In the very brief notes to my CD, I told the reader
that I am first a story-teller, second a singer, and
third an instrumentalist.

That was badly put, though. "First, a story-teller" doesn't mean
I speak and tell the story; I mean that the great majority
of my songs are story songs, and presentation of an interesting
story is the first intention of my performance, in my mind.

By "second, a singer", I mean that, while I have an adequate
and I hope pleasing singing voice, and, I think, good judgment
in the musical vocal presentation of the story's text, the
vocal music is decidedly second to the song's story-telling.
So I should have said "story-singer" or "song-teller", I guess.

And by "third, an instrumentalist" I mean that my technical
abilities on the guitar or banjo, while adequate for the way
I choose to sing/tell the song's story, the accompaniment
is dispensable. If I don't feel up to an instrumental
accompaniment that enriches the story-telling, I will sing the
song unaccompanied. If I think the song really NEEDS a
guitar or banjo accompaniment of a level I can't provide, I
just won't perform it.

Dave Oesterreich