Video Lesson: Learn How to Practice Musically—Not Mechanically
Finding ways to hear yourself actually making music rather than merely doing rote exercises is one of the easiest ways to improve your musicianship, so why not give it a try?
These articles originally appeared in the June 2018 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
Guitar on a Budget: Pros Offer Advice on Getting the Most Out of Your Gear
Even if you’re the kind of guitar-obsessed nut who spends hours cruising reverb.com or your favorite online guitar shops for your dream guitar(s) when you really should be sleeping, the stark reality is that when it comes down to it, most guitarists need to make cost-conscious buying decisions. The realities…
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Review: “Primitive Guitar & Banjo” Collection is a Trip Back in Time
This stuff is rough and ragged in places, much of it clearly improvised, and sonically not what modern audiences perhaps expect/demand. But it’s undeniably heartfelt and soulful in a deep and occasionally even spiritual way.
Great Acoustics: 1938 Martin 000-28
This golden-era flattop was in such well-preserved condition that some customers mistook it for a newly made Martin Authentic.
Makers & Shakers: Inside Fred Oster’s world-class vintage fretted instrument collection
The 13,000-square-foot building houses his two businesses, Vintage Instruments and Frederick W. Oster Fine Violins, and contains some of the finest and oldest examples of acoustic guitars to be found in any one place.
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Acoustic Guitar Sessions: The Del McCoury Band (Plus a ‘Guitar Talk’ Interview with Del!)
When Del McCoury’s tour bus rumbled into the parking lot of our offices on a crisp morning in late November 2017, the band members were still waking up after a sold-out two-show night at Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage.
“Limehouse Blues” – Watch Tommy Emmanuel and Frank Vignola Perform this Jazz Classic
It’s been 65 years since Django Reinhardt died at the age of 43, but the legendary Belgian Gypsy jazz musician’s recordings sound as vital as ever, and guitarists of all stripes continue to mine his work for both technical challenges and inspiration.
‘When the Levee Breaks’ – Watch Del Rey perform this Memphis Minnie classic
The duo of Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy recorded the song in 1929, and it became best known through the recomposed electric version that the rock band Led Zeppelin released in 1971.
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Review: PRS SE TX20E and SE A50E Acoustics
From endpin to headstock, woodwork to hardware, both guitars showed practically perfect fit and finish, and exceptional construction and attention to detail.
Video Lesson: Blues Five Ways
In the following exercises, you’ll find some great phrases and chord patterns that make extensive use of the dead-thumb approach.
The Care and Feeding of the Picking Hand
A long-time practitioner offers technical and aesthetic advice for acoustic players interested in pursuing fingerstyle guitar.
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Video Lesson: Learn to Play Like Memphis Minnie in Open-G Tuning
Memphis Minnie’s guitar playing has gone mostly underappreciated through the decades, but for many blues-inspired fingerpickers she is a crucial link in the chain of Delta blues through to Chicago blues.
I’m With Her Brings Out the Best from Aoife O’Donovan, Sara Watkins, and Sarah Jarosz
What happens when these three musicians band together is something greater than a typical all-star project, where the members take turns in the spotlight.
Gear Review: Genzler Acoustic Array Pro
With its solid-state electronics and light weight (just 27 pounds), the Genzler Acoustic Array Pro shares some pedigree with early Genz Benz amps.