Hi Ronnie, thank you for the nice feedback.
I actually use my ring finger (a) pretty often, maybe even too often See my comments on this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=564&p=3227#p3227In the tune Solitaire, I do use the M finger more than I might have traditionally done, because I am working on technique a bit. But, the A finger is in there a good bit ... for example, several instances of me getting the first string with it and the third string with my I finger, several instances of me getting the first string with A and the second with M. (The low quality of the YouTube videos makes it really difficult to tell which fingers are operative at times, especially with me keeping my fingers so close together.)
A more typical case of how I generally play is the tune Bouncer, in which I use the A finger a fair amount. I read many, many years ago that the A finger is the weaker of the playing fingers (I've never tried to use my pinky, although I understand that Lenny Breau sometimes used his), so I set about to make it a habit to use it as much as Practical, so that it would "be there" when I really needed it.
Last week, though, I took the time to watch several YouTubes of Chet, and, while he used his A finger some, he used his M finger a lot more, using it in places where I would have used the A. Figuring that it would pay for me to follow the master a bit more closely, I've been working on involving my A finger a bit less, while trying to keep it enough in the picture to "not lose it when I need it." (I do this while humbly remembering that Merle got so much sound with just the thumb and index finger. Ditto on Doc Watson.)
As to the recording, I use an old Sun amp, with a cheap logitech mic which goes into a USB port on my Mac. I don't really monitor any aspect of it, except that I have experimented to try and find the right volume. I come pretty close to using the amp settings that Paul recommends, I believe in his FAQ, although I tend to add a bit more treble to some tunes.
I'd like to see some discussion on use of fingering from some of the guys who teach the Chet and Merle and Jerry techniques, but I get the impression that what you should ultimately do is more a matter of personal taste, and what feels right, than a "pure science."
Thanks again, Ronnie. I like discussing this kind of stuff. I wish I knew enough to be good at discussing it.
Bruce