If you really understand how and why traditional music works the idea of competitions or exams will strike you as sick, sleazy, deranged, stupid and a whole bunch of other nasty adjectives.

The fact that "traditional" music around the world has devolved into a bunch of robotic cretins pounding out memorized tunes while staring morosely at the floor is pretty good proof of that.

You can't tame what is meant to be wild.

-Patrick