We have talked so much about singer/songwriters in Jerry Rasmussens thread "Folk music is for intellectuals" that I think it is time to talk with them.

Here are a few of my thoughts. Some apply mainly to singer/song-writers, others apply to other musicians as well. Some might be missing yet, because I didn`t think of them at the moment. Please add yours, so we have more happy audiences and more happy performers.

1. People don`t come for a show to be lectured. They come to be entertained.

2. If you are playing in front of a folk audience, remember that there are other forms of folk music people might also enjoy. Some concentrate more on the instrumental part than on the lyrics. So hone your abilities as an instrumentalist.

3. It is difficult to pay attention to lyrics that are new to us for a long time. So give us a break to contemplate them. A good way to achieve this is to play a few instrumentals in between. See #2 and do a few hornpipes, ragtimes ot whatever you feel fits in.

4. If you are not already an established artist you should not restrict yourself to your own songs. You can sing traditionals as well as songs from colleagues you like. This helps us to compare your abilities with that of others.

5. Folk audiences are active audiences most of the time. They often like to dance or join in. So give us a few songs we know (please not those that are overdone, though) and/or choruses we can join in with your own songs.

6. Communicate. I`ve seen good musicians being ignored by an audience because they did`nt talk to the people they were playing to. Let your introductions be entertaining too, watch your audience and try to get feedback during the break.

7. We are an informed audience. We have seen other artists and will compare you with them. Many of us sing or play an instrument too. This makes us more critical sometimes. Sometimes it will make us more forgiving, because we know that shit happens.

8. If you are coming back after having played a place before, avoid repetitions: change your set-list enough that we realize the difference. Don`t use the same jokes over and over again: it is disrespect. We understood them the first time.

Best wishes
Ernest