Iains 29 Apr 19 - 03:52 AM

> Could it be that today the folk scene has many more participants rather than passive audiences? Hence the demand for more varied venues and decline of the conventional stage, performer, audience of yore.<

My perception is the opposite: formerly more clubs operating what might now be termed singarounds, and latterly more venues with separation between performers on stage (with amplification) and audience. However that may only reflect the venues that I have happened to attend over the years.

> Times change as does the traditional performer and audience.
Anyone can afford a guitar today,this makes participation far easier. (My attention span and interest in unaccompanied singing is severely limited. imperfections in voice, delivery, inflection, etc, etc have no place to hide when there are no additional instruments) Strictly a personal view,but I suspect shared by others.<

Definitely not shared by me!

You are assuming that possession of a guitar is both necessary and beneficial. Writing again from my own experience, for every performer who uses a guitar to good effect, enhancing the performance, there are many more who never bother to do more than strum (if indeed they have ever learnt to do any more). It may perhaps help to hide the imperfections in their singing, but only by the even greater limitations in their playing.

It has been said on other threads here that any accompaniment is a distraction from the words. A good accompaniment enhances more than it distracts, but for that it does need to be good. Even some performers who are competent as musicians and can do much more than strum their guitars devote too much brainpower to the "accompaniment" and not enough to their singing, causing some words to be lost.