leenia's advice is good. Soak yourself in that traditional music, listen to and take in recordings of real traditional singers, not folkie copyists.

Remember that traditional music came out of a world view and life style that is now largely gone. People lived very differently in those days, their social circles were different. Since then the things they cared about and sang about have been buried by popular culture and are often hard to find out reliable information about. All that went into their music.

The abundant outgrowth of those earlier ways of life and ways of thinking was radically changed by radio and records, which were new things in the 1920s and 30s when interest in traditional songs and music widened and began to touch mainstream culture. The new electrical media began to push aside the older styles and approaches even way back then.

It helps if you can think yourself back past the violent changes that have happened since the 1940s—World War II, for example, by calling up soldiers from everywhere, cross-fertilized and "homogenized" culture, including music. The coming of electronics is another layer to be peeled away.

It's more than just "unplugging." I can't stress this enough. It means separating out the strands of the "real stuff" from all that's been done to it since. Authentic traditional music on recordings is your best source for not just the songs, but the different singers' ways of singing them.

Not a daft question at all. You're to be praised for caring enough to want to know more and asking these questions. The very best of luck to you.

Bob