And the same applies to you regarding your assumed knowledge of my experience—through both listening and playing. My interests and tastes are anything but narrow. Nor am I dismissive of other's tastes in music.

And you would really have to go some to actually have a broader sense of what music is than I do.

There are those who would consider me an old geezer, and they would undoubtedly be right. But all my faculties are intact. I grew up listening to the radio (pre-TV), listened to programs early on like "Grand Ole Opry," "National Barn Dance," "Manhattan Merry-Go-Round" "Your Hit Parade" (first national appearance of Frank Sinatra as a stick-skinny crooner—squealing girls and all that), the "Longines Symphonette" and the "Frederick and Nelson Concert Hour." And the "Metropolitan Opera Saturday Broadcast" (one entire opera, with Milton Cross outlining the action in each up-coming act).

As a teenager, I first heard Burl Ives talking about historical events and singing songs that sprang from those events. I think I learn as much about history from Burl Ives as I did from most high school history teachers. And in greater detail.

In college, I first majored in English Literature, but I frequented a student "hangout" called "The Chalet" where I met and listened to a couple of different jazz groups, and was friends with several of the musicians. Also from time to time, a student string quartet from the University of Washington. And I heard my first live folk music, an informal concert sung by an excellent local folk singer [look him up it the search box and / or Google him—Walt Robertson. Plenty of info there.].

Inspired by him and other singers I had heard, including Burl Ives, Richard Dyer-Bennet, and Susan Reed (never heard of her, have you--she was nationally known at the time and even starred in a movie with her Irish harp!), I took up folk music in a big way and changed my major from English Lit. to music. I got a lot of shit flak there because, I was told the guitar is not a musical instrument (despite the fact the fact that John Williams had played a concert on campus a couple of months before). Two years of music theory and history there and tired of the carping ("When are you going to give up those cowboy songs and get serious?"), I quit, and transferred to the Cornish College of Allied Arts, a local arts conservatory with a performing faculty. The list of Cornish faculty and graduates looks like a "who's who" in the Arts.

Stim, I could go on for pages on my background and the different musical styles I've become acquainted with—and in some cases, have played. But I don't want to brag and I don't want to bore everybody else. Suffice it to say that as far as the "narrowness"—or
extent— of my interests and tastes" is concerned, you don't know diddly-squat.

Over and out!

Don Firth

P. S. A couple of other things: have YOU ever attended a live symphony concert, opera, ballet, or recital by a prominent singer or instrumentalist? I have. Met and talked with Segovia on three occasions, French guitar duo Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya once, Pete Seeger twice, Peggy Seeger and Ewan McColl on a couple of occasions, swapped songs with Gordon Bok in a friend's living room when he was in town for a concert, Met Joan Baez on two occasions, and back in the early Fifties I spend plenty of time swapping songs with Sandy Paton before he went back East. Plus I knew a couple of musicians who played in the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

Not to mention my nephew, who is the lead guitarist (electric) in The Tragically Hip, a prominent Canadian rock group. Heard him in action many times.