There's a little comparing of apples and oranges here, but I can't buy that mastering a mandolin or banjo or guitar doesn't require "a mbuttive effort". Plus, the level of skill defined by being a "master" is defined differently from person to person. A person who doesn't play banjo will define "mastering the banjo" much differently than one who does play, I would suspect. And overall, the bar is being raised all the time.

Having listened to lots of Sam and lots of Chris, my impression has been just the opposite. No mandolinist has impressed me in regards to sheer originality more than Chris Thile, although he's not my favorite mandolinist. I prefer more of a Monroe style. But I can't recall Thile playing anything that sounded like a Bush lick, or vice versa. They've got starkly different styles and sounds.

Actually, around here (Chicago) it seems that fiddle, mandolin, and banjo are all in short supply.

Well, each instrument has its place in a bluegrbutt band. Otherwise, a bluegrbutt band would just consist of fiddles!

I do envy good fiddle players. But then again, I envy good musicians period. I love the sound of the fiddle, wish I could play it better than I do.

I don't think that what someone else does with their instrumental skills in any way impacts the achievement you make with yours. Just must sure you inject part of your own soul into what you play, and it doesn't matter if there are 50,000 other banjo players, as long as you enjoy picking your own banjo. Ultimately, we only pick because it makes US happy. If we end up entertaining other folks along the way, so much the better.

I'd love to have a good fiddle in our band, too. It's a sound that just grabs you by the heart and drags you in. It's a powerful, emotive instrument.