https://acousticguitar.com lessons, music to play, and how-tos for all guitarists Wed, 11 Dec 2024 16:16:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/acousticguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/AG_Favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 https://acousticguitar.com 32 32 103806923 https://acousticguitar.com/dont-let-your-deal-go-down-strum-through-this-bluegrass-and-folk-standard/ https://acousticguitar.com/dont-let-your-deal-go-down-strum-through-this-bluegrass-and-folk-standard/#respond Wed, 11 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=146254 It’s a simple song with just four basic chords, but the most challenging aspect for some beginners may be the spirited tempo. ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/dont-let-your-deal-go-down-strum-through-this-bluegrass-and-folk-standard/feed/ 0 146254 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-cole-porters-lets-do-it-lets-fall-in-love/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-cole-porters-lets-do-it-lets-fall-in-love/#respond Wed, 16 Oct 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=145755 Compared to some of the songs we’ve covered in this series, this is a fairly adventurous arrangement using quite a few chords. ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-cole-porters-lets-do-it-lets-fall-in-love/feed/ 0 145755 https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-in-the-jailhouse-now-on-acoustic-guitar/ https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-in-the-jailhouse-now-on-acoustic-guitar/#respond Sun, 01 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=145199 “Jailhouse” has been recorded many times over the years—often in very divergent styles—by the likes of Hank Snow, Johnny Cash, and others, and has been featured in major motion pictures.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-in-the-jailhouse-now-on-acoustic-guitar/feed/ 0 145199 https://acousticguitar.com/play-an-approachable-arrangement-of-the-classic-tune-i-cant-give-you-anything-but-love-baby/ https://acousticguitar.com/play-an-approachable-arrangement-of-the-classic-tune-i-cant-give-you-anything-but-love-baby/#respond Sun, 02 Jun 2024 18:36:47 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=144564 There’s a fair number of chords in this arrangement—14 shapes in all—but they are mostly in open position and easy to play.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/play-an-approachable-arrangement-of-the-classic-tune-i-cant-give-you-anything-but-love-baby/feed/ 0 144564 https://acousticguitar.com/a-fun-guitar-arrangement-inspired-by-bobby-darins-swinging-cover-of-mack-the-knife/ https://acousticguitar.com/a-fun-guitar-arrangement-inspired-by-bobby-darins-swinging-cover-of-mack-the-knife/#comments Sun, 31 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=143880 What really sets this version apart is the use of five half-step modulations that keep raising the tension with each pass through the song.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/a-fun-guitar-arrangement-inspired-by-bobby-darins-swinging-cover-of-mack-the-knife/feed/ 4 143880 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-blue-skies-a-jazz-age-classic-with-clever-harmonies-and-a-bit-of-drama/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-blue-skies-a-jazz-age-classic-with-clever-harmonies-and-a-bit-of-drama/#comments Wed, 14 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=143470 "Blue Skies,” arranged here in the guitar-friendly key of C, has been covered in many popular styles from ragtime piano to big band jazz to country.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-blue-skies-a-jazz-age-classic-with-clever-harmonies-and-a-bit-of-drama/feed/ 2 143470 https://acousticguitar.com/play-tonight-you-belong-to-me/ https://acousticguitar.com/play-tonight-you-belong-to-me/#comments Wed, 20 Dec 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=142529 This simple arrangement allows for easy, primarily open chording.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/play-tonight-you-belong-to-me/feed/ 3 142529 https://acousticguitar.com/fresh-look-at-on-top-of-old-smoky-on-guitar/ https://acousticguitar.com/fresh-look-at-on-top-of-old-smoky-on-guitar/#respond Wed, 18 Oct 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=141829 Singer-songwriter Maurice Tani teaches how to add fresh color and anticipation to a traditional favorite.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/fresh-look-at-on-top-of-old-smoky-on-guitar/feed/ 0 141829 https://acousticguitar.com/play-sea-shanty-drunken-sailor/ https://acousticguitar.com/play-sea-shanty-drunken-sailor/#respond Fri, 01 Sep 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=141057 This easy campfire arrangement follows a traditional four-bar pattern using just the chords Am, G, and C.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/play-sea-shanty-drunken-sailor/feed/ 0 141057 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-jenny-jenkins/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-jenny-jenkins/#respond Sun, 19 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=135076 “Jenny Jenkins,” which has been covered by the likes of Jerry Garcia (with David Grisman) and Lisa Loeb, is as simple as it is sweet.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-jenny-jenkins/feed/ 0 135076 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-the-scottish-folk-song-my-bonnie-lies-over-the-ocean-on-guitar/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-the-scottish-folk-song-my-bonnie-lies-over-the-ocean-on-guitar/#respond Thu, 19 Jan 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=134161 Learn an easy guitar arrangement of the traditional Scottish folk song "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean."]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-the-scottish-folk-song-my-bonnie-lies-over-the-ocean-on-guitar/feed/ 0 134161 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-an-easy-guitar-arrangement-of-low-bridge-everybody-down-aka-the-erie-canal-song/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-an-easy-guitar-arrangement-of-low-bridge-everybody-down-aka-the-erie-canal-song/#respond Sun, 30 Oct 2022 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=133378 Here's an easy strumming version of “Low Bridge, Everybody Down” (aka “The Erie Canal Song”), a 1900s tune that takes a look back to the mid-1800s.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-an-easy-guitar-arrangement-of-low-bridge-everybody-down-aka-the-erie-canal-song/feed/ 0 133378 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-a-campfire-guitar-version-of-casey-jones/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-a-campfire-guitar-version-of-casey-jones/#respond Thu, 28 Jul 2022 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=132674 “Casey Jones” is one of the great traditional American folk songs. Here's how to play a basic campfire strumming version on guitar.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-a-campfire-guitar-version-of-casey-jones/feed/ 0 132674 https://acousticguitar.com/are-you-lonesome-tonight-easy-guitar-version/ https://acousticguitar.com/are-you-lonesome-tonight-easy-guitar-version/#respond Sun, 05 Jun 2022 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=131974 "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.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/are-you-lonesome-tonight-easy-guitar-version/feed/ 0 131974 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-a-simple-guitar-arrangement-of-im-sitting-on-top-of-the-world/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-a-simple-guitar-arrangement-of-im-sitting-on-top-of-the-world/#respond Wed, 27 Apr 2022 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=129100 This arrangement is taken at a relaxed tempo, using a handful of open and first-position chords—C, F, A7, D7, G7—along with a couple more sophisticated but easy-to-play shapes.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-a-simple-guitar-arrangement-of-im-sitting-on-top-of-the-world/feed/ 0 129100 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-house-of-the-rising-sun-on-guitar/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-house-of-the-rising-sun-on-guitar/#respond Mon, 21 Mar 2022 16:18:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=125770 Here's an easy arrangement for guitar of "House of the Rising Sun" that's great as a campfire song—whether you're cooking dinner inside or outside.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-house-of-the-rising-sun-on-guitar/feed/ 0 125770 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-a-streamlined-guitar-arrangement-of-the-rodgers-hart-classic-manhattan/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-a-streamlined-guitar-arrangement-of-the-rodgers-hart-classic-manhattan/#respond Sun, 13 Feb 2022 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=127819 Some of the chords you'll play in this guitar arrangement of Rogers & Hart's classic tune "Manhattan" are a bit sophisticated, but they’re all pretty easy to play.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-a-streamlined-guitar-arrangement-of-the-rodgers-hart-classic-manhattan/feed/ 0 127819 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-beautiful-dreamer-on-acoustic-guitar/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-beautiful-dreamer-on-acoustic-guitar/#respond Sun, 12 Dec 2021 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=127022 “Beautiful Dreamer” was originally written in the key of Eb major. Our arrangement transposes it to the more guitar-friendly key of C, with just a handful of chords.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-beautiful-dreamer-on-acoustic-guitar/feed/ 0 127022 https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-oh-shenandoah/ https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-oh-shenandoah/#respond Fri, 29 May 2020 14:48:02 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=117810 “Oh Shenandoah,” sometimes called “Shenandoah” or “Across the Wide Missouri,” is an American folk heirloom which, ironically, was most likely written by French-Canadian fur traders in the 16th century.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-oh-shenandoah/feed/ 0 117810 https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-learn-red-river-valley/ https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-learn-red-river-valley/#respond Tue, 21 Apr 2020 21:45:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=115872 In this acoustic guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play "Red River Valley."]]> https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-learn-red-river-valley/feed/ 0 115872 https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-stealin/ https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-stealin/#respond Fri, 17 Jan 2020 16:31:19 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=113998 Learn a simple arrangement of the classic tune "Stealin'" in this video from Acoustic Guitar's Campfire Songs series.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-stealin/feed/ 0 113998 https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-learn-to-play-tom-dooley/ https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-learn-to-play-tom-dooley/#respond Mon, 09 Sep 2019 17:00:18 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=111795 This classic murder ballad chronicles the 1866 death of one Laura Foster, in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and the capital punishment of her lover and assailant, Tom Dula—a story that received widespread national attention when it was published in newspapers such as The New York Times.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-learn-to-play-tom-dooley/feed/ 0 111795 https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-learn-the-gospel-classic-this-little-light-of-mine/ https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-learn-the-gospel-classic-this-little-light-of-mine/#comments Wed, 03 Jul 2019 18:40:44 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=111220 To work up “This Little Light of Mine,” first make sure that you are familiar with all the chord shapes and can switch between them with relative ease.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/campfire-songs-learn-the-gospel-classic-this-little-light-of-mine/feed/ 1 111220 https://acousticguitar.com/streets-of-laredo-a-great-cowboy-song-played-with-four-cowboy-chords/ https://acousticguitar.com/streets-of-laredo-a-great-cowboy-song-played-with-four-cowboy-chords/#respond Fri, 15 Mar 2019 17:27:50 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=110482 Learn to play 'The Streets of Laredo' (aka “Cowboy’s Lament”), in the key of C major, using four cowboy chords: C (I), G (V), F (IV), and D (II).]]> https://acousticguitar.com/streets-of-laredo-a-great-cowboy-song-played-with-four-cowboy-chords/feed/ 0 110482 https://acousticguitar.com/strum-home-on-the-range-with-5-easy-chords/ https://acousticguitar.com/strum-home-on-the-range-with-5-easy-chords/#respond Mon, 28 Jan 2019 17:53:35 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=109803 Few songs are as evocative of the ideal of the American West as this old ode to frontier life]]> https://acousticguitar.com/strum-home-on-the-range-with-5-easy-chords/feed/ 0 109803