Yeah, Wild Rover in the Middle Bar) attracts a £5 fine.....unless you can do it in German (as someone did one year and got away with it) or maybe do the real trad version )dfiferent tune) without the "no, nay, never" bits. Mobile phones going off also attract fines as do such things as over-acting, "crap swaying" etc, etc.

The strange thing about the twig is that it is "driven" from "The Bench", so just when you think it might be your turn next, it goes off in the opposite direction. But if you hang around for long enough/get in early enough you should get at least one song in per session, and ample opportunity to join in any choruses, some of which will be "Standing choruses" when everyone ......stands!

Don't think there's anyone who will seriously get the hump if you do "their song", and you don't necessarliy have to keep "leaving songs" to the end of the session as it will probably not be you singing at the end of the session anyway! (I have sung the "older" version of "Auld Lang Syne" in the middle of a session, on the grounds that it's more about enjoying each others' company than going away!

In the Bedford, a quiet word with the session host that you have a quiet voice and would like to sing usually results in him bellowing "Quiet! (Lady)Singer on!" and it usually works!

Some of the Trad sessions are a bit more exclusive: i.e. don't ask you to sing unless they know you. I was quietly killing myself laughing to be introduced as a "new singer" at a late night session, when I ahd been singing for over 50 years!

And Terry, I'll give the Newt a try this year!