Peter, I'm inclined to believe that the "blurry boundaries of the folk scene" that you've experienced may be a result of what sociologists refer to as "the Guiness effect". Alsa, don't sprake zarathustra about classical piany pickers, it damps my spirits and gets me all keyed up so I can't b natural. Besides, they're just cranky from hauling those concert grands around to Irish sessions, then being told to sit behind the stinkin' bodhran section. They can't make any money busking on streetcorners, cause the spare change keeps jammin' up the strings when people throw it in your box. And don't even get me started on the straps it takes to carry one of these things around your neck. You'd feel snubbed too, if you spent hours on a subway with your Steinway, then nobody will let you play even *one* little Rachmaninoff concerto, they say it's not "Irish enough". Pulezze. I think it's really just a case of pianist envy. But I digress....

Peej