But Richard, have you never experienced that spine chilling moment when listening to someone singing a ballad so beautifully/powerfully/poignantly that you hardly dare breathe yourself for spoiling the magic, and bringing everyone back from that 'other world' to our mundane one?

I love the glory of a rousing chorus, or the power of a roomful of musicians all playing in telepathic sympathy, but some songs (or tunes) just can't, or shouldn't be treated this way. I suspect almost everyone here can tell when joining in (with gusto or with careful harmony etc) is appropriate, and when they themselves would prefer to listen. I also suspect that as Mudcat is a very mixed community that some of us will gravitate towards joining in sessions, and some toward ballad workshops, or any of the myriad of venues in between and consequently feel that their take on this issue is best answered by the practice of their own favoured setting.

My only intention in contributing to the discussion was to observe that there are times (at least at the clubs I go to) where all but one or two individuals have the sensiitvity and the desire to enjoy a solo song for just that, and that maybe it could be considered bad manners if a tiny minority of the assembly were oblivious to those occasions and continued to hum/sing/play along. I have been to evenings where the contrasts between a tremendous chorus followed by the beauty of a ballad has left me in tears. But if one person chooses not to join in a chorus that won't spoil the chorus song half as much as one person insisting in joining in with the ballad.