JBG, it sounds to me like you ran into one of the types I was thinking of—someone who had just discovered major 7th chords and tried to cram them into everything, or use them as if they were primary chords. And that can sound very cheesy. In general, they're not really appropriate in most folk music contexts, and if used at all, should be used with extreme care.

Yes, I think tastes evolve and change with age. And preferences can certainly change. I think it's possible to outgrow some kinds of music and grow into others. Sometimes it's just a matter of exposure. I hated opera until I heard some. I particularly hated Wagnerian opera—until I actually went to a full-length production of a Wagnerian opera. My love for folk music has only grown over the years.

Actually, it may be a kind of sophistication in that the more music you hear and the more types of music you hear, the more you grasp what's possible. Also, you get a better sense of what's appropriate with the various types of music. This can sometimes result in some interesting cross-fertilization. Flamenco guitarists use a lot of partially fingered chords played against open strings, creating some interesting dissonances, all very appropriate to flamenco. The Soleares spends a lot of time moving back and forth between a first position E major and an F major 7th. When I was working out my accompaniment to Yarrow I was trying to find some chord that didn't sound so bland right before the final Am. Fiddling one day with a Soleares (I took a few month's lessons from a genuine flamenco guitarist back in 1962), I hit the F major 7th and something went "click!" I tried it in Yarrow and it worked! But it was pure serendipity rather than any musical brilliance on my part. It's definitely not a "folk" chord, and I wouldn't recommend major 7ths for general folk music use.

Don Firth