Even if that were the case, no problem, I can laugh at myself, and I definitely found your comic funny. And I’ll continue playing what I like 
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in fact I like harmonica , thats something Id would have like to learn
its not easy !
you re doing great !!!
I hope there is no Bob Dylan fans around here …
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I don’t see anyone here 
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Hi Withold,
Funny, you’re messing with my head a bit… 
That harmonica is a great addition… I’m going to use mine someday… 
. and for the song (for which I bought it …Heart of Gold)) and expecting you to play it, you don’t play it yet… 
I’ll wait patiently …
Keep on going 
Greetings
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I have a Truefire All-Access pass that I got during one of their many sales and I think it is well worth it with the caveat that I think it would be overwhelming for beginners. Where Truefire shines is for intermediate or beyond players who want to do a deep dive into a very specific topic. I use some of the classes to complement what I work on with Justin’s curriculum but even now that Truefire’s tried to curate different lessons into boot camps or learning paths, they definitely are short on the explanations that Justin provides so clearly.
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Thanks for the recommendation, David. I may discuss TrueFire in my LearnLog once it becomes part of my learning routine.
*** CW11/26 ***
I’ll be traveling without my guitar for the rest of the week, so here’s a quick update.
Songwork
I started learning alternate picking, and the first song I want to learn is Everybody Hurts Here is a short exercise at about 60% tempo. The rhythm is not stable yet, and I still have to concentrate hard on the picking, which means I make a lot of mistakes. It will take a while before the picking pattern becomes routine. https://youtu.be/I2saHDpRnv8
In my harmonica course, I am now learning the minor scale. The first minor song I learned was What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor in D minor on a C harmonica. The backing with alternating bass on the guitar separately is already working reasonably well. Together, it is the next challenge.
Ah I use Truefire too but only to add more practice to stuff I ve already learned on JG
I wouldnt use it as a main source for learning
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*** CW12/26 ***
Grade 2 consolidation
In the DRK course, we played Allan Taylor’s Lullaby in G which sounds great with a Big G and Cadd9—two of the Stuck 3&4 chords. I like playing this song with fingerpicking. I really like fingerpicking, but I’m having some issues with the skin on my fingertips, so I’m thinking about getting some Alaska Picks.
Playing Everybody Hurts in 6/8 I’m getting better at single-string picking (is that flatpicking?), even while singing at the same time.
Harmonica
What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor is already coming along pretty well with guitar accompaniment using alternating bass strumming. I’ve reached the end of the Songs in Minor Keys section and am now working on Scarborough Fair. Next week I’ll be on a business trip without my guitar so I can practice harmonica in the hotel in the evenings.
*** CW13/26 ***
This week I was away on business without my guitar, but I had my harp and my laptop with GuitarPro with me.
Harmonica
I started the Bending chapter in the Udemy course and practiced in my hotel room that evening. Hopefully the walls were thick enough - in any case, no one complained about the strange noises. For two songs I want to play on the harp, I need the low A on the C harmonica, so that means bending the B on register 3 down by two semitones. It works sometimes, but it’ll take a while before I can do it well.
*** CW14/26 ***
This week, I practiced at least half an hour every day with my guitar and harp, focusing mainly on flatpicking songs, fretboard exercises, and bending exercises on the blues harp.
Module 14
played a few songs to practice playing standing up, I practiced recording a few times and tried out thumb muting. Below is a recording where I’m really going at the bass strings with thumb muting.
Harmonica
practicing bending until my mouth cramps up; my bending is slowly improving, but I still can’t control it consistently on hole 3, where I need it most. I enjoy playing the harmonica with guitar accompaniment, but my family probably doesn’t, so I practice behind closed doors.
*** CW15/26 ***
I took a week’s break from the guitar; we were on holiday and I’d brought my blues harp with me so I could play a few songs and practise bendings in the holiday flat in the evenings.
*** CW16/26 ***
This week, spring fatigue and a lack of motivation were commonplace, the blues harp just laid around, and I had little interest in playing the guitar either.
But - Richard’s club video lesson has reignited my interest in fingerpicking, and the Alaska picks have finally arrived. Because of skin problems, I’ve often tried to avoid fingerpicking even though I like the technique. Now, three days ago, I started fingerpicking again with the Alaska picks, and it doesn’t feel too bad for a start https://youtu.be/tPFfTLG7Qc8
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*** CW17/26 ***
PMT
Know Where the Notes Are Excercise, now on G
Blues Harp
Bending Excercises with semitone Bendings
Fingerstyle
Trying to play songs with Steady Thumb Picking,
It’s starting to flow a bit more smoothly, but there are still plenty of mistakes; singing whilst doing steady thumb picking is still tricky https://youtu.be/eKoongl-ozs
Jamming
Our DRK Thursday Club has started up again; we played a few songs using folk picking. I tried out steady thumb picking – which was new to me – straight away, using the new Alaska picks, singing along with the group… well, I didn’t quite keep up. But I should practise what I want to learn, after all
*** CW18/26 ***
not much to report, since I was traveling.
Fingerstyle
I’ve been trying to get more control over the Rhinestone Cowboy. The alternating motion with my thumb is getting better and better, but I still can’t move my thumb independently.
Jamming
DRK Thursday Club with folk picking songs.
*** CW19/26 ***
This week I mainly practiced picking with alternating bass and blues on guitar and harmonica, using simple bends.
Jamming
DRK Thursday Club with folk picking songs. We practiced cool “Calm After the Storm” with a simple chord progression of G-Em-C, which sounds great with the Stick 3&4 G-Em7-Cadd9 chords. With picking in the verse and strumming in the chorus, the song is a lot of fun.
blues harp
I could spend hours (trying) playing simple blues melodies on the harp, with a little bending and accompanied by guitar blues chords, but unfortunately my family isn’t too happy about it
recording
I’ve been experimenting a bit with recording using Audacity and a Behringer audio interface https://youtu.be/KO73HvQQLaE
*** CW20/26 ***
A week with some blues on the harmonica and guitar. https://youtu.be/0R1g4T6cYh8
song work
It’s always fun to practice my campfire songs and try out new techniques; tried playing “Hallelujah” with flatpicking a few times and some songs with steady thumbpicking. I’ve also started practicing my song for Deborah’s Summer JSC.
blues harp
I’ve started practicing semitone intonation with bending using a pitch tuner and by ear. With the blues harp in my hand, the bends are already coming out pretty well, but still a bit tricky on the harmonica stand.
Chords workout
After Richards Club session on barree chords I started with the Barree Chord workouts
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What are Alaska picks?
I loved all the videos I watched. Playing guitar, harmonica and singing too - that’s a lot to automate and do on time and have sounding good! Well done!!
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Hi Ashu,
thank you for visiting my LL and for your encouraging words.
Alaska fingerpicks are plastic fingerpicks to fit under fingernails instead of wrapping around fingertips like traditional picks.
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is it me or is your practice list getting longer ?
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Why do you think that? Just because I listed a few of the projects I’ve started? 
You’re right, of course. I’m still just getting started and try out a lot of things that I enjoy. Justin’s Grade 2 really encourages to experiment with a lot of different things.
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Ah here is where all your videos are hiding out 
I’ll step by more often. Great to watch your progress!
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Thanks for the compliment, I’m glad if you see progress, but that’s not my goal. I’m on a discovery journey with the guitar and just play what I enjoy for my own pleasure.
*** 31 May 2026: CW21-22/2026 ***
Fingerstyle
I focus on fingerpicking and steady thumb technique, and I really enjoy the crisp sound I get with the Alaska Picks.
chord work
I had fun with slash chords. On the chord progression:
G->D/F#->Em7->D->Cadd9->G/B->A7sus4->D
I tried out different playing techniques, including bass strumming, steady thumb, and various picking patterns. In my DRK Thursday Club we played fingerstyle a ballad with a transition from C to D via C->C/B->Am->Am/G->D. Its fun hearing how the bass lines develop
*** 07 June 2026: CW23/2026 ***
Grade 2 Consolidation
I’ve started doing the TF courses “Play Acoustic Guitar” 1 and 2, in terms of content, they cover a large portion of the topics in the JG Grade 2. However, I don’t want to talk about the competition here.
Blues Harp
I took a great workshop with Dieter Kropp. Now I’m working my way through his teaching book, but it has nothing to do with guitar, so it’s not for JG LL.
Songwork
I’ve started recording the rhythm track for “Summer Wine.” With fingerpicking and a steady bass line, I’m not yet able to keep the whole song at a consistent tempo and volume; after 2–3 minutes, I start making mistakes and lose the beat in parts. It’s not that easy for me to maintain a relatively simple picking pattern consistently over a longer span of time. I don’t really notice it while I’m playing, but these inaccuracies really show up in the recording. Even though I want to record a much shorter version of the song for Summer AVOYP, I’m going to practice my fingerpicking endurance a bit soon.
*** 11 June 2026 ***
I’ve decided to stop maintaining this LL in its current form. Instead, I’m going to set up a structured learning system in Obsidian on my PC for practicing guitar and blues harp, with a dashboard as a central entry point, a practice plan for my current exercises and courses, and a practice journal. I’ll continue to share my AVOYP recordings and musical updates here from time to time.
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Hello, guitar lovers!
It’s summertime and travel season, so I’ve taken a little break from the guitar. But vacation is coming to an end, and it’s time to get ready for the next music season. I’ve decided to get more into acoustic blues with guitar and harp. Above all, playing with Steady Thumb is a lot of fun, here’s my Steady Thumb attempt at Kiedy Bylem
In September, the DRK Thursday Guitar Group will start up again, mostly playing fingerstyle blues and folk songs. And something makes me happy and hopeful: I’ve found a few blues jam buddies for occasional acoustic blues sessions. Now I can start practicing a little bit of harp accompaniment for a “band”. In any case, it’s also fun to jam with yourself using Audacity, with a guitar and a blues harp and here’s my attempt at Go Your Own Way
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Last week I played some shuffle in A, using the D barre chord, which leaves the ring finger free for the blues shuffle The high E string usually doesn’t ring out for me; with my thick fingertips, it’s hard for me to get it to ring when playing a half-barre D chord, but that’s not a big issue with shuffle strumming. Here’s an 8-bar blues classic
Key To The Highway to practice with
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I looked back in Obsidian to see what I’d done with my guitar in September. A few jam sessions with my DRK Thursday group, playing lots of great folk and blues songs in a friendly community. I visited the Guitar Summit in Mannheim, where I got to try out a lot of guitars and fell in love with one Furch Violet. I ordered it right away from Music Store, though the previous model and a B-stock/demo version. It’s supposed to arrive in December so I’ll see what I get. I’ll report here in my LL. Or, if I’m really impressed, I’ll write my first NGD review with plenty of praise for Furch. My new guitar is supposed to be very well suited to fingerstyle blues, and that’s also my main learning focus. Stagolee, based on Joe Murphy’s instructions, is currently one of my favourite pieces for practising steady thumb technique. I just really like that old folk-blues song.
Apart from that, I’ve bought David Hamburger’s Fingerstyle Blues Handbook 1 + 2 from Truefire. I download the *.gp5 files for the practice pieces from there and practise using GP. I’ll probably need about a year to get through both courses, but by then I’ll likely have a good foundation in fingerstyle blues skills. I hope that mentioning this here isn’t seen as unauthorised advertising, that’s not my intention.
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NGD! 
At the Guitar Summit in Mannheim, I was so impressed by the sound and playability of the Furch Violet with the Engelmann spruce top, and now I have it. I ordered it as a B-stock/demo model from Music Store, and it’s in perfect condition. Yesterday I took it to the luthier to have it checked over and set up, and it plays beautifully. It looks simple, but it sounds wonderful, even when picked softly, it has such a rich tone.
Here she is, my Furch Violet Gc-EM Master’s Choice
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Hello Withold 
Happy NGD 
That‘s a beautiful one! Have lots of fun together.
Great that you had been able to visit the Guitar Summit in Mannheim. I had been tempted, too, but was busy that weekend.
It must have been an awesome event here for us in Germany. Hoping that you enjoyed your visit a lot
Your LL is awesome, too!
I‘m very impressed by your well-structured practice routine and your great progress.
And your LL is going to celebrate its first anniversary in a few days
Keep up the great work - and keep it fun!
Cheers from Dortmund 
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