I guess my musical preferences made me a pretty lucky guitarist — if not necessarily a good one. When I first started playing one of my heroes was Hoyt Axton, who showed me his version of Greenback Dollar. Another song of his I really liked was Movin' Down The Line — written, if memory serves, by Rod McKuen (Sp?). My Air Force buddy who was teaching me the basics said the only way to play the latter was to start in F#, drop to an E and alternate that through two verses and a chorus. Then I took it up half a tone and alternated between G and F and so forth, ending the song in A. The only way to do it, he said, was with a barre F position. So I learned it, no questions asked. Don't remember how long it took — probably a fuzzy-noted couple of weeks — but until I read this thread I had no idea so many people found it so difficult.

As I said, I guess it was just dumb luck, but I've always been glad because that barred E position is a mainstay in blues and besides, I can't hook my very short, once-broken thumb over the neck — much as I'd like to for walking the bass down. I HATE people with long, supple thumbs!

cheers all,

david