Robin "Foolestroupe" has said some of the wisest things I've seen in this thread. We amateur musicians nowadays are constantly being held up to the glare of the studio-polished product of the professional recording artists, and of course we're usually found wanting. But music as a community art is not endangered yet because we just ignore our critics and go right on plunking and thwacking our bodhrans, guitars, banjos, zithers, squeeze boxes, etc.

I don't think it is very important to us banjo lovers whether they came from Africa, America or Antarctica. We just love the jarring sound the critters produce, and it gets better with time. More addictive than codeine! (At least for me.)

Joe