As ever, it's about consideration. Some folks aint got none. We've had sessions turn into free-for-alls because no-one will say shut up. Everyone is so careful not to put anyone off that the music degenerates into a complete mess. We've had singers all but drowned out by other singers who insist that their seventh harmony line just makes the song. We've had DADGAD drones and dischords over really good traditional tunes whilst two other guitarists are adding their jazz-funk thrashings nice and loud too. And the eggs of course.

Occasionally something has been said, then whoever actually said something and stopped the nuisance is attacked for being too hard, then after a little while, a few people voice the opinion that it was a good thing that the guy with football clacker has gone...

If you can get any kind of agreement about the session should be like, you'll still have trouble keeping it sensible because others insist on their rights - whatever they think they are - to do their own thing. Unless someone exerts some control, I fear that traditional sessions will just deteriorate and fall apart. In my experience, most sessions go through a cycle of being quite good for the first year, then being popular they attract increasing numbers of loud beginners, then the good players start giving it a miss, then a rump forms around a couple of players who just want to do their own thing anyway, then the pub gets fed up and throws them out.

Keeping a good session going means making sure the partipants put the music first and have some idea of how to respect what's going on:

1. If you can't hear the person who is leading the set, you're playing too loud.
2. The person who starts the set decides the key, the time, the number of repeats, the number of tunes, and when the set finishes so don't dick about with it and don't try to take it over.
3. If you are accompanying, make sure you're not clashing with other people and if you think you might be, stop! If you have a loud instrument, contemplate that it might not be appropriate for the session. If it irritates more than it helps, stop playing it - this is a social activity and you might just be being antisocial. You don't have a right to expect everyone to put up with you.
4. If a singer want to sing unaccompanied - shut up. If they indicate they are not keen on your guess at a harmony line, shut up! If you want to call the shots, sing your own songs and insist they observe the same courtesies.

Defend your session against the marauders.... Keep live music, music!