilers) and the strong likelihood that if there is one in a group, there will be more than one copy. Nobody objects to memory aids--we are all aware memory is fallible.   But use of that book is the worst approach--since it shows absolutely no preparation for a song. Anything else is better--a card with cue words, a sheet, or even a little book of your own songs---since all of those show at least some preparation--and hence some preparation--(though obviously, the more memorized, the better).