Welcome aboard Adam. You really captivated EVERYONE with your first posting. You should know that you have a lot of people on your side, as well as looking out for your best interests. About instruments; I've always felt that the piano is the basic instrument. Study it well, and you will learn much about music theory, scales, chords, chord progressions, transposing, music history, plus it's a great instrument to goof around with when you feel inventing a melody. What do I do now? ... well, one thing you might do is just hang out for a while. Check mudcat maybe once a day, to see what's new. Just by reading the postings, you'll absorb a great deal of information. Don't be in a hurry to post a message unless you feel inspired. But, if something you read creates a question with you, chase it, through the library, talking with people, asking questions. I was about your age when I discovered folksongs. I almost lived at the library until I was 15 while I was exploring the subject. It took me several years to realize just how much information and knowledge I had absorbed and how many skills I had developed on my own. Have fun. Bob (deckman) Nelson