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Variety is the spice of life. You will end up playing your own way anyhow. Work on what you feel gives you the most satisfaction now, but add in some practice time that adds challenges.

Controling a flat pick is something that keeps developing throughout your life, and it does take time. If you spend a few minutes working with your pick every night / every time you pick up the guitar it will build.

One suggestion would be to dump the thin pick it's more of a crutch than anything else. Get a heavier / sturdier pick. Try to play with a loose hold on the pick - let it move as it hits the strings. It will feel like you're playing with a spade at first and the picks will make lovely arcs as they fly willy-nilly through the air, but it will come together in the end.

One other thing you could bear in mind is how you attach the capo. It is very easy to twist or stretch strings out of tune if you are slap dash about it. This is particularly the case with the low/bass E string.  Make sure the rubber of the capo is touching all the strings before you tighten it up - carefully.

I remember George Harrison commenting on the plagiarism allegations over My sweet Lord (?) that there were only 7 notes to choose from anyway.

Still, this is Bert Jansch playing Blackwater Side ( possibly a Trad song anyway)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkX7Q2J7k48

and this is Page's version -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBlWgFDiK5Q

Page said of Jansch - "At one point, I was absolutely obsessed with Jansch. When I first heard that LP ( the 1965 debut) , I couldn't believe it. It was so far ahead of what anyone else was doing. no-one in america could touch that." Neil Young also said " as much a great guitar player as Jimi (Hendrix) was, Bert Jansch is the same for acoustic guitar, and my favourite."

There are so many sad songs of emmigration, Spancil Hill, The Irish Rover, even McAlpine's Fusiliers!

I particularly love Christy Moore's "Back Home in Derry" ( http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/www.p … /DERRY.TXT )

Can't let that one go, Ken.

To quote Wikipaedia "Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish alternative rock band which formed in Dundee, Scotland,[4] with the majority of their members being from Bangor and Belfast, Northern Ireland. They are based in Glasgow and are signed to Polydor Records. "

I'll agree, however, that "come from" can mean a number of things.

My grandparents used to have a heavy, black, cane rocking chair that would almost rock itself. The seat was busted out so you had to put a pillow across it to sit. They lived deep in the city, but still under the brow of Belfast's hills - Mountcashel St for anys might know it. I used to sit in the attic looking out through the skylight and rock.

Now they give us prozac !

There was a young upstart guitarist
Drew plaudits from all but the charmless
for scintillating appeggio,
blue, langourous legato
and breaking more strings than the harpist.

He swung his gee-tar cross his shoulder,
Stood Tall like Rambo the soldier,
But he ended up sick
When his uranium pick
nuked his knuckles and and sizzled his shoulder.

Guppy, the name he was known as,
Wouldn't rhyme with any word we have,
But he'd strum at his thing,
His guitar strings would sing
And everyone would just forget that they'd been trying to find a word that might possibly rhyme with Guppy.

Ah the Parting Glass ! It was played at my father in law's funeral - always draws a sigh.

There was a wonderful acapella version by the Voice Squad.  There's a little touch of it here -

http://www.taramusic.com/wimpy/4004.htm

I think Highland, lowland, Irish and English traditions have influenced Old Time and Bluegrass. The BBC did a programme some years ago called "Bringing it all Back Home", looking at the tradition. They produced a double CD with artists such as Ricky Skaggs, Davy Spillane, Elvis Costello, Dolores Keane, Emmylou Harris and the Everly's. ( See http://www.answers.com/topic/bringing-i … k-home-bbc for more detail.)

We have our own Appalachian and Bluegrass Festival every September at the Ulster/American Folk park. I have managed to miss it for the past three years. If you're interested, this year's programme is at

http://www.bluegrassomagh.com/

BTW Zurf, Pandora is now only available to those within the US. I used to have my own bluegrass/ newgrass channels on it, but was denied access because of licensing issues. It is a great site!

Make those thermals inflatable.

I just heard that a group of hillwalkers had to be helicoptered off the Mournes last night because the rivers were in spate. What the rivers were doing there I don't know, but it sounded ominous. Maybe they were "hill swimmers."

I'm just after a week in the Antrim Glens at the Heart of the Glens festival - don't remember much but a general feeling of goodwill and bonhommie. This weekend is my middle daughter's birthday sleepover - it should be re-named sleep-never. I hope to keep out of the rain !

Weather's lovely up here in Belfast, Old Doll, lovely and damp that is ; )

Should we, as ever thoughtful neighbours, be thinking of helicoptering in some inflatable dinghies - or would it just add to the traffic congestion ?