How to Take Care of Your Guitar in a Very Humid Environment
For those living in an overly humid environment, acoustic guitars can take on serious damage from the air around them. Here's how to take care of guitars in an extremely humid environment.
These articles originally appeared in the July-August 2022 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
Exploring James Taylor’s Singular and Sophisticated Guitar Style
In James Taylor’s music, the guitar provides much more than accompaniment. Learn how to play like James Taylor in this acoustic guitar lesson.
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Charlie Musselwhite Finds Inspiration by Going Home on ‘Mississippi Son’
The mood on Charlie Musselwhite's Mississippi Son is laid-back, as the guitarist delivers fingerpicked country blues on both acoustic and electric guitars.
Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder Salute Two of Their Heroes on ‘Get on Board: The Songs of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee’
Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal are now revered as legends themselves, and they’ve chosen this moment to time-travel back to honor two of their early heroes, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.
David Jameson’s ‘Tall Dark Pines’ Is a Timeless Old-School Folk and Country Debut
The album is a delicious swirl of fragmentary but evocative country-folk story-songs and ballads.
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Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway‘s ‘Crooked Tree’ Is an Important Bluegrass Touchstone
Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway's Crooked Tree displays everything from deft clawhammer-style guitar playing to high-speed syncopation from the Clarence White canon to buoyant cross-picking.
Are $45 Guitar Picks Worth the Cost? A Roundup of Tortoiseshell-Alternative Picks from Boutique Makers
Dive into the boutique pick market, where makers work by hand to produce flatpicks in small batches, and discover the difference these small accessories can make.
Make Your Own Blues Using Classic Guitar Licks and Phrases
If you look to the masters for inspiration—without copying them note for note—you can produce blues verses and solos that sound fresh and exciting on guitar.
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Great Acoustics: George Gruhn’s Exceptionally Rare 1933 Martin 12-Fret D-28
This 1933 Martin 12-fret, slot-head D-28 is George Gruhn's favorite flattop steel-string guitar. Here's why.
An Easy Introduction to Playing Thumb-Driven Monotonic Bass Lines on Guitar
In this guitar lesson, learn to play a monotonic bass line, then apply it separately to three chords in the basic 12-bar blues progression.
Flatpicking Master Class: Learn to Think and Play Like the Greats
Here we’ll explore flatpicking guitar through some musical examples based on its key practitioners from Doc Watson to Molly Tuttle and identify some of the genre's essential recordings.
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Bob Minner Records a Star-Studded Tribute to Norman Blake
While making his latest album, From Sulphur Springs to Rising Fawn, a star-studded tribute to Norman and Nancy Blake, Bob Minner got the chance to befriend the Blakes.
Indie Folk Songwriter Joan Shelley Heads Home with ‘The Spur’
The Spur is a batch of songs that reflect on putting down roots, coming out of what Joan Shelley calls a “period of opposite extremes—of creative hyper-connection and physical isolation."
Thomas Ripsam, C.F. Martin and Co.’s First Non-Family CEO, Combines a Love of Guitar with Global Business Experience
Thomas Ripsam’s path to CEO at C.F. Martin & Co.’s Nazareth, Pennsylvania, headquarters is even more unlikely than most.
Learn Tony Rice’s Flatpicking Take on the Traditional Fiddle Tune ‘Cattle in the Cane’
This is not only a good introduction to fiddle tunes, but to flatpicking in general as it covers the hallmarks of the style.
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Techniques for Creating Solo Guitar Arrangements of Traditional Tunes
In this guitar lesson you'll learn a handful of techniques for making solo guitar arrangements of ballads and trail songs: active bass runs, cross-picking, and hybrid picking.
Review: Revival’s RG-26M Is a Compact, Affordable Mahogany Guitar That Delivers Good Tone and Playability
Revival's RG-26M is a handsome, comfortable, all-mahogany guitar that delivers a very nice sound for an irresistible price.
Review: Martin’s Modern Deluxe D-45 and 012-28 Are Majestic Flattops with Vintage-Inspired Designs and Modern Features
With the top-shelf Martin Modern Deluxe D-45 and 012-28 acoustic guitars, there’s no arguing with the overwhelming quality and class of the materials and craftmanship—and depth of sound.
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Southwest Duo Jamestown Revival Paints Its Masterpiece with ‘Young Man’
Jamestown Revival emphasizes a folkier, quiet side with their vocal blend shining even more than usual.
‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’ Learn an Easy Guitar Version of this Classic Popularized by Elvis
"Are You Lonesome Tonight" was a big hit for Elvis. For this easy guitar arrangement in the key of G major, we’re going to concentrate on just the main body of the song.
How to Play James Taylor’s Timeless Cowboy Lullaby “Sweet Baby James”
Here are some tips on how to play "Sweet Baby James,” the 1970 title track of James Taylor’s second album. Taylor himself has called it his best song.
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Brazilian Journey: Guitarist João Luiz Takes the Music of His Homeland Around the Globe
Brazilian classical guitarist João Luiz, known best for his work with Brasil Guitar Duo, came up in a musical culture where many musicians crisscross genres happily.