https://acousticguitar.com lessons, music to play, and how-tos for all guitarists Fri, 10 May 2024 18:34:56 +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/five-ways-to-evolve-your-musicianship-now/ https://acousticguitar.com/five-ways-to-evolve-your-musicianship-now/#comments Fri, 02 Feb 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=143534 Guitarists Adam Levy and Ethan Sherman offer ideas for taking your music to the next level.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/five-ways-to-evolve-your-musicianship-now/feed/ 1 143534 https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-the-secrets-behind-bob-dylans-inventive-acoustic-guitar-work/ https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-the-secrets-behind-bob-dylans-inventive-acoustic-guitar-work/#respond Mon, 13 Jun 2022 16:15:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=118712 Bob Dylan's great acoustic guitar playing is often overlooked. Here we showcase his deceptive chord moves, his fluency with standard and non-standard tunings, and his knack for constant reinvention.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-the-secrets-behind-bob-dylans-inventive-acoustic-guitar-work/feed/ 0 118712 https://acousticguitar.com/trigger-fingers-a-look-at-willie-nelsons-style/ https://acousticguitar.com/trigger-fingers-a-look-at-willie-nelsons-style/#respond Mon, 04 Oct 2021 15:55:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=106512 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.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/trigger-fingers-a-look-at-willie-nelsons-style/feed/ 0 106512 https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-learn-to-play-the-talking-blues/ https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-learn-to-play-the-talking-blues/#respond Sun, 23 Feb 2020 14:37:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=104512 Sometime in the 1920s, a peculiar form of blues emerged that was substantially different from the better-known varieties. The style is commonly known today as talking blues. Despite the moniker, however, it rarely employs the 12-bar chord progression that is typical of most blues music. Many talking-blues songs are instead built on other cyclical three-chord […]]]> https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-learn-to-play-the-talking-blues/feed/ 0 104512 https://acousticguitar.com/acoustic-classic-i-feel-for-you/ https://acousticguitar.com/acoustic-classic-i-feel-for-you/#respond Fri, 17 Jan 2020 16:53:34 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=113992 It might seem incongruous to see “I Feel for You,” a song made popular by the R&B singer Chaka Khan in the mid-1980s, in this magazine. Sure, it’s a classic, but there’s nothing even faintly acoustic about Khan’s version of this Prince tune, with its dominant synth and drum programming. Prince himself had recorded the […]]]> https://acousticguitar.com/acoustic-classic-i-feel-for-you/feed/ 0 113992 https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-learn-the-bluesy-fundamentals-of-eric-claptons-acoustic-style/ https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-learn-the-bluesy-fundamentals-of-eric-claptons-acoustic-style/#respond Sun, 26 May 2019 12:58:18 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=108014 Here you’ll learn some of Clapton’s most intriguing acoustic moves—sophisticated chord shapes, rollicking rhythms, sinuous solo lines, and more.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-learn-the-bluesy-fundamentals-of-eric-claptons-acoustic-style/feed/ 0 108014 https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-remembering-glen-campbell-and-his-acoustic-style/ https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-remembering-glen-campbell-and-his-acoustic-style/#respond Mon, 22 Apr 2019 17:10:29 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=103778 Whether playing live or in the studio, Campbell always displayed a distinctive style. Here's a look at some of the essential elements of his methodology.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-remembering-glen-campbell-and-his-acoustic-style/feed/ 0 103778 https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-inside-paul-simons-atmospheric-acoustic-guitar-style/ https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-inside-paul-simons-atmospheric-acoustic-guitar-style/#respond Wed, 14 Nov 2018 23:54:08 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=108682 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.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-inside-paul-simons-atmospheric-acoustic-guitar-style/feed/ 0 108682 https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-bringing-sunny-sounds-into-shadowy-harmony/ https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-bringing-sunny-sounds-into-shadowy-harmony/#respond Thu, 14 Jun 2018 13:44:02 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=106858 Playing melodies in parallel sixths evokes the sweet sound of classic Memphis soul. Here's how to use sixths in a variety of musical ways]]> https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-bringing-sunny-sounds-into-shadowy-harmony/feed/ 0 106858 https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-cultivate-your-standalone-guitar-skills/ https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-cultivate-your-standalone-guitar-skills/#respond Sat, 17 Mar 2018 15:00:06 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=105913 Here you’ll learn a few fundamental solo-guitar concepts that will get you started and leave you with enough tools to continue developing at your own pace.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-cultivate-your-standalone-guitar-skills/feed/ 0 105913 https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-using-horizontal-harmonies-to-express-chord-changes/ https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-using-horizontal-harmonies-to-express-chord-changes/#respond Fri, 15 Dec 2017 18:28:57 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=104786 Try these exercises to make your melodies more harmonic and your harmonies more melodic.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-using-horizontal-harmonies-to-express-chord-changes/feed/ 0 104786 https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-sharpen-your-rhythms-with-these-exercises/ https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-sharpen-your-rhythms-with-these-exercises/#respond Tue, 14 Nov 2017 16:23:19 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=104549 Guitarists tend to find comfort zones, then lean on the same patterns. Rhythmic displacement is a great way to keep your playing rhythmically fresh.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-sharpen-your-rhythms-with-these-exercises/feed/ 0 104549 https://acousticguitar.com/a-shop-visit-with-luthier-and-restorer-david-eichelbaum/ https://acousticguitar.com/a-shop-visit-with-luthier-and-restorer-david-eichelbaum/#respond Sat, 28 Oct 2017 18:41:14 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=104180 Luthier and instrument restorer David Eichelbaum's M.O. stems from one simple tenet: Do no harm.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/a-shop-visit-with-luthier-and-restorer-david-eichelbaum/feed/ 0 104180 https://acousticguitar.com/lesson-learn-from-jazz-great-thelonious-monk/ https://acousticguitar.com/lesson-learn-from-jazz-great-thelonious-monk/#respond Wed, 11 Oct 2017 17:54:48 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=104047 Thelonious Sphere Monk was a brilliant jazz pianist and composer, active from the 1940s through the early ’70s. You are, presumably, an acoustic guitarist, playing music in the 21st century. As such, you may or may not be interested in classic jazz. But whatever your predilections are, there’s plenty to be learned from Monk’s unique […]]]> https://acousticguitar.com/lesson-learn-from-jazz-great-thelonious-monk/feed/ 0 104047 https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-learn-neil-youngs-simple-but-singular-style/ https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-learn-neil-youngs-simple-but-singular-style/#respond Sat, 19 Aug 2017 19:22:07 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=103518 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.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-learn-neil-youngs-simple-but-singular-style/feed/ 0 103518 https://acousticguitar.com/strengthen-your-accompaniment-skills/ https://acousticguitar.com/strengthen-your-accompaniment-skills/#respond Sat, 24 Jun 2017 16:26:55 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=102764 Introducing accents into your strumming/rhythm patterns can make even well-worn chord progressions sound fresh.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/strengthen-your-accompaniment-skills/feed/ 0 102764 https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-acoustic-bob-dylan-the-secrets-behind-10-of-his-greatest-songs/ https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-acoustic-bob-dylan-the-secrets-behind-10-of-his-greatest-songs/#respond Thu, 13 Oct 2016 18:55:30 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=98741 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.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-acoustic-bob-dylan-the-secrets-behind-10-of-his-greatest-songs/feed/ 0 98741 https://acousticguitar.com/guadalupe-makes-custom-strings-the-old-fashioned-way-by-hand/ https://acousticguitar.com/guadalupe-makes-custom-strings-the-old-fashioned-way-by-hand/#respond Tue, 31 May 2016 18:10:06 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=57280 Gabriel Tenorio explains how and why he and his small crew at Guadalupe Custom Strings wind their strings one at a time.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/guadalupe-makes-custom-strings-the-old-fashioned-way-by-hand/feed/ 0 57280 https://acousticguitar.com/gear-review-recording-kings-harmonella-single-0-offers-a-modern-spin-on-a-vintage-vibe/ https://acousticguitar.com/gear-review-recording-kings-harmonella-single-0-offers-a-modern-spin-on-a-vintage-vibe/#respond Mon, 23 May 2016 18:03:57 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=65264 If you’re into smallish flattops with ear-grabbing tones and pawnshop-chic looks, this budget beauty is right up your alley.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/gear-review-recording-kings-harmonella-single-0-offers-a-modern-spin-on-a-vintage-vibe/feed/ 0 65264 https://acousticguitar.com/new-gear-solomon-phidelity-gives-a-nod-to-classic-acoustic-guitars-of-yore-video/ https://acousticguitar.com/new-gear-solomon-phidelity-gives-a-nod-to-classic-acoustic-guitars-of-yore-video/#respond Fri, 18 Mar 2016 00:13:18 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=31646 While it is the descendant of instruments usually associated with swing and bop, virtually any style that you can play on a flattop could be rendered on this guitar.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/new-gear-solomon-phidelity-gives-a-nod-to-classic-acoustic-guitars-of-yore-video/feed/ 0 31646 https://acousticguitar.com/weekly-workout-play-the-right-stuff/ https://acousticguitar.com/weekly-workout-play-the-right-stuff/#respond Wed, 27 Jan 2016 07:09:29 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=4732 Creating cool parts from scratch may seem to be a mysterious art form but it needn’t be an intimidating prospect]]> https://acousticguitar.com/weekly-workout-play-the-right-stuff/feed/ 0 4732 https://acousticguitar.com/doug-wamble-couples-slide-guitar-and-d-a-d-g-a-d-tuning-for-a-very-personal-sound/ https://acousticguitar.com/doug-wamble-couples-slide-guitar-and-d-a-d-g-a-d-tuning-for-a-very-personal-sound/#respond Fri, 27 Feb 2015 00:17:54 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=25556 The jazz guitarist has developed a personal instrumental voice that is both steeped in tradition and wholly original.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/doug-wamble-couples-slide-guitar-and-d-a-d-g-a-d-tuning-for-a-very-personal-sound/feed/ 0 25556 https://acousticguitar.com/taylor-t5z-review/ https://acousticguitar.com/taylor-t5z-review/#respond Wed, 17 Dec 2014 07:41:34 +0000 http://acousticguitar.stringlettermusic.com/?p=1171 This guitar has svelte contours, jazzy S-curve cutouts, and a slimline humbucking pickup near the bridge]]> https://acousticguitar.com/taylor-t5z-review/feed/ 0 1171 https://acousticguitar.com/gibson-j-35-review/ https://acousticguitar.com/gibson-j-35-review/#respond Sat, 17 Aug 2013 11:56:32 +0000 http://acousticguitar.stringlettermusic.com/?p=926 Gibson's reintroduced J-35 is built in Bozeman, Montana, has all the sonic and aesthetic charm of its ancestor, and is once again priced competitively.]]> 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