upbeat, bumorous song ~ so if a funny song is humourous, would that be a rude song about bums?

Anyway...

I frequently hear a certain person sing accompanying themselves on guitar or mandolin. When they sing thus, I have difficulty in understanding the words because their head is bent down towards the instrument and I rely a lot on lipreading for comprehension. They also incorporate a lot of instrumental frills and furbelows which distract from the lyric. Not so long ago I heard this same person sing without accompaniment and was surprised to realise I could understand the words! I suspect it was partly because they were not looking down at the instrument, but also because they were putting the emphasis on the words and injecting some meaning into them, rather than the almost rote recitation that many of their songs have become.

Many players spend half the song looking down at their hands on the strings which can deaden the voice, not to mention constricting the throat and chest. Some concentrate on making a wonderful guitar accompaniment to the detriment of the words. The trick is balance. I like a ratio of about 3 to 1 unaccompanied, but that's just my preference. I would consider a chorus song, with people joining in to be accompanied ~ there is no rule to say it has to be a stringed instrument!

LTS