Hello William,
Was not expecting a personalized response....so very thankful. Your tips on elbow/shoulder movement and string guage are insightful and valuable to me at this stage of learning.
I will begin to incorporate them into my daily practice. Unfortunately, all our music vendors are closed during the Coronavirus pandemic and I will be unable to purchase new strings until they reopen.
Thank you for taking time out of your day to help me through this.
Mark