Yes, everyone can imrpove over time... but how much? There's a guy who props up the bill at a club I sometimes go to - week in week out, he's always there and the MC always puts him on first. Must be a couple of years since I first saw him. He's improved, he really has. He's still got a repertoire of about six songs... all of which he reads from a book... and he's still off key a lot of the time. But when I first saw him he was off key almost all the time, and his voice was even harsher than it is now. So he's imrpoved, and if he can improve anyone can.

Maybe the MC should have taken him on one side some time ago... asked him to go away and put some work in before he came back. On the other hand, it's only one bloke... everyone else I've seen at the same club has been competent and a lot of them have been really good. I guess I don't quite share TheSnail's optimsim... maybe nobody's unimprovable, but some people are hard to bring up to a decent stnadard. But I don't really agree with Jim Carroll either... I don't think incompetence or toleration of incompetence is a great menace to folk clubs. New thread idea for anyone who wants it - What Is The Great Meance To Folk Clubs?

I mean the Great Menace obviously...