Peter, that (slightly above or below pitch) can be a HUGE distraction! Get a small tape recorder with a pitch control. Sony makes one which is available at BayBloor Radio or The Sony Shop in downtown Toronto.

Sometimes it's because the players deliberately tuned up (Flatt and Scruggs, Stanleys) sometimes it's because the record company (!!!!) decided to speed up the recording to make it sound more dynamic (I'm not kidding!) but whatever the reason, it makes it difficult to keep "a sound" in your head when learning.

Rick