So to take Jeri's line, what were the problems?

1: An incredibly loud and dominant accordian player.

2: Noise levels. There was an awful lot of chatter.

3: Seating. I don't think anyone had a problem finding a seat but the musicians were pretty scattered around the room. The Jug is not the easiest of rooms to organise but I think things would have been easier if those who wanted to join in tunes together were able to occupy one area.

What were the effects to me? At its WORST point, Bill asked me to play the Lark In The Morning with him and I couldn't here him play. Bill was playing a tenor banjo with a mastertone type construction - not the sort of instrument you would expect to be struggling for volume - and was sat a few feet to my left. All I could hear was the accordian from the other end of the room and a lot of background noise. Bill actually gave up before the tune was finished and went away muttering something, I assume because he found playing impossible.

Jeri said call for hush, but perhaps some consideration should be given without that. There were calls for hush for the singers which were obeyed but the noise just went back up again after.

This is just a general question that has bugged me in many sessions over the years: Why should the singers be treated to silence but the musicains be relegated to some form of background noise for people to talk over? Do people not realise that for some of us, it is either impossible or very hard work to make ourselves heard under these conditions and that you can't (or at least I can't) play as well or enjoy the music when every bit of energy goes into playing as loudly as possible?

Perhaps people don't realise how loudly they are talking but they have a good clue. The noise levels when the calls for hush for the singer is made are the noise levels the musicians were contending with.

Jon