Learn to Play Mary Flower’s ‘Waltz,’ a Jazzy Roots Piece in Dropped D Tuning
“Most of the time I have no idea how the music comes from my fingertips while writing. It’s not like I’m going for some genre or sound. It just happens!”
These articles originally appeared in the November-December 2019 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
Ask the Expert: How To Diagnose and Eliminate Common Nut Problems
Here's a guide to understanding the acoustic guitar nut, a critical area where a few thousandths of an inch can make a big difference in intonation and tuning stability
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Major Swing: Django Reinhardt, His Disciples, and Their Hot Brand of Acoustic Jazz Guitar
Jazz Manouche (aka Gypsy jazz) is a vibrant, acoustic blend of classical, Gypsy, dance music, and American jazz
Letters from Pete: How Pete Seeger mentored and inspired generations of musicians
Tony Trischka grew up with Pete Seeger’s banjo ringing in his house, by way of his parents’ records of the Weavers, the Almanac Singers, and Seeger’s folk songs for children. In 1962, at age 13, Trischka started getting serious about wanting to play. So he got ahold of Seeger’s seminal…
Video Lesson: Exploring Blues Turnarounds
In this acoustic guitar lesson you'll learn a bunch of blues-based turnarounds in different keys—great moves to have at your fingertips when playing the blues.
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Album Review: Mary Flower Brings Jaw-dropping Technique to Vernacular Styles
If Livin’ with the Blues Again had been released in 1969 instead of 2019, Mary Flower might have been mentioned in the same breath as Stefan Grossman, Duck Baker, and other fingerstyle players of approximately her generation.
Learn a Sophisticated Guitar Arrangement of “O Come, All Ye Faithful”
This solo-guitar arrangement moves twice through the song’s simple verse/chorus form, set in the key of E major. The first verse features contrapuntal motion with inner lines moving under the melody.
Woodshed: Learn Oscar Alemán’s ‘You Made Me Love You’
Oscar Alemán had an impeccable sense of swing and played with exciting rhythmic punctuations, a horn-like attack, and sharp attention to detail.
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Gear Review: Sheeran by Lowden S02
The Sheeran by Lowden S02 is a deeply appealing collaboration between a popular acoustic artist and a respected guitar designer and builder.
DIY Folk: What It Takes to Survive and Thrive in the Streaming Era
At the 2019 Folk Alliance International conference, held in Montréal in February, evidence of the vitality and diversity of the contemporary folk scene was everywhere, as nearly 3,000 attendees representing 47 countries crammed the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel with acoustic guitars, banjos, mandolins, fiddles, and upright basses. Alongside legends like…
Peruvian Flavors Dominate on Ciro Hurtado’s ‘Altiplano’
Altiplano takes a relatively minimalist approach to revisiting and reinventing the Andean music of his homeland
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New Gear: Eastman DT30D
Eastman’s Double Top series is among the first to use the boutique-maker idea of a double top—a soundboard incorporating two outer wooden layers over a synthetic core, for enhanced sound and responsiveness—in a production steel-string guitar model.
David Pritchard’s Kaleidoscopic, Multi-Layered ‘Evanescent’ Brings Trancelike, Energetic Instrumentals
Melodic Moments flit through multitracked acoustics in meditative grooves
‘Adam Palma Meets Chopin’ Brings an Insistent Groove to the Classical Master’s Pieces
Who knew Frédéric Chopin could be so funky
Stage-Ready: Understanding the Latest Options in Acoustic-Electric Guitars
Given a market teeming with attractive options, it can be overwhelming to find the acoustic-electric guitar that’s right for your style and which sounds great acoustically.
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Abigail Dowd’s ‘Not What I Seem’ is Full of Personal Reflections and Compelling Stories
The guitar-driven introspective folk of the 1970s is a touchstone, but so are blues and roots rock ’n’ roll
Great Acoustics: Shelley Park Modèle Elan 12
The Modèle Elan 12 is based on Maccaferri’s original Modèle Jazz guitar, a 12-fret design from the early 1930s.
Makers & Shakers: A Visit With Eric Schoenberg
“I’ve always been ‘the OM guy,’” says Eric Schoenberg, from his shop in the tiny enclave of Tiburon, California, just north of San Francisco.
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Video Review: Cort Gold Mini F
The Cort Gold Mini F short-scale guitar is worth a look from serious players.
Terry Robb’s ‘Confessin’ My Dues’ is Full of Rough-Hewn Roots Music and Down-Home Barn-Burners
Blues is never far away from this fingerpicker
Guitar Talk: Keb’ Mo’ on His Evolution as an Acoustic Player
Multiple Grammy Award-winning American blues artist Keb’ Mo’ counts collaborations with Taj Mahal, Jackson Browne, and Bonnie Raitt among his many golden moments.
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Acoustic Classic: ‘Quite Early Morning’
Pete Seeger wrote this lovely song in the 1960s, and it may have been the last song he sang. He told banjoist Tony Trischka this was his favorite of his own songs.
Acoustic Classic: Dire Straits‘ ‘Sultans of Swing’
When AG recently surveyed readers about what songs they’d like to learn, the most requested selection was “Sultans of Swing.” This came as a surprise, as the track, which the British rock band Dire Straits released in 1978, has not a lick of acoustic guitar in it. But ask and you shall receive, as they say.
Review: Blue Ember Microphone Looks and Sounds Better Than Some More Expensive Competitors
The Ember targets those doing home recording, podcasting, or YouTube videos, and is a true XLR phantom-powered microphone