Thanks all. Probably a 'cluster' effect as Gerry said - particularly since everyone seemed to pick on something different (by the third time my reaction wasn't so much "ah, another interesting comment for me to learn from" as "Christ, what now?").

Also, I have just recently started going to a new song session with some fairly high-powered people... and I have had a cold off and on since about September (damn thing keeps starting to clear up & then coming back in a different form)... so if you put all that together it probably adds up to nothing much to worry about.

I'm as much interested in the social dynamics, to be honest - having seen new singers come along myself, I know there can be quite a gap between the nice comments you make to encourage them to come again and the sincere compliment you pay them when you think they're getting somewhere. Maybe this is a variant - the sincere (constructive) criticism?

GUEST - yes, that's me; the series started out acapella but ended up mostly accompanied by concertina.