Ever thought of it this way?

Isn't it great that people get passionate about the music that they like? (In my opinion, particularly when that music is live.)


Who cares what music I like myself? I'm one of the many ones who are so little (see above) that I don't expect people to book me or go out of their way to listen to me, I just enjoy the music. I get to "English sessions" where they don't play Irish tunes because they don't like them:- I get to an "Irish session" where they don't play English tunes because …:- I'm off to a singaround this weekend where musical instruments are banned and regularly go to an almost instrument-free singaround where you probably won't get asked to sing a second time if you're not "in the tradition":- I go to pubs where we regularly have Elvis (sorry Mr Whittle, I mean Presley; I don't mean to let my folk mafia credentials show), Oasis and even Donovan (shock horror!) songs but you'd probably put the locals off, and be asked to leave by the landlord, if you tried anything unaccompanied - and I join in with all of it and thoroughly enjoy myself. I miss out the open mike evenings and the Klezmer sessions because I don't feel I can join in at the latter (don't know enough of the tunes) and I don't think the audience would particularly like my repertoire at the former.

OK, I listened to Mumford and Sons on You-tube and can say they're not my cup of tea (as consumed at many parents' evenings) but it was a Brits award they won not the freedom of Cecil Sharpe House so who cares and good luck to them if they can get people interested in playing rather than just listening.

So, perhaps I'm just lucky but there's no lack of diversity for me here. Keep on arguing that your choice of music is best but, more importantly, get out there and play and sing it whenever you can without expecting to be rewarded by more than a minimum of politeness and the pleasure of your own performance, that's what I say. To me it's always been more important than making money out of it. (OK I wouldn't have been good enough but just pretend.)