But Mbo, I only started playing the fiddle at age 31, and the guitar at about 23. Maybe it wasn't so hard because I had piano education from about age nine... didn't have to start at complete ground zero.

Anyway, I haven't tried that thumb thing. I never would have thought of it until I saw a friend of mine play, who is BEYOND MIGHTY GOOD, and he did it. I said, Jonathan, did I see you do that? And he grinned kinda sheepishly, yeah..... (come to think of it, I've seen bass players pull that trick)

For the record, our favorite household guitar is a cheap used Epi that we picked up for $60 at a neighborhood music store, so we could have something to take camping and not worry about losing a large investment. I have a nice guitar, Mister has a nicer guitar, but that little cheap nylon-string baby is so easy to play, and has a really good sound. It's great for practicing those nasty chords! (I think because the action is a little lower than on the other ones.)