I try to hold our song circle to not more than 15 or so people. On the other hand, if someone on tour is in town and someone brings her or him up the hill we each grab our own chair and move out of the parlor with the great acoustics and into the two open rooms adjoining where we can accomodate up to 30 people. In a case like that, we have different rules from usual, deferring to the guest artist and those of us who are of that same level. It works out well, and we all get to hear some very good stuff. There's always next week.

On occasion, when we have 5 or 6 regulars here that we all want to hear, some of us will use our turns to request one of them to perform an extra song or tune. People here are pretty mellow.