I'm with ya, Richard. But, in areas of opinion, we have no control how others exercise theirs.

As I see it, our choices either enable or disable options for ourselves. As somebody who tends to think outside the box, I am open to just about anything, if it gets me closer to a personal goal. In fact, I'm willing to change my goals to line up with new options made possible by new technology.

I also think there's value in both directions. For example, I am very interested in the current wave of popularity that bluegrass is enjoying, and I'd like to be part of it... but I know that my tendency is toward trying new things, whereas to a very large degree, bluegrass is about preserving traditional music. I respect that enough to get out of the way.

But if I choose to try new and sometimes even crazy-sounding approaches to making musical sounds, it doesn't matter if anybody else approves because people who try new ideas need to be self-validated. If Van Gogh had been dependent on the approval of the art establishment in his day, he would have given up.

Bottom line, everybody needs to decide for him/herself what resonates with their musical sensibilities, then pursue that path whole-heartedly. If you are good at it, no matter which way you went, somebody will appreciate it. And to me, that is the essence of all art: presenting an idea as a form of communication. (NOT presenting it in order to be approved )

Whatever you do, lay it on the table and walk away. The world will judge it in every way possible. Best case scenario is to find the people who like what you like, and share mostly with them. That's part of what makes the user showcase so cool... everybody there appreciates the medium! And they are all improving in an environment where the junk talkers and nay sayers don't hang out

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0