Hey.

Thanks for more responses!

ManXcat, you were correct. I think I needed a rest. I was playing the EJ lessons almost exclusively for 2 hours a day. After about 15 minutes this morning I'd recovered my lost ground and gained some on the final section. The finger positioning on that one had been giving me grief, but it inexplicably fell into place immediately today.

Christopher, thank you for the deep analysis. All of it is spot on, I think. Sadly, the amp situation isn't going to change while in my current residence. My wife is currently intent on moving to a detached house, which would give me the freedom to play through an amp. I value my eardrums too much to use headphones. Years of listening to music on Walkmans/iPods etc. have already left me with moderate tinitus and I'm not going to push it any further.

One thing that stood out in your response was pressure. This is true for me particularly on lick 5, which due to its speed is the most difficult lesson. I feel heavy-handed playing it and the pick often gets tangled up. I've tried altering the pick position, to no avail. I'll just need to try and work out how to play witha lighter touch without missing notes or deliberately using pull offs to cheat a bit. 😁

I guess that if I pick a lesson that's a wee bit out of reach, it's going to take significant time and effort. Just reading the comments has given me the impetus to keep trying.

Thanks again, one and all.