Collective nouns for folk music

Subject: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Chris Green
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 08:08 AM

It strikes that although most things have a collective noun (a pride of lions, a pod of whales,etc) this seems to be lacking in the folk world. Any suggestions? To get you started, here's a few I feel are appropriate!

A jingle of morrismen

An earbleed of bagpipes

A noodle of guitars

A bellow of shanty singers

A fart of bombardes



I thank you

Chris

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 09:07 AM

A pose of singer/sonwriters

An embarrassment of bodhrans

An annoyance of fiddlers

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Genie
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 09:20 AM

LOVE these:

A bellow of shanty singers
An embarrassment of bodhrans   LOL!


How about these:

A lark of madrigal singers

A twang of banjo pickers

A chutzpah of klezmer musicians

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Chris Green
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 09:27 AM

How about

A plunk of mandolins

A wheeze of melodeons

A wibble of theremins

"A chutzpah of klezmer musicians" made me laugh quite a lot!

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: DMcG
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 09:28 AM

A variation of singers.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Amos
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 10:38 AM

A squawk of fiddlers?

A gallop of banjos?

A sproing of guitar strings? (Any number mnore than two, which is an embrace of guitar strings).

A scatter of fingerpicks?

A rattle of Dylan tunes?

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: GUEST,banjoman
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 10:43 AM

A Canteen of spoon players

A misery of melodeons

an hunch of harmony singers

A redoubt of recorder players

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Chris Green
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 11:01 AM

A stampede of step dancers

A cacophony of jazz bands

A quack of oboes (sorry moonunit!)

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Leadfingers
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 11:02 AM

An Earful of Trad Singers ??

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 11:47 AM

A plink of mandolinists
A splutter of Jug players
A buzz of jew's harpists
A superfluosity of tiple players
An ossiary of bone players.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Amos
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 12:04 PM

These are hilarious!! We obviously have a sidesplit of comedians here!!

A

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Chris Green
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 12:11 PM

Not forgetting a niggle of critics!

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: GUEST,Auldtimer
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 12:21 PM

A feedback of sound men or maybe that should be, a regeneration of sound men. Some events I've been to, a lack of..., or , a deafness of ..., would be nearer.

An irrelevance of piano accordionists

A retune of guitar players.

A handrub of MCs.

An incompitance of festival organisers.

A sewerage of foxhunt supporters.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Kenny B (inactive)
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 12:40 PM

A Box of Accordianists
A Garden of Bodhranicals
A Capella of Unaccompanied Singers

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Chris Green
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 12:42 PM

A bizmal of banjos?

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 01:46 PM

A rabble of folkies...

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Kenny B (inactive)
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 03:58 PM

Maybe also
A Scrabble of literate Folkies? Spelling optional :<}>

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 04:10 PM

A suck of harmonica players
A martello of hammered dulcimer players
An Acropolis of bazouki players
A monotony of phonofiddle players
A clash of tambourine players
A Dead Horse of triangle players
A shankar of sitar players.

Giok

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 04:13 PM

Rick Spencer's "Hexagon Zombie" mentions a din of concertinas.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Amos
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 04:13 PM

And a hum of Kazooers.


A

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 04:26 PM

An erection of horn players

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Mudlark
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 05:07 PM

A drone of dulcimers...

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 05:38 PM

A puff of pipers

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk msuc
From: Chris Green
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 06:42 PM

surely a puff of glam rock bands!

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,milk monitor
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 07:09 PM

A calabash of koras.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Nerd
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 11:41 PM

a tinkle of harpers
an oompah of brass
a shreik of tinwhistles
a flurry of flutes

a house of horas
a minyan of Klezmorim (okay, that may be too Jewish for many)

a diddly of jigs
a roll of reels
a peck of (pickled) polkas

a party of Cajuns...

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 25 Sep 04 - 11:47 PM

A Bellows of Accordionists

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Hrothgar
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 06:47 AM

From Joy Duncan: a mellifluity of dulcimers.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Snuffy
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 07:10 AM

A refrain (please) of folk singers

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: JennyO
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 09:32 AM

There are some musical references on this thread about collective nouns.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 09:44 AM

Ah Snuffy, that reminds me of the Old Soldier's Song that goes

Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!
Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!
Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!
Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!

(Refrain!)***

Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!
Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!
Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!
Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!

(Refrain!)***

Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!
Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!
Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!
Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink! Drink!

(Refrain!)***


*** This is where they empty their tankards...

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 12:36 PM

A gumbo of zydeco players.
A a waxy finger tipped disciple of Ewan McColl.
A bedenimed disciple of Dylan, and Donovan.
A thimblefull of washboard players.

Giok

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Blowzabella
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 01:35 PM

A dirge of ballad singers...

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: John Hardly
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 02:50 PM

You mean there's a plural of any of these musicians?

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: pdq
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 07:36 PM

A fipple of flautists

A plethora of pipers

An overabundance of political folkies

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Naemanson
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 07:42 PM

A palmed ear of unaccompanied singers?

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 26 Sep 04 - 10:46 PM

"You mean there's a plural of any of these musicians?"

Terrifying, isn't it?

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,Mingulay
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 10:34 AM

A cacophony of cornettists.

A trump of trombonists.

An ogre of organists.

A clump of Coppers singers.

A scourge of skifflers.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: pdq
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 11:44 AM

A swindle of promoters

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: vectis
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 12:21 PM

A Bodhron squadron

A mandolin menage

A bore of balladeers

A skipful of melodeons

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 10:06 AM

A dustbin of washboards
OR
A Washeteria of rubboards

RtScourge
(a-hummin' & a-thimblin')

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Chris Green
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 11:51 AM

A nippletrap of accordions.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,Frug
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 12:17 PM

A scraping of psalteries
A beard of folkies
A frailing of banjoists
A pluck of harpists
A basement (abasement) of bass players

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Mo Bradshaw
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 03:30 AM

A flutulence, perhaps!

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Gurney
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 04:19 AM

A whinge of blues singers.
A grief of balladeers.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Blissfully Ignorant
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 10:07 PM

An astoundment of singer-songwriters...sorry, massaging my ego there *rub rub*

A brilliance of guitarists... and again *rub rub*

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,Seaking
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 11:26 PM

A gargle of festival throats
A rosin of Bows
A picket of plectrums

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,noddy
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 04:33 AM

a bonfire of banjos ( just wishful thinking on my part)

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Chris Green
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 09:07 AM

In which case, surely the collective noun for singer-songwriters' albums must be "the Bonfire of the Vanity Projects"! :-)

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,Fr
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 10:17 AM

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,Frug
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 10:24 AM

Nay..........surely an ego of singer songwriters
and yet.......an apology of accordionists
a drone of pipers
a grimace of hurdy gurdy players
an annoyance of nyckelharpers
an obmutescence of banjoists

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,The Scone Fairy
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 11:17 AM

An Armpit of bodhran players.


Only jokin' lads!

Honest!!!

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 11:35 AM

Surely it must be a Caprine of Bodhran players.
Giok

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Genie
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 01:03 PM

"a niggle of critics"
"a box of accordionists"
"a capella of unaccompanied singers"
"a bismal of banjos"
LMAO! §:-D


How about these?

a smut of rappers
a staggering of pub singers
a contrivance of teen pop divas
a trocity of bodhran players
a gumbo of Zydeco musicians

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 01:57 PM

A stride of piano stools.
A round of Good ales
A picking of strings

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: el_punkoid_nouveau
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 03:34 PM

A vault of electric guitarists?

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: el_punkoid_nouveau
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 03:36 PM

Rethink - a voltage of electric guitarists!

An excess of squeezebox players...

A mouthfull of callers...

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: TheBigPinkLad
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 07:04 PM

A bounty of coconut cloppers
A shortwave of saw players
A suspicion of agents
An ocean of shanties
A twattle of PELites

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,milk monitor
Date: 30 Sep 04 - 07:28 PM

A flight case of roadies.

A timetable of tour managers.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 01:54 PM

Came up with this one today. But I thought of it only as a normal collective noun. Upon filtering for a collective noun thread to add it too, found this one was not closed.

Turns out it could be a good name for an aging folk group.

A Winter of Malcontents

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Smokey.
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 02:18 PM

A wittering of whistles.
A race of fiddlers.
A muddle of melodeons.
An inferno of sundry percussionists.
A bandwagon of political folksingers.
A skipful of banjos.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Young Buchan
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 03:22 PM

Oh dear. I'm afraid I have been sent by the British Union of Pedants to disqualify all the above examples. They are all Nouns of Assembly. A collective noun does not include a description of the elements which constitute the single element - put simply NO 'OF'. Hence Parliament is a collective noun, since we do not say 'a Parliament of MPs'; but a parliament of owls is a noun of assembly. Other examples of genuine collective nouns would be The Navy, humanity or womankind.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: melodeonboy
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 03:46 PM

Hurrah for pedantry!

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 03:49 PM

damn.. just googled winter of malcontents. I am not so brilliant as I thought I was.

sigh

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Tug the Cox
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 03:49 PM

A tedium of pedants.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 03:53 PM

A stool of pianos.
A tonal of fiddles
A university of Folkies
A R.S.E of playing that new song.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 04:19 PM

To further the cause of pedantry, these are often referred to as 'terms of venery'

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Chris Partington
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 04:31 PM

An arseful of pedantry.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Acorn4
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 06:37 PM

A migraine of melodeons!

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Smokey.
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 07:32 PM

A wheezing of harmoniums. (or harmoniae/harmonia, for the pedants)
An exhalation of ocarinas.
A persuasion of shawms.
An intrusion of bodhráns.
An embarrassment of singer/songwriters.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Chris Green
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 07:46 PM

A wobwobwob of moogs.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Smokey.
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 08:13 PM

An ascendance of mellotrons.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Amos
Date: 10 Nov 09 - 08:51 PM

A pound of bodhrans, a plectrum of Martins, a frenzy of bnjos, a swoop of fiddles...

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Young Buchan
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 05:34 AM

"To further the cause of pedantry, these are often referred to as 'terms of venery'"

Quite correct Bill. Though strictly/pedantically that should only be applied to groups of creatures that are to be hunted down and killed. So 'a twang of banjo players' would hardly be ......

Oh. OK. I see your point.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Young Buchan
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 05:48 AM

Of course, from an entirely different root, 'terms of venery' can also mean sexual terms. Chris P's suggestion of 'an arseful of pedantry' would not qualify under this heading either. But 'an arseful of pedants' probably would.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: melodeonboy
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 05:56 AM

"A migraine of melodeons!"

Wonderful!

Yet more pedantry, please! You've whetted my appetite!

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 06:02 AM

A bothering of Bodhrans... or banjos????...

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Callie
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 06:08 AM

An eternity of Gospel singers

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Mr Red
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 07:07 AM

An interjection of hecklers
followed by a rip host of MC's?

And in honour of the most helpful and knowledgeable of the clan:
A Malcolm Douglas of Folklorists. (It would take a collection to equal his endeavours).

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 08:52 AM

"Oh dear. I'm afraid I have been sent by the British Union of Pedants to disqualify all the above examples. They are all Nouns of Assembly. A collective noun does not include a description of the elements which constitute the single element - put simply NO 'OF'. Hence Parliament is a collective noun,"
What only a collective noun?

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Derby Ram
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 09:50 AM

OK - Then:

A BAND of Concertinists

A PEDDLING of Organists

A BICYCLE of Pedants (dislecsik egzampal)

A CHORD of Guitarists

A MARCH of Tubas

A SHOWER of singers

A PIG of Whistlers

A BAG of Pipers

A WHINGEING of Pedants

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,Steamin' Willie
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 01:50 PM

"Oh dear. I'm afraid I have been sent by the British Union of Pedants to disqualify all the above examples. They are all Nouns of Assembly. A collective noun does not include a description of the elements which constitute the single element - put simply NO 'OF'. Hence Parliament is a collective noun,"

Oh heck! Does that mean I can't have a weird beard of shanty singers? Or a sandals of concertina players?   I suppose a sanctimoniousness of unaccompanied singers is out of the question too. Ah well.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 01:58 PM

pedants should always check carefully before they pontificate.

Nouns of assembly are considered by grammarians to be a subset of collective nouns, inasmuch as the noun can be used on its own, without necessarily requiring the "of ********" qualification.

" I set off to hunt for buffalo. I knew that there was a huge herd just over the hill"

Herd is a collective noun.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,Seonaid
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 02:19 PM

A blat of fluegelhorns
An ornamentation of sean-nos singers
A pierce of piccolos
A clank of cowbells
A stir of spoons
An Efrem of cymbalists

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 02:38 PM

A Pedantry of Folk Definitionists?

A Definition of Folk Pedants?

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,Seonaid
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 02:47 PM

Re spoons --
Does one spoon equal a half-couple of spoons?

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Tootler
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 06:12 PM

A persuasion of shawms.

No, you can't have that one. Shawms already have a collective noun dating from the 16th century:

A noyse [sic] of shawms

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Smokey.
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 07:16 PM

Aw Tootler, you spoilsport - I liked that one..

An oddness of crumhorns.
A belligerence of shanty-mongers.
A competitiveness of guitarists.
A plague of fiddlers.
A flare of cornetti.
A grip of racketts.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Smokey.
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 07:52 PM

Perhaps that should be 'A grip of racketteers'.

A belligerence of bassists.
A smugness of flautists.
A perversion of concertina....ists.
A twangling of Appalachian dulcimers.
A ludicrosity of serpents.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Smokey.
Date: 11 Nov 09 - 08:28 PM

A monotony of smallpipes.
An unwelcomeness of saxophones.
A gust of whistlers.
A sweetness of ukeleles.
An unlikeliness of violas.
A fisting of French horns.

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,Bob L
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 06:26 AM

A conflict of callers...

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 08:20 AM

An Efrem of cymbalists - only if they number 77 all doing a Sunset Strip!

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: GUEST,Seonaid
Date: 12 Nov 09 - 12:16 PM

LOL -- you topped me there!
(And I know how old you must be, nyah-nyah-nyah!)

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 05:28 AM

A clutch of shaky eggs.

I'll get me Barbour . . .

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Piers Plowman
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 06:14 AM

A flock of pan-pipers

A rash of singer-songwriters

A bend of crumhornists

A mint of penny-whistlers

A storm of of bodhranists

A press of autoharpists

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Piers Plowman
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 06:18 AM

A battery of cimbalists

A convolute of serpent-players

Subject: RE: Collective nouns for folk music
From: Tim Leaning
Date: 13 Nov 09 - 11:56 AM

A Fust of cardigans
A Badger of Beards