Guitar Lesson: Exploring John Prine’s Simple but Distinctive Acoustic Approach
This lesson takes a tour of John Prine’s music by way of his guitar style, using examples drawn from some of his most-loved songs.
The great songwriters who play guitar have instrumental voices as unique as the songs they compose. Here’s a collection of stories that break down the guitar styles of many great singer-songwriters to help you learn how each delivers a matchless performance.
Be sure to get yourself a copy of our complete guide, Play Guitar Like the Great Singer-Songwriters, to access these lessons and musical examples anytime.
Video Lesson: Inside Nick Drake’s Idiosyncratic Guitar Style
Unorthodox tunings made it possible for Nick Drake to create complex harmonies from one- and two-fingered chord shapes, freeing him to concentrate on his highly detailed picking patterns.
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Explore Joan Armatrading’s Unorthodox Acoustic Guitar Style
Joan Armatrading has followed her own path for 50 years to become one of the most revered songwriters of her generation. Here's an in-depth look at her guitar playing.
Inside the Songwriting and Guitar Style of Lucinda Williams
Explore the music of Lucinda Williams by way of some of her best-known songs, with tab examples demonstrating her rhythm playing.
Video Lesson: Inside the Soulful Acoustic Guitar Style of Bill Withers
An immersion in Bill Withers’ music brings powerful lessons for any guitar-playing songwriter, especially about the value of directness. This lesson goes inside some of Withers’ best songs—especially from his first few albums, when his own guitar was most prominent—to reveal the understated accompaniment style that carries them.
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Trigger Fingers: A Look at Willie Nelson’s Jazz-Inspired Guitar Style
Though Willie Nelson is most easily described as a country musician, elements of jazz have always permeated his style. Here, Adam Levy digs into Nelson's acoustic guitar approach.
Video Lesson: Exploring Joan Baez’s Elegant Guitar Style
A skilled and precise fingerstyle player, Joan Baez modeled an approach to accompaniment that was not flashy, but effective, elegant, and complete-sounding with no other instruments.
Video Lesson: Bruce Cockburn Teaches His Sophisticated Guitar Style
In Bruce Cockburn’s hands, the guitar becomes a true band in a box, delivering powerful grooves, riffs, melodies, harmonized lines, and improvised solos in real time.
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Video Lesson: Learn to Play Like John Denver
Thanks to his gift for simple and emotionally direct expression, the songs John Denver wrote and interpreted have remained standard repertoire for any musicians who sing with an acoustic guitar.
Video Lesson: A Look at Richard Thompson’s Stunning Acoustic Guitar Style
When Richard Thompson plugs in his Stratocaster, fireworks regularly ensue. But his playing is equally brilliant when he picks up a Martin, Ferrington, or Lowden and goes unplugged.
Video Lesson: Inside Joni Mitchell’s Inventive Guitar Style
Mitchell reinvented the guitar as a vehicle for accompaniment and songwriting. The evolution of her guitar style is inseparable from her journey as one of the defining singer-songwriters of her generation.
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Video Lesson: Inside Paul Simon’s Atmospheric Acoustic Guitar Style
Paul Simon—with Art Garfunkel and without—and has composed some of the most beloved songs of the 20th century. This lesson explores his musical styles and techniques.
Video Lesson: Learn Neil Young’s Simple but Singular Guitar Style
Among the many players who’ve used such tactics to create sui generis riffs and chord progressions, perhaps no one has been more successful than prolific singer-songwriter Neil Young.
How to Play Acoustic Bob Dylan: the Secrets Behind 10 of His Greatest Songs
Learn some of Bob Dylan’s deceptive chord moves, his fluency with standard and non-standard tunings, and his knack for constant reinvention with music examples drawn from his early work.