I think that authenticity is important mainly as a means to add to the total enjoyment of the reenacting experience. Cooking period foods and wearing period clothes gives me that enjoyment, as does participating in period entertainments. For my husband, using authentic gear and trying to experience the soldier's life is what floats his boat.

The hard-core folks seem to take a perverse joy in their extensive "knowledge" of the details, and even more joy in cutting down the participants who don't measure up. This is too often counterproductive sneering.

Music should be part of the middle ground. We should do the best we can reasonably can, especially if we are both musicians and reenactors. I don't play the banjo, so I'm not about to run out and learn it just so I can plunk a few notes around the campfire. No time for that! I do intend to find a parlor guitar and string it with mostly nylon, not gut. But my experience around here is that folks are grateful for any reasonably competent music to add some atmosphere and to make dancing possible. Wish I could learn to fiddle!