Thank God I never got into that bag!

Most of the places where I've sung didn't require a sound system. "Pamir House," a coffeehouse, seated about forty people at most, and it was not much larger than many living rooms. "The Place Next Door" had a capacity of about seventy-five or eighty with no sound system necessary, although later, when Stan James bought it, he changed the name to "The Corroboree," and changed the internal layout. He also did put in a sound system, but it was hardly necessary. Since I was on the stage in front of the mic and he was in the back of the room, he knew what I sounded like and I didn't, so I left it to him. "El Matador," also no sound system necessary. A half-dozen other coffeehouses, no sound system needed.

The Seattle Center Playhouse, 800 seat capacity, great acoustics, no sound system needed, although there was one available. Didn't use it. Nor did Richard Dyer-Bennet when he sang there.

Singing at the Sunday afternoon concerts at United Nations Pavilion during the Seattle World's Fair in summer of 1962, there was a PA system, but with several hundred people sitting on the grass in a half-circle in front of the singers, it wasn't really necessary. A year later, during the Seattle Center Hootenannies during the summer, when the weather was gorpy, we sang in Center House, which was a huge space—the old National Guard Armory. The acoustics were very echoey and it did need some sound engineering, but there again, I left it to those who knew what they were doing. Outdoors during good weather, we drew crowds of up to 16,000 (police department estimate) into the amphitheater in front of the Horiuchi Mural, and there was a PA system there.

During the Northwest Folklife Festivals, there were PA systems everywhere, in both indoor and outdoor venues. All handled by pros, who knew more about sound systems that I did (do).

Never had a problem.

I saved a lot of money and general wear and tear by not getting bogged down in electronic gear. I play an acoustic classical (nylon-string) guitar. No pick-ups, no wires. Just a very good, resonant guitar. And I have a pretty big voice (don't sing opera, but other than sounding like a frog in a rain-barrel, I probably could).

One afternoon years ago, I was meeting a friend at a local tavern, and I got there way early. During the evenings, a small jazz combo played there. They'd left their instruments on the band stand. I knew the bartender-owner, and he asked me if I'd like to try out the guitar. Standard solid bodied electric guitar with about thirty pounds of pick-ups, switches, and knobs bolted to it. He assured me the guitar's owner wouldn't mind. I'd never played an electric before, so I said, "Sure!" He flipped the switch and I sat there for about a half-hour goofing around on it until my friend arrived.

My Gawd, all that power at the turn of a knob!

Travis picking, classic pieces, and flamenco (!!) take on a whole new dimension and magnitude on a gadget like that!

But like a potential drug addict being offered his first opportunity to main-line, I grabbed myself by the scruff of the neck and pulled myself back from the brink! I realized that that way lies depravity and madness! And expense! All those amplifiers and other gear to buy! I was about to run screaming when my friend dropped in, we had a beer and some quite conversation, and my heart rate returned to normal.

I buy my classic guitar new strings regularly, but that's the only thing it requires of me. Except to be played a lot.

I've sung in a lot of different venues, but my favorite is the small, intimate and personal house concert. It harks back to the days of the minstrels and troubadours.

Don Firth

P. S. Speaking of minstrels and troubadours, I once sang at a benefit where a lot of other musicians were performing. One of them was a lutenist. Anachronistically enough, he had equipped the lute with a contact mic going to an amplifier and big speaker. Weird!!