One more thought on Joni and reading/writing music. My least favorite song of Joni's (aside from Smoking/try another) is Paprika Plains. I know a lot of you love it. But to me there are just too many places where my ear says "oops." To my ear, contrary to what Joni claims, she DOES hit 'wrong' notes in this composition. She doesn't bend rules in this, she breaks them.
I've often thought that if Joni had some more music theory training (even if she couldn't write out lead sheets) that she would understand her own compositions - past and present - and be able to expand on her work in an interesting way. Sometimes I think she dismisses her early work a bit too easily and may not be able to fully appreciate her innovations in a somewhat studied way. Her writing seems to be dictated by her performance ability and preferences. This is a really natural thing to do - yet I think it would be fascinating to see what she would come up with if she were writing with no intention of performing herself. lots of love Anne
