Great Acoustics: Steve James’ Collings Custom C10 was His Main Steel-String Companion for 30 Years
The 1991 Collings Custom C10 (serial number 524) was James’ main flattop for three decades, and the one he considered his best.
These articles originally appeared in the May-June 2023 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
Borrowing Fiddle Techniques for Flatpicking Guitar on the Traditional Tune “Little Liza Jane”
This version of “Little Liza Jane” comes from the eastern Kentucky fiddler J.P. Fraley (1923–2011), who played it in the key of A major.
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Learn “Talco Girl,” Steve James’ Rootsy Character Study in Dropped-D Tuning
One of James' most popular tunes, “Talco Girl” is supported by a guitar accompaniment that would make a smart instrumental composition on its own.
Review: Breedlove’s Artista Pro Series Concert CE Is a Compact Acoustic-Electric with a Full Dynamic Sound
The Pro Series Concert includes some of the maker’s signature touches in a well-made instrument that’s ready for the stage or studio.
Checking In with Lillian Werbin, the New Co-owner and President of Elderly Instruments
Werbin talks about balancing dreams and realities at the celebrated East Lansing, Michigan, music store founded by her father, Stan Werbin, in 1972.
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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.
How to Play Billy Strings’ Fleet-Fingered Solos on “Way Downtown”
Strings' version of this traditional song includes two solos that quote some signature Doc Watson licks.
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How to Create Sophisticated Harmonies on Guitar with Cluster Chords
Here are some of the evocative sounds you can create using chord voicings with notes that are close to each other—just a half step or whole step apart.
![Cover artwork for the ablum 'Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1]](https://i0.wp.com/acousticguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/TRAVELING-WILBURYS-VOL-1.jpg?fit=750%2C568&ssl=1)
Learn to Play “Handle With Care,” the Traveling Wilburys’ Impromptu Hit
George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan had so much fun recording this song that they ended up making a band together.
How to Play Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-Winning Story-Song “Just Like That”
With its character-driven narrative and fingerpicking guitar, “Just Like That” taps into Raitt’s love of the folk ballads of her songwriting contemporaries.
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Add Excitement to Your Fingerstyle Playing with These Advanced Concepts and Techniques
Here are some ways to blend different fingerstyle techniques together to add variety and complexity to your guitar playing.
How Guitar Strings Age—and How to Know When to Change Them
When to change strings is an age-old question with no clear answer, and one that I still field regularly from repair clients.
4 Exercises to Develop Your Ear Training on Guitar
Whatever your experience level, here are a few tips that will set you on a direct path to being able to play your favorite pieces without relying on sheet music.
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.
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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.
Jamie Stillway and Eric Skye Craft Colorful Flatpicking Duets for a Batch of Old-Time Tunes on ‘Over the Waterfall’
The duo has crafted a colorful soundscape of quietly brilliant flatpicking interpretations of classic American fiddle tunes.
How to Play Boom-Chuck Guitar Variations in G, the Most Common Bluegrass Key
Here we continue exploring boom-chuck, with an emphasis on moving bass lines
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Elsie Franklin Offers a Mix of Bluesy, Vintage-Sounding Originals and Classic Covers on Sophomore Album ‘Miss Rhythm’
Half the songs on Miss Rhythm are originals, though if you didn’t see the writing credits, you could easily be fooled into thinking that they were pulled off scratchy 78s from the ’20s or ’30s.
‘Living in a Song’ Is Another Winner from Dynamic Roots Duo Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley
The duo showcases their classic country songwriting skills on their latest Compass Records release.
Irene Gómez’s ‘Songs of My Life/Canciones de mi Vida’ is an Intriguing Nylon-String Mix of Beatles, Brel, and Schubert
The nimble and expressive Colombian classical guitarist Irene Gómez has always played a diverse repertoire, as befits a musician whose varied guitar education included programs in her native country, in France, and at Juilliard in New York, where she studied with Sharon Isbin.
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Taylor’s New 400 Series Elevates the Classic Rosewood/Spruce Combo
Sponsored by Taylor Guitars: Taylor’s 400 Series guitars have always offered players a reliable array of workhorse guitars that are up to the task in any musical scenario. Now, Taylor has elevated the series with a beautiful sunburst top finish in three new models that balance striking looks with versatile,…
Joe Henry and Friends Collaborate on the Enigmatic but Satisfying ‘All the Eye Can See’
The songs on Joe Henry’s latest album 'All the Eye Can See' refuse to give up their mysteries, the melodies wandering like question marks with the lyrics threading a thin line between knowing and unknowing.