I learnt much the same way as Grab. I was at a local club (www.folkmob.co.uk) ten years or so ago, no-one wanted to look after the desk and I've been at it ever since. As Grab said, you make mistakes & learn from them - and as we usually run open mic sessions, you have to learn to cover all sorts of things fast!

Some of the best people to learn from have been the visiting musicians. For example, Brian Bedford (in his Artisan days) was both demanding & very encouraging. I learnt a lot watching John Robinson set up for Julie Ellison on our kit, too.

Good luck whatever route you take

Andy