Paul,

The extra pressure you need and the dampening of neighboring strings are typical signs that your action needs to be lowered - probably at the nut. It's not hard to do if you're careful, but if you're not comfortable with cutting the nut down yourself, an instrument repair shop should be able to set up the action for $50 or so.

You do need to get the strings as close to the ends of your fingers as you can, but don't forget you're pressing down twice as many strings as you do on your guitar. Also, since the strings are so short, it takes more pressure to bend 'em - another reason to keep the action as low as possible.

Tremolo is easier with a very soft pick, but the sound might be more mellow than you wish. Most pickers use a fairly stiff pick and develop a grip that allows it some movement without letting it escape. You might want to start with a soft pick and work your way up. Just takes practice.

What kind of mando do you have? I don't have a decent one, but I'm kinda shopping around for an older Gibson. Gotta wait until my longevity pays comes in or I sell my boat.

Good Luck, Bert C. acoffman@prodigy.com