I'm appreciating what Barry said about "dumbing down" with the overuse (is that a word?) of RUS. I hate to admitt it, but I am appreciating other's points of view. I HATE THAT ... because it threatens my knowing that I am ALWAYS RIGHT! That said, I still agree with Barry's point of view.

When I walk into a song session and I spot RUS copies scattered around, I don't even open my guitar case.

I taught beginning guitar for several years at our local community college. A large part of my thrust was the encouragment of singing. I loved it when whole families took the class, all the way from grandchildren through grandparents in the same class. We devoted some time, each class, to the newbie's first efforts at "singing to the class." It was great fun and you can't imagine a more supportive "audience".

But at my age of 171, I prefer to spend my time in sessions that challenge me as a musician. This I always find at Stew's monthly sessions. The best of the best attend. I like to think I've given as much as I have received.

Thinking back over the years, there's an obvious evolution here. I was 13 when I first picked up a guitar and started on this whole musical journey. I was lucky to be tutored by a very caring man who was also a brilliant performer. For the next ten years, I studied hard, learned from many singers, and profitted from the training.

A beginner is a beginner. One step in the learning process is the building of a repitoire. This is where books are necessary. But at some point, you leave the books behind and open your ears to what's really happenning out there. No two songers sing the same song ... they sing varients. And it's these subtle differences that make this world of folk music so viable and everchanging.

There is NO right or wrong here, you just choose to attend those gatherings that best satisfy. CHEERS, Bob(deckman)Nelson