Danny,
I again acknowledege your points and agree to diagree with them. I guess the main point I was trying to make is that critiques (even with instruction) are more opinion than are lessons on an instrument. One could compare Beethoven vs Bach and say that they both followed the accepted rules of composition for their time. However, to say whether one was better than the other is a matter of opinion. Or to say that Diane Warren is a better songwriter than Tori Amos. When you look honestly at what is going on in popular music today, I think it would be safe to say that some of the worst music is the stuff that's on the radio. Of course I am aware that this is only my opinion. However, most of the music that is on the radio is popular not because of consenting opinion, but rather because of the corporate dollars that the powers that be put behind it to force feed it to mindless, impressionable youth. When was the last time any of us out there went to a record store and bought a CD of an indie artist they had never heard of or bought some local bands music? I take chances in my music buying all the time. I hardly have anything that would be considered "Top of the charts" music in my CD collection. I know I'm completely taking this in another direction, and I apologize. I just had a few thoughts to express. I saw a great interview with Charlie Daniels yesterday on CMT where he talked of how homogenized the music business has become and about how Nashville in particular has become very "cookie cutter". Anyway, I have said enough.
davey O.

Davey O. Music (ASCAP)
http://www.daveyomusic.freehosting.net
http://www.sonicbids.com/DaveyO