Very interesting thread. Barry Finn, Ewan McV. and Roger in Baltimore are some of my favorite 'Catters, and I always pay attention to their postings, given the level of respect I have come to have for their opinions. So I guess it shouldn't surprise me that I agree with their opinions on this matter. For me, I would have to say that I use most of the methods mentioned above to learn. By far, the best for me is to listen to the cut, scribbling furiously on a pad, then taking it and typing it up from my notes. I then work out the chord structure, as recorded. Then I make the modifications that I am going to make to interpret the song "my way". It could be as little as a key change, or as much as a complete restructure.

On the subject of those who ask for words and chords, I always figure it is someone who is not at the level of accomplishment to be able to do it, or they would. I remember those days, and was always grateful for the help. So I try to help where I can. Also, sometimes I figure that someone has just heard the song, but doesn't have the recording and want a little help quickly. In fact, I did that very ting (can I buy a consonant?) on a couple of songs here, that I needed quickly. One was "45 Years" and I hadn't heard it in a while, and got a request from the Bride at the wedding, the day before. And my dear friends from Mudcat came through for me.

All the best,

Mick