NP and TY.

The list of fiddlers I would respectfully suggest does not get much longer.

A concerted rise in other forms bears out what I said - parental influence and money accounting for it in the form of tuition fees and quality gear.

Not sure where the young jazz player goes - but since in my limited knowledge I see it as a mainly instrumental form of music here in the UK then it wouldn't have changed much.

But folk music was mainly (second revival) a sung form, and because there was no-where to go, folk clubs. Now the musicians - some of whom are actually good singers - prefer to play - and can so so in sessions - but not in folk clubs.

They play with their friends at festivals instead.

I am genuinely interested how people react to this half-formed theory...