“Aren’t We Lucky?”—Remembering Michael Chapdelaine, 1956-2023
Author and guitar lover Joseph Skibell says farewell to guitarist-composer Michael Chapdelaine, his teacher, friend, and musical mentor.
Rising Classical Virtuoso Plínio Fernandes Explores the Music of His Native Brazil Through a Baroque Lens
Fernandes discusses his new album, his classical foundation, and the auspicious career opportunities now unfolding before him.
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Tommy Emmanuel Shines with a Team of Top Acoustic Players on ‘Accomplice Two’
The Australian guitarist tells the story behind his latest self-produced album featuring David Grisman, Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, and others acoustic greats.
How Guitar Virtuoso Hiroya Tsukamoto Arrived at His Unique Acoustic Style
Each step of his musical journey has shaped his approach as a composer and performer.
GFA Hall of Fame Inductee Sharon Isbin Has Expanded the Reach, Reputation, and Repertoire of the Classical Guitar
Isbin’s widespread career is full of collaborations both inside and outside of the classical guitar world.
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John Lennon, A Songwriter’s Legacy
What gives this music such vitality and allure, even for those who didn't grow up with Beatlemania in the 1960s?
Remembering Al Petteway, Prolific Guitarist and Teacher, 1952-2023
On September 25th, the acoustic music community lost a great luminary with the passing of guitarist and composer Al Petteway.
The Perennially Eclectic Guitarist Ralph Towner Is Still Defying Categorization
At 83, the prolific guitarist/composer continues to write and record vital, involving pieces.
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Stylistically Diverse Guitarist Twanguero Records a Beautiful Nylon-String Album in the Costa Rican Rainforest
The Latin Grammy-winning guitarist discusses the recording and guitar techniques behind his new album, ‘Carreteras Secundarias, Vol. II.’
Dom Flemons Brings a Deep Knowledge of Roots Music to His Work as the American Songster
The multi-instrumentalist scholar talks about how he found his own voice through the study of old and new songs, and what makes the ideal acoustic guitar.
Guitar Talk: Jimmy Buffett on His Evolving Collection of Golden-Era Instruments
Jimmy Buffett passed away September 1, 2023 at 76. Today, we're revisiting this conversation with the "Margaritaville" singer-songwriter about his collection of rarified golden-era guitars.
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The Milk Carton Kids Deepen Their Sound and Songwriting on ‘I Only See the Moon’
Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, aka the Milk Carton Kids, discuss the creative process behind what is perhaps their strongest set of songs to date.
Christopher Mallett Shines a Light on Pioneering Black American Guitarist and Composer Justin Holland
Mallett breathes new life into music that has languished since Holland’s passing more than a century ago.
Remembering Robbie Robertson
Robertson passed away August 9, 2023. Republished here is the cover story for our September 2011 issue, in which the legendary guitarist opened up about the Band, collaborating with Eric Clapton, and his collection of vintage Martins.
Julian Lage Champions the Steel-String Acoustic on His Latest Blue Note Release
Lage talks about his uncommon use of the steel-string guitar in the evolution of his ensemble, as well as collaborating with his wife, singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy
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A Guide to Playing Guitar Throughout Your Lifetime
Five high-achieving guitarists share how they maintain and continually improve their skills, while offering advice applicable to players of all styles.
How Nickel Creek’s Sean Watkins, Sara Watkins, and Chris Thile Made Their Most Ambitious Album Yet
On ‘Celebrants,’ their first new record in nine years, the trio rekindles their connection and explores new territory.
Singer-Songwriter John Oates Explores the Music of Mississippi John Hurt
He will forever be best known as half of Hall & Oates, but John Oates has carved a distinct identity as a proponent of classic Americana
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Spain and the Guitar: The Modern Classical Instrument Owes Much to Deep Iberian Roots
Many significant developments in classical guitar design and technique flourished in Spain during the past few centuries, but the story indeed began many years—perhaps millennia—earlier.
Remembering Roots and Blues Legend Steve James
The acoustic music world lost one of its most colorful figures when Steve James passed away on January 6, 2023, at 72.
Belgian Classical Guitar Great Raphaella Smits Feels Right at Home Playing the Music of Argentina
The eight-string guitarist's latest album, ‘Che Argentina,’ is a passion project devoted to 20th-century works by seven Argentine composers.
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How Megan and Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe Traveled from Bluegrass to Blues Rock and Beyond
To learn more about Larkin Poe's journey from acoustic roots music to amped-up rock, we caught up with the sisters by phone from their home bases in Nashville.
How Guitar Duo Rodrigo y Gabriela Is Informed by Eastern Spiritual Practices—and Thrash-Metal
On their latest release, In Between Thoughts... A New World, the spiritually inclined pair have invested their pan-genre musical values with some of their own more metaphysical ones.
Christie Lenée Explains the Surprising Sounds and Textures at Play on ‘Coming Alive’
The albums is an extension of Lenée’s current fascinations, which include experimenting with fingerstyle on the 12-string and an ongoing exploration of alternate tunings.
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Improviser Grant Gordy Thrives in the String-Band Ensemble Setting of His Latest Work
Since Grant Gordy's 2010 self-titled debut album, he has used bluegrass as a foundation while stretching out far beyond the genre’s confines to find his voice as an improviser, composer, and arranger.