Being a Country Fan, I am biased but yes, it is totally worth checking out. You will see, there isn’t a thing like “the country music”, there are lots of different subtypes that sound different, but yet familiar. It’s an interesting topic on its own you really can get lost in. 
If you really want to follow that path, you can DM me for listening suggestions or any other hints.
OK, let’s try this again, since apparently I am not allowed to post about the kind of Country music I would like to listen to. Got a formal warning for politics, and everything. I’ll send you a DM for it, @Lisa_S, let’s see if that’s allowed. I have found some queer Country music that I like, and would love more recommendations along those lines, if anyone knows any.
1. Dezember 2024
I learned the rest of the chords to Hallelujah to day, which means I can now play through it at least, even if it is only with two strums per bar on account of that blasted F barre. It’s already going up smoother though, so it definitely was a good decision to put that song into my repertoire. Though maybe I should cool it a little with practice, since my fretting hand is starting to ache unpleasantly, and it stays for longer and longer after practice.
I also love those little base runs, and I’m having fun figuring them out on my own. C to E or E minor is weird, there are so many notes inbetween that it’s difficult to choose. I’d love to go up instead of down, cause then I could use the chromatic, but then I would have to find a different shape to play E chord in, one that’s an octave up from the open thick E string. Ah well, a fun thing to figure out tomorrow^^
Country music is dealing with each and every topic, that touches the heart, soul and life in general. Basically, there’s probably country songs about pretty much everything. It just depends what’s important for the song writer. And it has to be “true”, means country music is often about ones true feelings/thoughts about a thing. So I’m pretty sure there’s loads of songs on queer topics, too. 
But in that specific direction I can’t advice, as I have not yet thought too much about the preferences of certain artists. 
This is such good advice and so obvious! I think sometimes we can get so caught up with the learning that we forget to stand back and stick to and reaffirm the basic and foundations.
Choose a piece, learn it bit by bit, learn it until can play it without looking for the notes, add metronome… Play along to the music.
I’m such an idiot, I very rarely even think of playing along to the actual song… This will teach timing, rhythm, timing, dynamics etc etc, it is the ultimate teacher, but you have to have all your ducks in a row first I think…
4. Dezember 2024
I gotta say, my fretting hand is developing weird muscle aches now that I’m playing so much more F barre. I know how to keep it in acceptable margins from long experience, and I’m doing a lot of stretches to help it along, but it does feel weird how out of balance my hands now feel. My left hand feels like it’s becoming Lance Archer, while my right stays Darby Allin forever. Ah well, they work well together, so that’s probably a good thing^^
I’ve gone snooping about in other grade three modules again, and I think I’ve found the next thing for my Blues journey: triads, and then chipped triads. It sounds so lovely. For trying to finally get the hang of singing to 16th note strumming, I’m gonna try everything the kind people in the thread said, starting with singing to muted strumming, and then recording both strumming and singing separately, etc. And I think I’m getting back to the Folk Fingerstyle course, too, which means practicing the patterns again, and finding songs for them for the moment.
I leaped ahead too and had a sneaky peak at triads. Bit of a rabbit hole so be warned 
I understood the concept, its actually blindingly simple and I think I was stuck on it for ages , looking for the complications…
I’m also using it as a tool to help me memorise the fretboard as this is something I really struggle with.
I’m still only using the 1, 2 and 3 strings for now…
Have you ever heard David Allan Coe’s “Perfect Country song”?
“You Never Even Called Me By My Name” is the Perfect Country & Western song! Listen to it & you’ll hear why he says so! 
Tod
Tod, that’s a great tune!! 
Haven’t heard that one before, it’s a true shame! You are totally right, it’s the perfect Country song and an hommage to all the Country greats. Luv’it!
I consider myself appropriately warned now, thank you^^
Nope, I did not. I like kt, though, very perfect^^
15. Dezember 2024
Just now, I heard ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ for the first time, and I didn’t start crying until I read a youtube commenter who wrote down another verse:
Puff the Magic Dragon
Walked out on the Strand.
He looked down, and there he saw
Footprints in the sand.
A voice said ‘Mr. Dragon,
Please don’t be so sad.
My name is Jenny Paper. I
Was send here by my dad.’
It’s such a bittersweet song in the original, which came as a complete surprise to me. Because for 30+ years, ever since I was seven years old and a local band came to our teeny tiny Elementary School, I knew the tune as ‘Fluck der edle Drache’, a cheerful song about a noble dragon who is friends with a princess, who loves parties and has a birthday soon, and also occasionally chases away knights who want to ‘rescue’ the Princess Flo, when she is just out for a picknick and a party with her friend Fluck. I can still sing all of it from memory, because we purchased one of their casette tapes that day, and I played it over and over.
I have researched the band who made this specific translation since then, and apparently, they only made three cassette tapes in the early 90’s, and I don’t know what became of them after. And it took me until today to realise that a) nobody knows this translation except whoever was around at that time and region, and b) it’s actually a translation of this beautiful, bittersweet, widely-known English song by Peter, Paul, and Mary that I got to discover anew and already love at first listen.
What a strange bit of timey-whimey-languagey magic!
(If anyone wants to learn it, I like this tutorial from Lauren Bateman)
16./17. Dezember 2024
Today is apparently one of these days where nothing works right, not even the things I already know. Somehow, my fretting hand has forgotten how to change from G to C, my timing is all over the place, I had to look up B7 twice, and my alternate base picking is sloppy and terrible and sounds more like accidental strumming.
I was getting frustrated, so I did what I always do: do something different, and come back to it after a few hours. Which is why it is now 1 am on the next day, and I’ve spent the last few hours figuring out and practicing how to play ‘Puff the Magic Dragon/Fluck der edle Drache’. It has Bm in it, which is now my second barre chord, and it is astonishingly easy to learn. I think I finally got the hang of barre chords, or getting there, at least. I managed to strum 2x per bar and sing to it, and it only snagged a little bit on the Bm. I also love the fingerpicking pattern, and I’m having a lot of fun practicing it with G and C.
I’m trying to keep my fingers in a better position while picking, and having third and fourth finger free helps. I’m also trying to not press as hard with my fretting hand, but I think my guitar is quite difficult to play overall, so it’s an ongoing struggle.
29. Dzember 2024
Not much playing over the holidays. I asked my sister to bring her guitar, to see if it was maybe easier to play than my own. It wasn’t; in fact, it was quite a bit harder, and there wasn’t a way to adjust the neck either, not that I’ve seen. When I got back from my mum’s place today, I gave my baby a bit of love, and it felt so good to have her under my fingers again <3
I am tentatively changing in lifted barre chords in a few songs; it’s slow-going, since I kinda have to learn them anew, at least a bit. I’m still grateful that F and Bm barre are still working well, though I do have to watch my thumb placement in the chords before to make it easier.
I also promised myself to learn a lot of christmas songs for next year, preferrably fingerstyle, since my sister likes it better than strumming.
1. Januar 2025
Happy New Year, everyone!
Puff/Fluck and with it the Bm barre chord is coming along nicely. I’ve tried it with the Old Faithful today, very slowly, and it was fun! It’s still a bit buzzy on the Bm, and I’ve even tried some simple G-Bm chord changes to figure out how my index finger is supposed to behave, and I think I’m getting there. No pattern yet for Halleluhja, but maybe soon? I love singing that one, at any rate, even with just two strums to the bar.
Because my sister loves it so much, I’ve started on ‘Bard’s Song’ by Blind Guardian, and once I figured out the chord shapes from these tabs, I think it is doable. I’m still sheet-reading it, but I’ll have it in my brain soon enough.
Lifted barre G in ‘Keine ruhige Minute’ feels weird, but sounds great, so I will hopefully learn it with more practice.
Can’t do ‘Country Roads’ atm, cause I cut my index finger, and hammer-ons are hurting it.
I’m not sure where my Blues is gone; I’m definitely listening to some, but don’t feel the need to play or advance it atm? Kinda weird, but whatever, I guess?
Practice atm:
Bard’s Song, Country Roads with hammer-ons and alternating base, Keine ruhige Minute with lifted barre G, Puff the Magic Dragon/Fluck der edle Drache strumming, Hallelujah easy strumming, Schlaflied für Anne clean, Greensleeves fingerstyle a tempo, Little Drummer Boy figuring out rhythm
OK, you kind folks have helped me figure out why I feel like I’m not accomplishing anything lately, despite feeling good about learning and practicing: I was directionless. Why was I directionless? Because I did not know why I was learning guitar.
After thinking about it a bit, and realising that I am kinda annoyed and frustrated by my sister and a friend not wanting to play with me a lot, I realised I want to make music with others. And because that only works in person, I now have to look for others in my neighbourhood or city who want the same thing, and who are willing to put up with me at my current level. Oh joy, finding and interacting with strangers again! But I know I’ll do it eventually, it just might take me a while, and a lot of mental fortitude.
2. Januar 2025
Somedays, you just need to slap and flick and pummel your strings, and produce weird sounds.
Hi again Eva!
I’m guessing that somewhere close to you there is a guitar “jam” group that meets a few times a month… we have several here. My neighbor goes to one at a Community Center in our neighborhood. I’ve been unable to attend because the time they meet doesn’t work for me, but he says it’s a lot of fun with people from all skill levels, total beginners to advanced players/guitar teachers. Another group here has a drummer & a couple of bass players that attend regularly…
Check your city’s website to see if there is a city-sponsored guitar group and/or check at churches in your area… there should be several options if you’re in a city.
Good luck!
Tod
Good advice Tod i have just started to help teach at a community club and I love it we just jam man it is class cheers Hec
Thanks, Hec! By the way, I like your new avatar! Have fun with the group!
Tod
yeah I had problems with it tod but it’s on its way as we talk Cheers 