Folk musicians play tunes that have been passed along from player to player at contra dances, house parties, and jam sessions. At some point, someone made up each one. If enough people played and liked it, the tune "entered the tradition." For nearly three decades, musicians have adopted Mark Simos' fiddle tunes and waltzes. As he says, "The piece must preserve its integrity when learned by ear, taught informally over the years in an endless game of 'tune telephone,' tinkered with by many ears and hands."