Most ethnomusicological discussions of the transmission of tradition attempt to document and interpret the manner in which music is communicated over time within a particular setting, giving attention to both the interpersonal dynamics and communication technologies of these processes.2 However, I will focus my inquiry neither on the native carriers of tradition nor on the materials these traditions convey. Rather, I propose to take a reflexive turn and to discuss the role of the ethnomusicologist who, while seeking to document the transmission process, becomes a part of it.