There are 2 sides to this ettiquette issue and paddymac's posting made me think about it. While the put down of the mandolin player was very witty we should be careful about using embarassment as a tool in these cases. Mando-man should learn to not be disruptive but let's hope he is not so discouraged that he puts his instrument aside to gather dust. Perhaps this player took it with some humour but perhaps not. We were all beginners once and continue to be in different areas. A little encouragement can go a long way.