The original post is from a person who plays tunes. I don't know if she sings or not - but for her, singing is certainly secondary. People who play tunes, want to play tunes.

Singers are different. They come not only for the music, but also for the stories. The content of the songs is important to them, and it's important that they understand the songs and their implications. They're word-oriented rather than tune-oriented - and that's a big difference.

I like to sing with instrumental accompaniment as much as I like to sing a cappella, but I often don't feel comfortable singing in a session that is dominated by instrumentalists. Too often, the instrumentalists want to lead the singing, rather than accompany it. I remember when it got to be my turn at one such session, and I wanted to sing Woody Guthrie's So Long, It's Been Good To Know Yuh, a song that paints a verbal picture of the Dust Bowl. Well, gee, they let me sing only two verses - and I think they had three instrumental breaks. And I think most songs demand at least a bit of an introduction, but I didn't dare do an introduction there.

I think there's a need for balance. A little talk, and then a balance between singing and instruments. I don't like abbreviating song lyrics to give the instrumentalists more time to play. They play on every song, and I sing only when it's my turn to sing.

Oh, and I find that a little talk between songs makes my singing better. It gives me time to get the last song out of my head and get ready for the next one.

-Joe-