[Bards] What is a bard?

[Cisco CIvidanes]

Okay, I wrote my answer to the "standards" E-mail, then had to run out 
for a quick grocery run. So, while I was out I was thinking about the 
overall question of "what is a Bard in the SCA".

Well, it kind of dawned on me... there is a really simple answer to that.

Bards are people who enter bardic competitions.

or, more specifically...

SCA bardic encompasses all vocal and instrumental performances... at 
least in Ansteorra. That means story tellers, singers, poets and 
instrumentalists... end of discussion!

SO... if we try and narrow that definition at all, we run the risk of 
telling ( or implying to) some people "you're not a bard, but you can 
still enter our competition". 

I hope I'm not the only one who cringes at that statement.

And also, I know a number of people who have wiped the floor with the 
competition using just an instrument, or only one of the vocal 
categories... so if anyone wants to make a correlation between bardic 
and performance diversity... tread carefully.

As much as I respect and enjoy the historical elements of what bardic 
was, is, and its functions across Europe... The truth of the mater is 
that Bardic has already been pretty precisely defined by the 
competitions and championships held across the kingdom over the past two 
some odd decades.

Would it be nice if their were more to it?
Maybe
But realistically, I doubt it will ever get more complicated that that.

Ivo Blackhawk.