I'll be cutting down on open mikes.
While it's nice to visit my friends, the drawbacks are starting to outweigh the benefits.
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If you are an originals artist, then know this: A constant diet of cover songs is bad for your creativity.
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I'm being asked to play with other musicians who do not know how to play my songs.
If I refuse to let them play with me (because they'd ruin a song which they do not know how to play), - then people might think I'm snooty.  Not at all: I like people. 
But it's frustrating when someone who doesn't know a song plays the wrong chords, or speeds-up too fast (forcing me to have to drop notes or chords out of my own song, to maintain a steady tempo).
Very few musicians will learn one of my songs 'on-the-fly,' without also disrupting the song.
Unless they have rehearsed with me, they'll reach for the chords which they are used to reaching for, instead of the correct chords.  And a "D" is not a substitute for a "G9."
So, if I don't want other's playing along, it's not a reflection on them as a person.  I just don't want to ruin my songs. 
So - to be sociable, I could play cover songs . . .
But . . .
I've found that the standard, simple cover songs, which I've been hearing over and over (and over and over and over) again at open mikes . . . are starting to find their way into my subconscious stream of inspiration . . . and polluting and simplifying it.
That's just listening to cover songs; I don't want my fingers to start to habitually reach for 'standard' chords, also . . . I don't want to simplify my playing.  I'd rather play something that's pretty hard for me to play; that's how we learn . . .
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There's also a lot of really good - and creative - songs out there. . . .
But found that I write my best music when I haven't heard anyone else's music for at least 3 days . . .
I need to hear new songs.
So, I guess I need to be less sociable, for a while.  It's become a 'no-win' situation for me.
But I want to write new music . . .
I've gotta admit; I'll miss a lot of my friends; hope they'll understand . . . I suspect not . . .
. . .
But I need time to record fresh music.