Thanks for that last post SOP. I had hoped that there might be a little thoughtful, insightful reflection on how all music is built upon what has gone before, but I'm afraid that in the UK conversations quickly descend to firing rounds from behind barricades. That seems to be a uniquely English phenomenon, although friends like Peter seem perfectly comfortable stepping beyond arguments about definitions to reflect upon how we all make music.

For the record, I love what I think of as traditional music and still get a rush out of singing the old songs. That love shapes the songs I write and my respect for the tradition has not waned over the years. I wrote a song about it many years ago. It's not a folk song I suppose, and certainly is not traditional. But it honors the tradition.

"We are walking in the footsteps of those who've gone on before
And their music will keep on ringing until we meet on that Golden shore"

This has become a UK thread. You'll notice that almost no one from the U.S. is posting. I think I'll leave this discussion to my U.K. friends, of which I have many. I don't have any more to add.

Thanks for the posts.

Jerry