Most musicians will tell you the most fun they have is sitting around with pals and just having a good time knocking out odd songs. This ritual has been around as long as music itself, but it only takes one fool to screw it up. These rules were developed after a night in camping hell, where I endured an entire night of hootenanny fouls from the folks in the next tent. Take these in fun, but remember -- it could be you in hell next time.

1. Take turns. Allow everyone the opportunity to play -- your companions might not want to hear you as much as you think they do.

2. Sing in your own voice. You are not Bob Dylan or Robert Plant.

3. Keep songs under five minutes. You are not Bob Dylan or Richard Thompson.

4. You're allowed one (and only one) bad '70s pop song. And it must be done with an adequate amount of postmodern irony.

5. These songs are permanently banned from all hootenannies: "Mustang Sally," "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," "Summertime," anything by the Doobie Brothers or the Eagles, anything played more than once a week on Fox 97.

6. Limit themes and tangents to three songs. For example, no more than three train songs in a row, or three consecutive songs by the same artist.

7. No repeats. If a song is played once, it cannot be performed again until the next hootenanny.

8. Thou shalt not steal. If someone does a song you like at a hootenanny, you must wait at least three months to perform that song yourself, with the permission from the person you originally heard do it.

9. This is not the time or place to "work out" a song. Learn the song in the privacy of your home before you attempt it in public.

10. Do not start a song unless you're prepared to finish it. We all know the opening lines and chorus to a million songs -- nobody's gonna pick up your slack.