Stringsinger: I don't *aspire* to achieve the technical level of Tommy Emmanual, though I do hope that he *inspires* me.

I'll be happy if I can succeed at, in the words of Will Fly above: Playing a more complex fingerpicked tune - i.e. where the melodic line is not tied rhythmically or harmonically to the rhythm or the chord pattern requires a much greater discipline. It often pre-supposes a good chord knowledge up and down the fretboard, and the ability to play both hands independently, as in a piano.

I am now starting to play a bit with other people, and I'm slowly getting over the nerves that have been causing me to mess up public performances. Your point about shorter segments of practice is well made. I'll give that a try.

Leadfingers: Rob's comment about Octave Mandolin (Or should it be Octave Mandola?)

It seems to be called an Octave Mandolin. The Octave Mandolas made by the same manufacturer have a scale length of 542 mm (21.34 ins) whereas the Octave Mandolin I have has scale length 610 mm (24.01 ins). The Bouzouki from the same source has a scale of 660 mm (25.98 ins). I'm told that the Octave Mandolin is often called in the USA a "short scale Bouzouki".