All great ideas! I learned the hard way - like Rick said "They like guitars in their cases." Most of the Old Time Fiddlers I've known are a pain in the butt to say the least. I had one who decided in mid song to change key from G to F. And he does it just to confuse everyone. He was asked to play a funeral last week and kept doing songs that weren't requested by the family, would do them in a different key than previously rehearsed, and at the end Marilyn was ready to choke him! I've only known a few that could actually keep time and make a sound that was really clean and crisp. But that's Old Time Fiddle. Gonna play with them accept it.

My personal little revenge was to learn how to flat pick the songs as well as the "proper" (they are really into the proper way to play songs)way to chord the tunes. I figured if I knew it better than they did I could at least know when the changes were coming and not make as much noise during that period!! I spent a while up in Lewiston, Idaho playing backup for some of the newer fiddlers in competition and it was a lot of fun.

Old Time Fiddler joke

Know how to get rid of the fiddlers? Start singing a C&W tune. - - - It really isn't a joke - it's what we do.

But if you find some fiddlers that are good at it and willing to play with you - man you can learn some fine old tunes!!

Steve