Young Audiences - Trad Folk V Folk Rock

Subject: RE: Young Audiences - Trad Folk V Folk Rock
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 10 Feb 19 - 12:57 PM

Well put, Vic.

If we need to be totally authentic none of us revivalists should be singing the songs at all because we are not part of that traditional community any more. However, that is totally ridiculous.

These wonderful artefacts are in the public domain and we are at liberty to present them in any form we and our audiences enjoy, with whatever accompaniment we feel appropriate. Adding accompaniment, in an age where most people can afford to do so, can popularise the song and the music in general. Yes it can be overdone, but so can anything. Audiences and reviewers will soon let us know if that happens.

Personally most of my repertoire is still unaccompanied but I'm lucky enough to play an instrument and be in a band with other instrumentalists. I run concerts on a regular basis and I'd say about half of the songs sung on them are unaccompanied, but that is not a criterion I use when selecting the performers.

Subject: RE: Young Audiences - Trad Folk V Folk Rock
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 10 Feb 19 - 05:06 PM

Accompanying a song, like most things, can be done well, badly or in between. Of all the accompanists that I have heard, in my opinion a few do a really good job, but only a few. Likewise a few singers accompany themselves very well, but too often the accompaniment occupies too much of a singer's attention, preventing them from doing justice to the song.

A year or two ago I attended the launch of an album by a singer whom I approve of, but on stage with the singer were about half a dozen musicians. A lot of the time they were all playing at once and it smothered the song. I did not buy the CD.