I've come to the conclusion that the problem with a lot of guitar accompaniment is the way chords are described, learnt and reproduced. It seems to be taken as read that every note of every chord must be played, all the time and on every stroke of the plectrum. I've seen guitarists (and cittern/bouzouki players) in well-known bands thrashing instruments to within an inch of their lives. Can't say I've heard them - it's impossible to pick anything out from the wall of sound that results.

Presumably (and unfortunately), these are the people that your average session player is taking a lead from, rather than the expert players that Dick has alluded to. There are many other excellent players who could be put forward as great accompanists - Chris Newman and Arty McGlynn come to mind - but they are playing at levels of technical excellence to which most of us can only aspire from afar.

Can I suggest another approach? Throw away the plectrum. Learn to finger-pick. Limit yourself to finger and thumb to start with. Don't use thumb- or finger-picks. Suggest chords by picking out a couple of appropriate notes - leave things open to interpretation. Attempt to learn the tunes - even short phrases every now and then help vary the pattern.

And if people complain that they can't hear you - well, problem solved!

Ross