Here's the deal. I have a friend who is an excellent fingerstyle guitarist. Just ask him. He'll tell you. He plays some stuff I don't really care for – some of his own compositions are self indulgent in my eyes but he's still technically gifted. But it gets a little old to hear him tell about how well his last performance went and how well he was received. I tolerate it because this guy has been a great friend over the years. You can count on him to go the extra mile for you if you're in trouble. And we have a lot of history together. He's an upstanding guy in a lot of ways. It's just that he's self confident in the extreme.

But I still want to work with him on some music. Here's why:

He's really talented when it comes to both Delta and Piedmont style blues. I've just purchased a new National mandolin and want to get better at these styles but the trio I'm in currently isn't inclined to move in that direction. My friend can teach me a lot about some musical areas I want to go in and I'm sure he'd be open to it. I'd be able to "drop in" to his performances for a few numbers without any trouble. And if I wasn't able to show up at a gig because of family obligations I wouldn't be missed. At all. I'd just have to hear about what a great gig I missed. But I can tolerate that. I've done it before. Any payment for the gigs wouldn't be a consideration.

So to me I've got a lot I can learn – and have some fun doing it. The downside would be minimal. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? How did it work out?