In a Nutshell:
Comments and Updates on the Charter
and
Frequently Asked Questions

Index

When referring to the whole of these topics, the term commonly used is 'Bardic Arts'.

Novice: A novice has proven that he or she has some basic skill in one of the Bardic Arts. To become a novice, you have to present something that fits under one of the aformentioned topics (tell a story, sing a song, write some lyrics etc.) and have a journeyperson or minstrel listen. As a novice you wear a white and a black ribbon. (Right. You can keep all the ribbons you got before.)

Journeyman or Journeywoman: Traditionally a Journeyperson is someone who's competent enough to work without needing the supervision of a master. For a musician or storyteller that means to be able to present something to an audience that they enjoy hearing/seeing and to do so in a way that catches their interest.
To become a Journeyperson, you need to get a minstrel and an audience and show some skill in three of the topics on the list, or you decide to do something good in one of the topics and something decent in another.
Journeypersons wear three ribbons: white, black and red, and can hand out black ones (thus making someone Novice).

Minstrel: A minstrel should be competent enough in at least one of the bardic arts to teach, and well-versed in most others.
To become a minstrel, you need an event with all the minstrels you can get, and a patient audience, because you have to show that you're good in four of the seven topics and brilliant in a fifth (your masterpiece). If you do not manage to get five topics covered, you can manage with two good plus two brilliant. So, yes, if you suffer from severe stage fright you can now become a minstrel without performing.
Minstrels wear all three ribbons like a Journeyperson, plus a wooden pendant of a lyre. They also should carry lots of multicoloured ribbons in their pockets to hand out to new members, novices or journeypersons.

'Basic' means, an easy thing done without major fumbles. Sing an easy song without hurting someone's ears, tell an anecdote, write some verses to an existing melody, write an excerpt of an article on some medieval music subject.

'Decent' means putting some talent or effort in what you are doing. Sing a song that is not too-well-known and sounds rather medieval, tell a fairy-tale, write a research paper that tells people who are not experts on the subject something new.
A 'decent' performance should capture the attention of a bardic circle.

'Good' means putting talent and effort in what you are doing. Write a song with harmonies or an easy choir piece, sing something that most people have never heard and couldn't sing if they had, do a research paper fitting for the first year at university.
If you can keep the audience's attention for more than two minutes, you're probably good. 'Good' work is what you'd expect in an A&S contest.

'Brilliant' means to have people coming back for more. Since you never know that before it happens, you can settle for doing something complex, free of visible flaws and well documentated.
A brilliant performance in a feast hall makes people stop chewing during the first remove. Don't try this at home - the phone will ring at the most inopportune moment.

• Exchequer, who handles financial matters should there be any.
• Chronicler, who publishes the newsletter.

• Guildmaster or -mistress, who does everything else.

Personally, I'd go for a 'reasonable attempt' here. If it is in medieval style and conveys the right atmosphere I don't mind when it was written. (Though I'd still want to know. That's what documentation is for.)

: Filking is a perfectly period activity.

First, I do not consider it polite to shove anything at anyone, be it swordspoints, chocolate chip cookies, work or ribbons.

Second, membership in a guild is not a prize to be handed out, but a decision a person makes. Do I want to join a guild? Do I want to carry the responsibility of a rank? Do I see myself/my persona as a musician?

There are people in the SCA who sing a whole lot better than I do, play loads of instruments, are professional storytellers. Shall I make them Minstrels and tell them, you have to take students now, judge performances, vote in guild matters and pay membership fees? Definitely not.

So, if you want to become a member of the guild, or if you want to apply for guild rank, please tell me or Lady Valeria. If you don't, we might ask you. But probably we won't.

It's not one minstrel's guild, but it belongs to several. So 'minstrels' is plural, and the apostrophe belongs after the s, making it a "Minstrels's Guild" and a "Bards' Night".