Hi Mick

It seems that you've really made the decision, I'm sure that you won't regret it. My bouzouki work is mostly accompaniment for my singing, and I use the thinnest of flatpicks and combine playing chords (or often the diads mentioned by McGrath) with picking and sort of joiny-up bits. So Guest,Ian's description is quiet accurate - you can combine chord and melody work very easily. Certainly it is easy to join up chords with intermediate chords and/or melody bits. I've certainly found this instrument more immediate fun and easier to learn than any of my other instruments.

Les