I was taught as a boy chorister to occasionally cup a hand over the ear to check my individual pitch and tone. A way of making sure that I was individually pulling in the right direction before turning back to the sound of the rest of the choir and concentrating on the blend.

But you know what? I have never seen anybody cup a hand over their ear or stick a finger in their ear at any of the folk clubs or singarounds I have attended in the past year or so since I got into the whole folk thing. Perhaps it's something that people should try, and to hell with the fact that it's become a sneer-laden stereotype? If you haven't, give it a go. You never know, you might find it useful. It made me a better chorister, without a shadow of a doubt.