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Thanks for that bootlegger. Good news is my quest is getting closer, this lunchtime I played 2 Brawley guitars. Huge, warm sound and great neck and body shaping. I gather these aren't made anymore but the shop had two - a S/S/H trem and H/H hardtail. If I don't hear any better instruments over the weekend I'll be playing the two off against each other on Monday.   <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_cool.gif" border=0 alt="Cool">

If you mean hard to play the Police's 'Every Breath You Take' features a near impossible stretch by Stewart Copeland the way it's played on the record. I also think the big wild break in Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was meant to be impossible to play live, Brian May may have achieved this by foot triggering a pre-recorded loop he played over. Then there are songs with tricky rhythmns like Ian Dury and the Blockheads 'Reasons To Be Cheerful'. On the otherhand maybe you mean tricky tunings and chord shapes, have a look at Paul Brady on You Tube and or even purchase his tutorial CD. On the same track Nick Drake's tunings and picking patterns are just way off the beaten path; Chordie doesn't have many of them but if you google up Nick Drake's fan site you'll find some very intense tabs.

There are alot of chords used by folk musicians that aren't in regular chord dictionaries. These are often variations on existing chords but they often introduce an element of dischord. They are used passingly so add interest. 'Lyin Eyes' by the Eagles comes to mind as the G that begins the verses morphs into G9 I think (like G7 but with first finger on the second fret thinnest string).

Another folk move is playing G with a finger on the 3rd fret second thinnest string. This gives a lovely celtic feel to a song. If you go to a Drop D tuning (very folky) and hold the two thinnest strings at the 3 rd fret with ring and little fingers your first finger can move across 5th 4th and 3rd strings on the second fret to give a flowing G C D run, although none will be rulebook chords.

See if your friends won't slow up and show you their moves, some of this stuff has never been written down, just passed between friends for generations.

Nylon strings are easier on the fingers but they aren't all that good for strumming. With steel you can get a range of sounds from jangly to thumpy; nylon will only give you woolly sweet strums.

Nylon gives you a mellow tone perfect for finger styles playing, you can inject emotion without the histrionics of electrical leads.

If you persevere with steel strings you'll develop callouses and finger strength faster than if you favoured nylon (or indeed electrics strung with super light 9s). Typically an 11 gauge medium string will suit beginners. Don't be tempted by macho 12s and 13s these a pinkie-graters <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_wink.gif" border=0 alt="Wink">

Simply put the larger sizes of guitar are louder. If you play a packed folk club with a dreadnought you'll be heard at the back. Resonator guitars are louder without being bigger but they are expensive.

Most beginners find the physical size of a jumbo off-putting. When in the guitar shop make sure you sit down with the guitar and can find a good strumming position where your arm sits nicely atop. Even in standard size small differences in body depth and sound hole position can make the difference between something you'll never be comfortable with and 'your guitar'.

Alot of beginners favour semi-acoustics because they have less 'back' and are easier held. Of course with these if you want to be louder you can buy an acoustics amplifier.

Thanks for that Wicked, I've been reading around and I reckon part of the problem is the shop I did the try-outs in uses a Marshall set for a needle-sharp sound even without over-drive. Part of my trouble is not understanding modern amp controls (gain, gate, filter etc). I suspect I'm after an old-fashioned Fender 'jazz' sound, even though I like alot of early garage stuff those groups often used semis and tweed type amps cos they were the only kit available.

I'm looking to audition at different shops this weekend, but I'm not going to rush into a guitar/amp setup that doesn't seduce me totally  <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_cool.gif" border=0 alt="Cool">

Gram Parson's 'How Much I Lied', a really well-paced song where the words and the picked pieces dovetail beautifully. You may need to add  a resting G pick at the end of the chorus parts.

Electric guitars need a setup far more often than acoustics do, usually to correct intonation. When in a guitar shop I take an Intellisense contact tuner with me. I tune up the guitar nice and then play E on the 12th fret top and bottom. If it's out then the intonation needs adjusting, not a good sign in a new electric but shops don't pay enough attention to this. Acoustics rarely ever lose intonation since everything is fixed, however an old acoustic that's been played lots will have plenty a good luthier can correct, worn frets, wonky neck etc.

When You Say Nothing At All - G C D Em

Get Back - A A7 D G (need to be very fast on the GA break)

Rise - G D Am

Knockin On Heaven's Door - G D C Am

You can also sham through songs with Bs and Fs using cheats. For F make the shape but just lay for first finger on the last two strings rather than having to stretch it out for a barre and strum without hitting the low E string.

For Bm make the same shape but one string down and one fret  down. Avoid the low E and A strings. Look to plant your ring and little fingers together on the fourth fret spot and the other two come down behind. Alot of songs use Bm as a passing highpoint so this rough cheat shouldn't show up too badly.

Of course it can become a bad habit so push on learning barres anyway.

I'm currently using Nick Loew's excellent song 'She's Got Soul' to work on my barre technique. It's from them CD 'The Convincer' and is what you might call english country.