Learn Buck Curran’s Slow, Stately DADGAD Arrangement of “Black Is the Colour of My True Love’s Hair”
The song is a lament, performed in the style of an Irish slow air, so take it slowly, making every note count to convey the song’s brooding mood.
Learn to Flatpick the Hanukkah Classic “Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages)”
This accessible arrangement, inspired by Maybelle Carter’s style on classics like “Wildwood Flower,” is perfect for the holiday season.
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Explore Open-D Tuning with Mary Flower’s Colorful Arrangement of “Dink’s Song”
With its simple, movable chord shapes—many requiring just two fingers—open-D tuning adds a shimmering quality to this traditional song.
Learn to Play Steve Baughman’s Christmas Medley | Patreon Song of the Month
This fingerstyle Christmas medley includes “Angels from the Realms of Glory” and not one but two versions of “Away in a Manger.”
Learn to Play the Beatles Ballad “And I Love Her” as Interpreted by Pat Metheny
Metheny manages to capture the wistful vibe of this Beatles classic while casting it in a bossa nova–inspired setting and updating it with his intricate sense of harmony and phrasing.
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Tackle a Challenging Arrangement of “Spotted Pony” by the Late, Great Guitarist Dudley Hill
Hill’s rendition of this traditional Missouri fiddle tune sounds straightforward but is deceptively tricky.
Learn Gwenifer Raymond’s Haunting Solo Guitar Arrangement of the Sacred Harp Hymn ‘Idumea’
My instrumental arrangement of “Idumea” was originally conceived for clawhammer banjo, but here I’ve translated it to guitar with an alternating bass pattern.
Live Workshop Replay: Holiday Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar with Sean McGowan
In this live workshop, ‘Holiday Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar’ author Sean McGowan explores an arrangement from the book and gives an inside look into his arranging process.
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“JL’s Hymn No. 2”—Play a Beautiful New Solo Work by John Leventhal
This lovely piece is played in a nonstandard tuning, with the sixth and fifth strings tuned down to C and G, and a capo at the second fret.
Learn a Modern Solo Guitar Arrangement of the Classic Cowboy Ballad “When the Work’s All Done This Fall”
This interpretation honors the original melody of this 100-year-old tune while rendering it with a flatpicking approach that nods toward more contemporary figures.
Tackling “The Locktender’s Reel”—A Modern Fiddle Tune by Guitarist Eric Skye
Inspired by Skye's Pennsylvania childhood, this wistful and captivating tune is increasingly played at bluegrass and old-time gatherings.
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Learn “Sidh Beag, Sidh Mor,” a Traditional Celtic Song Arranged in Standard Tuning
Most of this arrangement's melody notes are reachable without leaving first position, and all the necessary bass notes are easily played.
Ralph Towner Revisits the Oregon Classic “Guitarra Picante” on Solo Guitar
Originally released in 1991 and re-released on this year's ‘At First Light,’ this challenging tune features nearly three dozen different chords.
Play a Jazzy Fingerstyle Rendition of “Over the River and Through the Woods”
Originally published in 1844, the song remains a popular favorite among children and adults to celebrate Thanksgiving and the Christmas season.
Adam Levy Performs and Teaches “Sidewalk Chalk” | Acoustic Guitar Sessions
“Sidewalk Chalk” is a lovely waltz with a beautiful set of chord changes. It’s also quite approachable and, like so much of Levy’s work, is a joy to play.
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Learn Dom Flemons’ Fingerstyle Showstopper “Rabbit Foot Rag”
This ragtime-inspired composition leaves a lot of room for improvisation and variations on the main themes.
Learn to Play “Big Sciota,” a Traditional Fiddle Tune Popularized by Flatpicking Master Russ Barenberg
“Big Sciota” is not necessarily easy to play, but if you stick with it, you'll learn a fun and well-known tune and develop some powerful chops in both hands.
Julian Lage on How to Play His Position-Shifting Guitar-Bass Duet “Double Southpaw”
With its "quirky rhythmic and harmonic twists and turns," this piece moves all around the fretboard.
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Video Lesson: Learn a Fingerstyle Arrangement of “It Is Well with My Soul” in Double Dropped-D Tuning
The arrangement is fairly undemanding of both the picking and fretting hands and makes strategic use of the open strings.
Learn “Doc’s Guitar”—Doc Watson’s Fingerstyle Tour de Force
The brilliance of Watson’s right-hand technique can be clearly heard on this punishingly fast instrumental
Borrowing Fiddle Techniques for Flatpicking Guitar on the Traditional Tune “Little Liza Jane”
This version of “Little Liza Jane” comes from the eastern Kentucky fiddler J.P. Fraley (1923–2011), who played it in the key of A major.
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How to Play Billy Strings’ Fleet-Fingered Solos on “Way Downtown”
Strings' version of this traditional song includes two solos that quote some signature Doc Watson licks.
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!”
Fanø/Black Sea Dress: Learn to Play this Pair of Miniatures from Charlie Rauh
While hybrid picking lends a certain definition and crispness, especially on the bass notes, straight fingerpicking will work equally well on the two pieces.
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Woodshed: How to Play a Dropped-D Gospel Theme as Recorded by Bahamian Guitar Legend Joseph Spence
Listen to any Joseph Spence song and you’ll find unexpected nuance and detail, no matter how many times you have heard it.