Now we're talking, Guest! I kinda thought that the idea of getting together for an evening of singing was to have a good time, and enjoy and encourage each other. Years ago, I ran a gathering with Dallas Cline that I called a Potlatch. I used that word, because in a Potlatch, the goal is to be the most generous person there. If people had that attitude, there wouldn't be this thread. The group that came together once a month not only respected each other's repertoire, they were encouraging of young musicians (one was still in High School) and showed appreciation for those who had been singing most of their life who had a limited repertoire of just a few songs, who didn't have any interest in learning new songs, and were never going to be very good.

We all approach these threads from our own experience. I guess that I've been fortunate to have been part of a group that was generous and encouraging. The funny thing was, when someone new would come who was really good, they expected special reverence, and didn't get appreciably more than the people who were just beginning, or had a limited repertoire and equally limited talent. The best musicians who came expected a booking to come out of it (both Dallas and I ran concert series) and when they weren't immediately offered a booking, stopped coming. They saw the gathering as a way to impress others. That's not it was. Then, there were other musicians who came loyally and had a grand time who were professional and had released albums, who just enjoyed the mutually supportive and encouraging atmosphere and had a good time being a part of it. Having that experience as my background, with just one experience of someone getting all over me for doing "her" song, this thread has seemed strange to me. The good thing about these threads is that we gradually come to grips with the issues and see why we have such different attitudes.

Jerry