yeh I love flamenco - well to be honest all Spanish music is pretty good. all that stuff from the basque country as well.

the guitars are shit hot over there . made from cypess wood - which is incredibly light - almost as though they were built out of balsa wood, and the sound literally explodes underneath you hands when you roll your fingers over the strings.

a mate of mine is a jazz guitarist. he has a girlfriend in Barcelona and he was saying all Spanish people have a real rspect for the guitar. After all its Spain's gift to the world. they feel they have an investment in every halfway decent guitarist that ever lived.

I don't know if he's right, but I got an incredible reception just doing simple Rambling Jack Elliot type fingerpicking when I played a folk club in majorca one time.

I don't agree with you guys about the thumb. Over the years its become part of what I do. Still no need to get verbissen.

best wishes to all

big al