"This will be my last reply as this whole thing is clearly a waste of time and a distraction from what could otherwise be a productive and practically useful discussion about arranging for the banjo.  1. This hypothetical distinction assumes…"

"Austin, it's not my job to convince you that you are wrong (and when people who are older than you, more experienced, and better studied tell you outright that you are wrong, you should at least consider the possibility that you are, indeed,…"

"Samuel Floyd Jr is not typically described as an ethnomusicologist per se (no disrespect to him), although his work is certainly relevant. Fine. Here's how I know you haven't actually read him (or have, but didn't understand it). In…"

"Oh? Which ethnomusicologists exactly? I am in the middle of getting my PhD in ethnomusicology. Surely, I have heard of them."

"The entries in Grove are written by professional musicologists and reviewed by an editorial team of other professional musicologists. It is literally the standard English-language reference for the field of musicology.…"

"You can't redefine terms as you please and then conclude "like it or not." That's not how serious discussion (musicological or otherwise) works. Below is the entry for "Call and response" from Grove Music (emphasis…"

"Wait, that's what this is about? All the stuff about bluegrass and old time appropriating black music is actually about 19th century Americans not "getting" what Beethoven was dishing out? And you're suggesting that,…"

"Everyone plays some version of the same tune at the same time. That's really it. Call and response would be: I (alone) sing/play a phrase, and then you (or a group) respond by singing/playing some other phrase; then we move on to the next…"

"Austin, have you ever actually sat in on an old time jam? Because that's simply not what happens. "

"The point is the average listener doesn't know how much of every modern genre of music is owed to black foundations.  1. Do you know that this is the case, or are you making a broad assumption?  2. If that is indeed the case, why…"

""Nutty" is a bit strong. It's unusual (and ultimately obsolete) for banjo notation, but that particular way of notating multi-note tremolo technique is fairly common in sheet music for piano, guitar, and harp. This particular case is…"

"It looks like a tremelo/shake; you rapidly alternate between the two notes for the duration of the measure. The G# is a pull-off. So it would be played like A-G# A-G# A-G# A-G# A-G# A-G# A-G# A-G# (32nd notes) "

"If your goal is to be draining, you're off to a great start. "

"Joel, you and I are on the same page with this. I don't bring up that type of language to insinuate one thing or another but just to recognize that these issues were thought about and argued over (and in some ways…"

"That arrangement of Caravan is pretty interesting. I can hear the connection but the feeling is just totally different. That's something to consider when arranging for banjo (or any other instrument). Beyond the question of whether or not you…"