Ted, I think you'll find that you're further ahead betting on what I can do than what I can't. I took a year of Chinese in college, so I don't find it that intimidating a prospect (I even remember one song by heart from that class). Also, I'm not considering trying to learn vast numbers of songs in any foreign language, just maybe 4 or 5 to mix into a regular set. I agree with you about the inadvisability of studying Macedonian music when there is such a small market for it - but a little Hebrew, a little Chinese, a little Italian might open several doors.

I also agree with you that the real ethnic singers will always be able to do more and better in foreign languages. However, in university I studied three languages that are very seldom learned by Canadian Anglos (Arabic and Turkish as well as Mandarin) and one thing I noticed is that when I used these languages people were very surprised and delighted to hear an Anglo saying anything at all in them, no matter how basic. So maybe that will work in my favour a little.

Rita, I agree with you that I wouldn't try to learn a foreign language song just from the transliteration, so I'm taking advantage of Toronto's great library system with its CD collection. And doing some of the songs as instrumentals is another good idea that I hadn't thought of.

Cheers, Marion

Ah, I can't help asking: what did you mean, Ted, by "you'll have to learn to play in 7, 9, and 15 though"? Is that some kind of time signature?