Ebbie, your "There were five of us in the core group...but when you have 13 people in the band it can be hard work for everybody" gave me the giggles, sort of. Mud tends to be, well.. bigger. I think 7 is the lowest number for a dance I can remember in years. Our roster of those who might show up runs 50-60 most years. The 25th anniversary dance had upwards of 50 people who played.

Our core group of players who show up at 90% of dances and rehearsals runs more like a dozen. A typical night at our monthly big deal dance may have 1-4 hammer dulcimers, piano (with 2-3 musicians trading off with other instruments) 3-5 fiddles, 2-4 guitars 1-3 mandolins. accordian, 1-3 recorder players, 2 harmonica players, 1-3 banjo players, 1-2 autoharps & a lone concertina, 1 bass (with 1 or 2 players) bodhran (as an occasional accent) and (Lord help us) a guy who plays tin whistle and bassoon. Over two dozen is not unusual.

It's not quite as bad as herding cats. Our better/worse divide seems to be those who are willing to come to rehearsals and those who are not. As many of the more exact and knowledgable players come to rehersals, there is a solid core to the er.. core. As one of our main piano players (tend to be the lead of the band) is also a caller, she can adjust tempo and has no problem telling folks when they're throwing the band off - we wouldn't be who we are without the dancers. Our "first fiddle" tends to get folks back in line who have strayed, with a smiling, yet firm nudge.

I don't know for sure, but I suspect that having the dancers as the focus most all the time (we seldom play concertish gigs) gives us a focus that is a different orientation from a session where the tunes are the point. The ethics of inclusion that are so much part of the dance community here extend to the band. Also with so many people, it's darn hard to stand out as a flash player - your ego just isn't audible! We only mic the band when we do big gymnasium type gigs.

I've thought again and again how lucky we are to have Mud in Yer Eye here.

Joanne in Cleveland