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>>>...You’re essentially saying “don’t bother actually learning to play your new instrument. Cheat, so you can fool non-musicians into thinking you can you can play your new instrument”....>>>

I strongly agree with Bob here. It is tempting to see only the similarities between guitar, mandolin and banjo. They all have strings and frets and bodies, right? If that's all you see, then you are missing big differences in method and application. Consider that the banjo comes from africa, the guitar from Spain and the mandolin from Italy. If you miss the characteristics that make them different, you miss a lot.

Flatfoot sez: Call me when 'Talent-in-a-Box' is ready to ship! -- [8{>

Got some tunes on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/flatfoot50
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My BiaB lesson site:
http://jdwolfe0.wixsite.com/learnbiab