Hi Janie. I think a lot of folk singers struggle with this. I play fiddle, and guitar, and come out of a bluegrass tradition which is heavily focused on one's instrumental prowess. But I also LOVE to sing a cappella. I love the old ballads and think a solo voice can be so thrillingly beautiful, like a bird in the woods! And you also have the power to move listeners in a unique way.

There are lots of instrumentalists who secretly (and not so secretly) have little resepct for singers because we all to often haven't done our necessary homework.

Put a songbook together with your tunes and keys for each tune. Get a friend who plays guitar to help with this. (A bottle of wine and dinner always entices). Make some notes. You might try writing down a line or two about how you want to convey the song, ie. what kind of rhyhtym and general feel you'd like from your accompaniasts. Ask your "guitar slave" (who you've plied with wine and food) if there are any funny chord changes in the tune that you should alert folks in a jam/song circle about. Write those down too. This is where it helps to play some basic guitar yourself. Keep working at it. For a cappela (unaccompanied)tunes, you might tell the circle that "this tune is traditionally sung a cappella" so other musicians realize you are calling upon tradition and not just snubbing them by not inviting them in on the tune.

It takes some time initially to put some of this together, but it will be much appreciated by your accompaniasts and make you a more sympathetic singer.

Leah