Debbie’s Filk FAQ

Please note that original question was posted in LJ and was: “I am a cadet at West Point in New York and am looking for information on how to choose a guitar to buy.

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“One-shots” are opportunities for filkers to perform one song of their choosing in a concert setting. Some conventions also offer “two-shots” or even “three-shots”.
“One-shots” are meant to be a showcase for those who do not have concerts at that particular convention. They are also a great opportunity for those who want to strengthen their performance [...]

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When a performer forgets lyrics or guitar chords, filkers will sometimes call out, “Frank Hayes disease, give generously!” Those of you not familiar with Frank Hayes might be curious about this strange affliction.
Frank Hayes is indeed a real person. Here’s his Wikipedia entry.
From a Duckon bio years ago: “By 1983 or so, my ability to [...]

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A song that is “ose” is morose, very sad. Men dying in space, puppies being run over, lovers dying in each other’s arms, world annihilations, that sort of thing.
It’s generally not a good idea to have too many “ose” songs in a row, or people will start falling asleep (if it’s very late at night) [...]

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‘Found filk’ refers to songs that were written outside of the filk context, but are appropriate for singing within a filk environment because of particular content, especially that related to science fiction and fantasy. Here is a list of some sf references in music.
Comments? Suggestions? Please post below.

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Just to clarify, a “filk circle” doesn’t necessarily have to be a circle, though it is usually shaped that way. A filk circle is a gathering of filkers who wish to make music together, to perform their own music, or a combination of both.

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This is a difficult question to answer as is, since the definition of the word “filk” itself is somewhat nebulous. It is easier, however, to pinpoint the origin of the term “filk”.

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What is filk? Ask five filkers this question and you’re guaranteed to get fifteen answers…at least. The term itself came from a typo, an erroneous version of the word “folk”, as in “folk music”.

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