When I started playing concertina (I had long been unsuccessful in attempts at other instruments) I was so excited at just being able to produce music that I carried it everywhere (still do) and would pull it out if I was likely to be stationary for more than five minutes. I was just doing it for the excitement and it led to lots of "practice".

This meant I had the appearance of busking, even though I had no money-catcher in front of me, at a time when busking was not common in Oz. I noticed two quite frequent responses, one of which was to offer me money. Usually I would attempt (not very hard) to decline the offer and explain I was just trying to learn tunes and, if I were in an airport lounge or similar location (where management was likely to be stuffy about democratisation) I was particularly scrupulous about refusing money, even when proferred in large denominations; I didn't want to run the risk of breaching some minor by-law. I might add that, on the rare occasions when the group I was part of decided to put in some practice on the street (eg Circular Quay, in Sydney, before all the licensing rhubarb appeared) we made enough in half an hour to pay for a slap up dinner and drinks, so I have no doubts about the quality of performance.

The other frequent response was harder to interpret; some people would go all huffy, or indicate their 'unease' in a wide variety of ways. After some time of this I figured that what was going on was that, for most people, most music is not "live" but heard through a set of speakers that they can control with a switch; with a live musician they didn't have that option and this made them feel uncomfortable because they lacked a certain amount of control.

My response to that set of inferences has been to do it even more. These days I often have to go to Sydney on union business and I get into the CBD well before business hours. So I'll sit and play (without a money-catcher, so I don't infringe the by-laws) as the hordes pass by with their iPods in their ears. If I reach Central Station with time to spare on the way home I do the same there.

Without the intent to receive money, this may not really be busking but my compulsion is to increase people's exposure to "live" music.

Cheers, Rowan