There is something very right and truly folkie about singing in the great outdoors. As Joe has experienced, without amplification, the human voice and most stringed instruments quickly fade unless there is some natural resonating area. The fading gives me a feeling that the song is being absorbed by nature.

So, Joe, make those campfires small and crowd around them. More than ten people in the inner circle begins to make for too large a gathering.

No one has mentioned the benefits of performing outdoors. My favorite outdoor experience was in a natural amphitheater in a woods at night. Electricity was available so there was sound reinforcement and stage lights. I steered my set list towards moonshining songs and songs in the woods. It felt magical to me and several in the audience felt the same magic.

But stage lights outdoors are such an attraction to the insect population. Many a performer has unintentionally swallowed insects while singing outside. One night at the same amphitheater referred to above, I had the distinct pleasure of trying to sing into a microphone as a spider lowered itself on one thin web line just inches from my face. Those situations require some real concentration.

Roger in Baltimore