Many plainly instrumental sessions I have attended, where people go to play TOGETHER, have domonstrated to me at least that the people who go there to play tunes (who may also be well able and willing to sing), are most tolerant of singers without instruments.

Those singers who turn up and insist on singing at these events, do not appreciate that it is only that the instrumental players present who could sing themselves, chosing not to sing at these events, that allows the 'singer' to do so.

Instrumental players will usually quitely listen or join in singing choruses and are usually quite happy to do this and become the audience for the occasional song.

We have recently had the example of the Wareham Wail an event entirely for singing, where instruments would not be expected to turn up and merely asking the question was met with some hostility.

I would not dream of turning up at this event or any other 'plainly' singing and insist on playing a set of tunes. I wonder how tolerant the singers would be, if I did insist on doing this? For all the good reasons that some singers give when they insist sing at tune sessions.

It sometimes appears to me that some singers finding themselves at a tune session where no one sings, feel that is almost their DUTY to insist on singing.

I stand by my comments. Mixed singing and tune events could be sucessful, but only if and when some singers were generally less egocentric, listened, participated in and prepared to show more tolerance towards other forms of music.

It is this is not possible then they should stick to their singing only events.