Foolestoupe: recordings are definitely part of the transmission of traditions, of course they are. I wouldnt dream of leaving them out of the picture, they've been in a dominant picture in our culture for a century. But they didnt completely destroy traditions, they reshaped them. I have just recorded a CD of Cumbrian tunes, for example: that is just as much a part of how we pass the tunes on as any sessions, gigs or whatever. They all interact.