Okay, I've waded through most of that thread. I like the detail and references by those who chose to post them.

My point in posting was that I was shocked that I would be so summarily dismissed by this bass player who by all accounts has heard much more of the genre than I but stands behind his instrument playing very few of the notes that any of his fellow bluegrass companions must learn to play in any given song. He is the rhythm that binds. He is an adequate player of average ability, strong within his sphere of knowledge of simple bluegrass music, but isn't willing to learn or stretch much beyond those limitations musically. As I said he's only interested in bluegrass.

When I read the posts from the previous thread I see a much broader view of what the music is about but I guess that's just me. It seems to include a whole vast array of things that I enjoy musically. I'm not a bluegrass style soloist, and I don't flat pick, so having none of the available techniques at my command it places me in an awkward position and I don't therefore easily fit into the bluegrass mold. It's something I've tried to work toward this past year or so. I've enjoyed working with bluegrass style soloists backing me and my music.

It seems he is only able to see his narrow definition and that doesn't include even the possibility of our mixture no matter how close the roots of bluegrass are tied to my particular musical leanings. This exclusionary attitude doesn't seem to align with the more gospel aspects of what bluegrassers like to sing. I wonder how he would have felt if when he first began to explore playing bluegrass someone pitched a similar attitude at him about his ability on bass. This attitude seems to be that if you don't have it, don't bother trying to get it, go away.

Again, it's very sad to me that he has adopted such a narrow view of music and playing.

Thanks for the link Mark