Must admit, I have never understood why a session can't accommodate both singing and tunes - I don't generally go to eithe, so have no personal interest - it just astonishes me that musicians wouldn't want to hear a song and singers might like tunes...obviously not???

You may like jam and garlic bread but possibly not enjoy eating a sandwich made from them both. There are subtle but vital distinctions between those informal gatherings for song and those for tunes. As both a singer and a keen tune session participant - perhaps I could try and offer an explanation?

Singarounds etc are essentially more like conventional performance in that although there may be opportunities for everyone to join in with chorus songs - they require some form of audience to sing to. Even when this audience is mainly mainly made-up of those waiting for their turn to sing or has not gathered for that purpose.

Tune sessions (the best ones anyway) enable any musician who wants to - to join in with every tune played and the participants do not require any form of audience (or songs) in order for the event to be thought a success.

It is pretty obvous from this thread that the main problem participants find with informal singarounds etc - is a question of fairness and the time spent waiting for one's tune to sing. In a tune session, this is not an issue as - if you know the tune - you are welcome or expected to join in. You do expect to have to wait at all - unless it is just trying to get in and get a seat.

At tune sessions - the only time you don't play is when you don't know or can't add anything to the tune being played and of course natural breaks. Or when someone feels the session needs a song and additionally feels that they (out of all those present who could sing but choose not to) are the one that must provide it (and the next song).

This rudeness and presumption effectivly turns all the participants into an audience and often with the added irony of those who have talked and shouted through most of the tunes, 'shushing' loudly, so that the univited singer can be heard. This irony is added to when the singer (out of a combination of reasons) always obtains a loud round of applause, and is encouraged to sing again. This also encourages others to insist on also giving the session another song and so on. Even one song inflicted like this is often enough to ruin any natural momentum that has been built up and often kills the session altogether.

Mixed sessions do occur and some of my best festival memories are of some of those, but when an informal gathering is set up and working for either songs or tunes - perhaps it is better to fit in and leave it at that and not try to change them - mainly just to satisfy one's ego.?