Shambles jsut because you happened to be at a festival where the owners of the Tenor Bahjos could not play a tune on them does not mean that one cannot play a reel on one.

No indeed and I played many such reels there on my tenor banjo, a worthy instrument. I just would never strum chords on it.

One of the two players I mentioned did play a melody once, and he played it very well. So it was a little of a mystery why he insisted on playing chords, especially when the other chap was already doing this.

Dennis Cahill's playing with Martin Hayes is fine by me too.