Hi Sprintbob,
Thanks so much for listening and the feedback.
I remember that you study with Mark, so it's very good to hear your observations. I'm glad to know it is ok to skip Hesitation Blues, and to skip around a bit in the Art of Solo book.
When I finished up the Travis book I was at loose ends. The Art of Solo book seemed a little too advance at the time, and I had not yet discovered Beyond Basics. Mark plays the tunes very fast
So I looked around a bit and found Toby Walker's into to fingerpicking video series. I highly recommend it to anyone following along on this thread, especially if you are a visual learner. I'm not very visual and usually prefer tab and a recording, but Toby' videos helped me a lot.
I also picked up a couple of Woody Mann books which are great. Currently working on his version of Saturday Night Rub and a tune based on Mississippi John Hurt's style. Highly recommended.
I realize I need a little more structure and feel like I now am up to really digging in to the Art of Solo book. I'm starting at the beginning with Red White and Blue Rag which is coming a lot easier than when I first attempted it a few months back. I've also discovered Key to the Kingdom thanks to Kerbie's input in this thread. Mark sells a very advanced "performance" tab on his website which is way beyond me, but I was happy to discover the beginner version in the Beyond the Basics book.
BTW, I have followed your progress in some other threads and it is quite remarkable given the relatively short time you have been at it!
Thanks again for your comments,