I took a spoons class at San Francisco's Camp New Harmony last week. It was fun, a dozen people sitting in a circle outside and clicking along merrily together. I reached my level of competence in about half an hour, so I figured I'd better leave. I can't actually clap along in time with a song for very song, so I've long been convinced that I'm not destined for a career in percussion. But it was fun while it lasted.

We used wooden spoons in the class, and they seemed much more polite than the metal ones.

The problem with any sort of percussion instrument, is that it can tend to dominate and regularize the tempo of the music played by the entire session, whether it be a singing or instrumental session. I think this can be especially harmful in a singing session, but maybe that opinion is do to the fact that I'm a singer. But whatever the case and whatever the percussion instrument, I think it is important that the percussionist mix with the other instruments and refrain from leading them.

I remember one day last year when I was about to murder a guy with finger cymbals. It was my turn in a singaround and I was doing a song that was new to me, and the son-of-a-bitch decided he needed to punctuate my song with his fricking finger cymbals. I said nothing at the time. But the next time the #$%^ did it, I made up a song intended to cause him maximum embarrassment.

That still didn't work, so the third time, I did a formal reading of "the rules," in chant. His wife still comes to singarounds, but he doesn't.

-Joe-