And I lost that lottery! I'm the short stubby hands with short fingers, not long and thin. I find a lot of strain on my left thumb tucked behind/along the rail when reaching for certain chords requiring the 4th finger. I am trying to be very aware of arm movement and positioning, watching Greg's instructional DVD. I still get a lot of strain. Does anyone play with the thumb kind of "hanging out", not along the rail or back of the neck, but rather just hanging above the frets, and perhaps able to be used for some notes along the way? I find that more ergonomically comfortable, but I don't know yet if it will work... I'm still very new at this, 2 weeks in.
~RandO

I could solve this problem for you in 2 minutes on skype, and we'd have 28 minutes to work on other things...

Greg is right.

I've noticed over time that using the left elbow as a pivot (up and down / forward and backward) puts your left hand in the right (no pun intended) position to play any left hand chord. It also helps a lot to keep a straight tempo when arpeggiating. The result is much less finger stretching and wrist contortion for easy and precise playing.

Greg, I'll definitely be in touch then. I need my hands for work, and I can already feel mild tendinitis in my left forearm, and soreness in my thumb!

Olivier thank you for agreeing with Greg!

That makes my decision easier. I'm one of those "do it yourself" kinda guys, but I can also relate to experts knowing a hell of a lot more than me. It's easier to get taught a shortcut or correction in 5 minutes than to take 5 months and try to figure it out myself (maybe!!). I really want to play!!
Rand

Yours are words of wisdom, RandO