Thanks to all the replies. You have given me determination. The songs are in my head, I just have to make my fingers cooperate. As my old pop always tells me, you gotta get to where your fingers just do what they are supposed to without you thinking about it.

Though I have been heavily exposed to music most of my life I never tried to play anything until recently, or learn anything about all the mechanics and terminology of the actual playing it. For that this forum has been a gold mine.

Yes, I agree this forum has been a gold mine of information which has kept me going in times of frustration, although some of the masters that post here have indeed been very humbling.

One thing I forget to mention that I learned (in my very limited knowledge/experience) when playing octaves is the concept of "The Cajun Bouncing Finger". When you are holding an octave on either the push or the pull, and you want 8th/16th notes, all you need to do is "bounce" your index finger in time with the music. It makes the higher tempo notes much easier to keep up with.

Now if someone could provide some advice on how to master what I do with the two remaining fingers, and how to figure out how to keep my left hand in synch with what I right hand is doing, I would be eternally grateful.



Hal