Tip for beginners:
If you haven't already figured this out, the importance, in folk music, of talent is greatly overrated.
This tip may seem obvious but I've met people for whom it is not. If many people seem to have a particular skill or play at a certain level, the chances are excellent that you can do it also. The real secret is determination. Musical instruments are designed with human beings in mind. That means nearly any able-bodied person willing to work at it should be able, eventually, to play all but the most sublimely advanced pieces. It's really only a matter of effort.

There are many things I'd like to be able to play on my guitar but cannot. I do understand, however, that I am primarily limited by my own sloth and by the priorities I set.

      - Mark