Steven, This is the foreward Stan Rogers wrote in my Stan Rogers songbook, it should put your mind at ease! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "This book is intended as a companion piece to my first four albums, although anyone with a rudimentary ablility on the guitar should be able to piece together a reasonable version of any of these songs by paying attention to the notations on chord shapes, tunings and tablatures which are given whenever necessary. I would like to emphasize that I am not a complicated or particularly skilled guitarist. Most of my concentration when performing these songs is given to my voice; perforce the guitar parts must be kept as simple and economical as possible. When in doubt about any particular riff, I strongly advise the reader to find the easiest way to approximate what you hve heard on the record, or leave it out altogether. That's what I'd do!

I have often been told that people are reluctant to play my songs, even though they might like to. The reason most often given is that they feel they should be able to make the songs sound the way I so them. To this I say "What makes you so sure my way is the best way? I only wrote the things. You can make them you own by doing them your way." I have at home several recordings of songs of mine of other artists whose versions I much prefer to my own, and I am always delighted to hear anyone sing one of my pieces. I intended all of these songs to be shared, else I would never have recorded them.

Please feel free to play with the chords, tempo, rythym, and melody as much as you like, and if you come up with anything good let me know immediately so I can steal it from you in that time honoured tradition known as the 'folk process'. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There you go Steven G....permission from the man himself..hope you will take his advice and carry on his music in your own style...its what he wanted.

Huggs from Rory B