Two more things.

First, even severe technical deficits can be overcome. I've seen a man whose hands were basically arthritis-(I guess)-knotted claws use a slide and a grab and snatch right hand technique, basically smashing the strings, for a very fair effect. Using open tunings, slide or not, is a way to play using even your forearms if necessary.

Think of Harmonica Frank Floyd whose guitar playing was club-fisted blatant approximation. Think of Dock Boggs who turned a very limited faciilty into a two-finger picking style (not to mention a tonguetied singing style) that has mesmerized thousands from the days when he first sat picking on the street in Norton, VA. And so on, and on.

Though I can certainly appreciate the desire to go out at a flamin' peak level, I know when I didn't have the music, I didn't have a bit of iron in my soul I badly needed. I'm glad it's back, at whatever deep discount.

The second thing is a reminiscence for all you forgetters of song lines, verses, etc.. 1969, Cambridge, MA...Joni Mitchell in concert, clinging dress, thin as a candleflame, swaying fetchingly, hung up...marking time on the guitar....utterly lost and asking the audience to supply her the next line, which never came. Hey, and she wasn't even OLD. I bet we all can cite equivalents from admired singers. It's life, and sometimes it even happens on stage.

Bob