I love watching and listening to "not so experienced" singers/players who have taken the time to learn the tune, chords and words of a song. People who give it a go. The most important thing is that they have made an EFFORT. It takes a lot of nerve to get up - I still get nervous.

What gets on my nerves are those that roll up week after week with their 6 inch thick folders that they've had for years. They never know beforehand what song they will sing; they just lay it on a music stand and let it flip open - voila! They've never bothered to actually learn one song but they have the cheek to ask you to join in the chorus! In the future I see a laptop with backing music and lyrics - karaoke.

Then there are the ones who take 5 minutes to tell everyone about their week/day/kids/journey/past life before they actually talk about the song they've written; fell in love, fell out of love, then fallen in love again. FFS. Then the tune up. Open tuned, very expensive, guitar - two fingers anywhere will give you a chord or a pleasant sounding dischord - five minute intro (which bares no relation to the "tune") - and then the lyrics. (Mountains, oceans, rivers, eternity) They ask you to join in the chorus, but there isn't one or even a discernable air. I won't go on.

The wise ones, the ones who know, have headed for the bar minutes earlier for they knew what was coming. The more polite ones sit and cringe and visitors are wondering is it worth coming back.

What positve criticism could you give? I like people who have made some effort. The guy with the book has taken the time to Google, cut and paste his chords/lyrics and the songwriter has taken the time to write his song. Maybe it's not all about effort hmmmm.
Am I too critical?