Khandu, I agree, the books were a hoot. No matter which instrument, they always started the same, with fundamental pictures of the same guy showing how to hold the instrument, left and right hand positions, and how to tune it with a pitch pipe. It always seemed to be the same guy in all the books, (maybe Mr. Bay)?

After the fundamentals, the rest of the books taught how to sight read, from the very simple to more complex. I'm not a music teacher, but it seems to me that anyone with interest and determination could have learned a great deal from his books. I didn't dhoose to follow his method, but I did buy his chord books as a reference.

I think we need to congratulate Mr. Bay posthumously. While not for everyone, he did have a very solid and broad marketing plan, (I even once borrowed a book on the Balalaika), and I am sure that we have more and better musicians around today because of his efforts.

Thanks, Mel, from BlueJay