The piano playing in American Contra Dance music has a superb style all of its own.

When I read this in Alan's post I was transported, mentally, to some recordings I heard about 30 years ago with an ensemble that included hammered dulcimer, fiddle and piano; the pianist was Toby (Toni?) Hall, from memory. Lovely!

And when I lived in SC I made sure I got myself a copy of the CD of the music from Ken Burns' Civil War docco. Jacqui Schwab's (have I got the spelling right?) playing of piano on it surely can't be criticised seriously; it's beautiful!

Yes, I've heard examples where the lack of piano would certainly have improved the result but to generalise from that can't be credibly countenanced. Without knowing for certain, I suspect Richard's generalised attitude towards pianos might be attributed to an overexposure, early in life, to Liberace; that would be a sure turnoff for most folkies.

Cheers, Rowan