"...a sorry case".    Right.   There seem to be some people here who have a vehement dislike to being asked for evidence--for anything. They are also the people who defend the use of RUS in folklore society singarounds, on the basis that it "builds community"--despite the copious evidence on this thread and others was that the main result of such use is to drive the better singers away from folklore society singarounds.

I went to a fabulous music party on New Years eve. We sang and played virtually nonstop from about 9 to 2--while also eating and drinking. "Pompous performers"?---not likely. The general theme was C & W--but we sang anything we felt like--starting with "White Christmas" and "Blue Christmas" and including "Let's Talk Dirty in Hawaiian". "Pretty Boy Floyd", "Palms of Victory", "Bottle of Wine", as well as a boatload of C & W including "Crystal Chandeliers", "Before the Ring on Your Finger Turns Green", "Yard Sale", and a big bunch more. We had an autoharp, a ukulele, basses, a viola, and some excellent guitarists.

One of the many reasons the party was a smash was that RUS was nowhere in evidence.

We actually knew what we were doing--and if somebody forgot a verse, nobody cared. We helped each other out with words from time to time. We laughed, talked, teased each other--in general a fantastic time.


Similarly, one of the reasons the Getaway is a rousing success is that it is not an RUS singaround. If it were, that would kill it faster than anything.

The use of that book at a singaround is far more pernicious than a personal little book of lyrics or a sheet with a few cue words---and for the reason I cited---that it makes it far too easy for the singer to make no effort to actually learn a song--and still expect the group to sing it.

And, as has been indicated, we who oppose RUS in singarounds do not call the other side "jerks", just deluded.   Chamberlain was not a jerk when he came back from Munich with "Peace In Our Time"---but he was deluded.



I suspect that even in Albuquerque good music is being made.   But it is being made outside of RUS singarounds.

It depends on what you are content with. If you are content with what comes out of an RUS singaround, that's fine. More power to you.

But those of us who like music--and are serious enough about it to want to make our own music--do not want RUS brought to our groups.

There is ample evidence that RUS use in singarounds does nothing but dumb down the experience--by driving the better musicians away.

Even when the RUS singaround is "successful", it may not be due to the book.   At one gathering I go to in PA which is a "successful" RUS singaround, the success is due to one person who is not only an excellent guitarist, but willing to lead every song if need be. Without him, the singaround would immediately collapse. And you can bet he does not need the book.

In fact I taught that group a song they still love--long before RUS even appeared on the scene.   The song is now in the book--but nobody needs the book to sing it, obviously.

It seems fairly obvious that people who actually sing and play --and have experienced both RUS-dominated sings and those without RUS-- may possibly know more about
this topic than somebody, who, for instance, just runs his own radio program.

And again, as I've said before, nobody on this thread thinks RUS is a bad book.   It is fine for the use described in the opening article--to introduce kids to "folk music" in a very broad sense--at home.

Or for adults to use as one of many sources---at home.