Ok ... so this thread is old now .... but I've been thinking (rare .. I know).

3 points.

1. Some listeners want songs. As a tune player, you know that you may exclude some clubs by not singing. This has nothing to do with "should*" for the perfomer ... its simple market forces ... and about balancing "specialising" against "breadth" ... doing what you want to do ... and doing what the pays the money (isn't that... broadly... prostitution?).

*.. just to qualify ... lotus have got on fine by not making any vans! They could widen their 'audience'by making vans..... so.. Should they make both? of course not. Might they want to? maybe one day.... probably not.

2.The great thing to try and achieve as a performer, surely, is variety. On the face of it, adding songs gives immediate variety ... but actually, for a tune enthusiast, the greatest challenge must be to get that variety out of what you have.... so songs is a bit of a cop out. Besides .... as has been noted before, bad singing wont support good playing all that much.

3. (here's my rant for the day. please take it at face value). What sort of listener-performer ownership means that someone can tell a performer to change what they do ... and therefore who they are.

I like products for some reasons ... and not others. I wouldn't dream of telling Lotus to make vans, or SonyEricsson that they would be a much better company if they made kettles ..... or Christie Moore that he'd sell more albums if he did Take That covers. Nope .... If I wanted the products, I'd buy them from someone who did make them.

So .... if you don't like just tunes; don't listen to a tune band. That's fine ... but please don't sit through a gig and then tell them that they should have sung you a song.

P.s, As a tune player, I'm learning songs and loving every minute of it. Why? 75% because I always wanted to. 25% for market forces. 0% because anyone told me I should.

Rant over.

Anyone got any advice for someone who's trying to sing but cannot remember more than three verses without collapsing in a gibbering heap?

Jonny