Just for curiousity's sake, I'd like to know Mudcatters' opinions on something I saw at a folk festival this summer.

One of the workshops consisted of some of the festival's Celtish acts taking turns leading a tune or song. One of the participants was a very famous fiddler (double points if you can guess who it was!). Another was a not particularly famous local band playing Irish pub type material.

The local band was up first, and their fiddler lead the tunes Devil's Dream then Mason's Apron.

Famous fiddler was up second, and he played Devil's Dream then Mason's Apron, adding a variation to Mason's Apron the local band guy hadn't put in.

I wasn't at all impressed by famous fiddler's manners, but most of the audience laughed when he started and gave him a good round of applause when he finished, so apparently my reaction wasn't unanimous.

What do you think?

Marion