Jack & music maker...sorry , but you just read several long explanations of why a clearer definition is needed...and then proposed ANOTHER cute,simplistic, little homily which answers nothing!

You say "we don't usually need our lexicon of musical terms to be very rigorous and well defined. "

In fact you DO need them to be more rigorous & well defined...you mostly just dont to take the trouble. This is the most common attitude in a lot of disiplines...you are not alone.

Jack- I have heard musicians at 'folk' festivals 'get away with' some of the most banal garbage you can imagine (several times in a weekend!)...mostly because it was loud, fast and had a younger audience. Sometimes it was untested stuff they had written...sometimes it was outright butchery of some traditional stuff! And you want that to qualify? LaMarca just posted an eloquent bit of reasoning about the history, creation, and development of folk related material.(Better than grumpy ol' me could have said it!) I wish you would re-read it...slowly. There are real, genuine, important reasons to wrestle with the complexities of a working definition and not just all toss out some clever line about 'horses not singing' or whatever. I, for one, am not going to allow the record stores with their limited bin labels, or folk festivals who will hire anyone who draws a crowd, or clever one-liners by well meaning but careless music lovers to further muddy the waters I am trying to filter!

Wow, I sound grumpy when I re-read what I just wrote. I just can't see any way to be easier about it. I will try to keep it all civil....really!

Peace to all... Elsie