I came into the scene many years ago with one aim in mind and one only, to have some fun and I intend to carry on THAT tradition.

My reason for making music has always been to have fun, otherwise I wouldn't do it, but I think the greatest fun occurs when you play with other people in such a way that the ensemble makes the "best" sound. Define "best" according to taste.

So - fun, yes - but not at the expense of others' fun. I repeat: precisely the reason for this thread - to play in a way that fits the music in a sensitive way. The musicians in this thread, as it happens, have stayed relatively sensitive to each others' statements, but I can see the usual Mudcat wrangles starting... Isn't it obvious by now that a civilised discussion on a technical point is so much more productive than mudcat slinging?

(Sighs, picks up banjo, bodhran and Strat and gets coat...)