Eric: I will work on a way to share some of my music, perhaps through private email.

rgtaa: I don't fully understand your question, so let me explain a little more about how I think and see if that helps.

I have no doubt as to Uncle Dave's ability (and it's unfair to him to use him as an example but he'll have to do for the sake of discussion) and I'm assuming he is a terrific performer: probably nice looking, a multi-talented keyboardist and singer with an established fan base, a nice family, a really swell guy. There are several swell guys like this in my area today and they enjoy their many blessings quite openly. Now I have to compete with lots of swell guys in their own market, and I don't sing and I'm not the best looking type either, so I'm at a disadvantage right away. It would be suicide to go head to head against swell guys playing what they do to their crowds, not like I want to anyway. All I got is bone-deep keyboard ability and unmitigated gall.

So yeah, I decided to take the attitude that I have a better idea: I could outperform and outclass my competition, not by playing what they played but by playing what they didn't or couldn't. And do it right. Some of the swell-guy employers liked the idea of something different and took a chance on me. Then the reviews came in, and people really liked my music... especially people who wanted an alternative to the swell-guy crowd. A press review in my city's paper that called me "the Jimi Hendrix of keyboards", not because I played rock but because I was doing something innovative and unique (their words).

Life is easy for people who are multi-talented, and it shows in their demeanor and acceptance of the way life is at times. I'm not one of the lucky ones, so if I upset their serenity with a few unexpected challenges, it's completely intentional. Call it not giving a damn or whatever, I call it making a living with the few tools I was given.