Ah, shut up 'n play yer kemence.

Why do people keep telling me that? All apart from WAV that is, whose countenance visibly darkens at the thoughts of any accompaniment, let alone one who dares accompany E. Trads on a Turkish folk-fiddle.

I remember an interview with Martin Carthy & Norma Waterson in (maybe) Southern Rag in which they said singing traditional songs was like living in an old house. The house we're living in now is pretty old - over 120 years anyway, which means the men who laid the bricks and mixed the mortar are long dead, which is more than (perhaps) might be said for the idiots who fitted the double-glazing and installed the flame-effect gas fires. Enough remains however, by way of banisters and plaster work etc. to give me occasional pause to ponder, and feel part of something welcoming that engenders a sense of provenance which is why I sing E. Trads anyway.

Ah, shut up 'n play yer kemence.

All right, all right...