Download music notation and TAB for more than 1,475 great songs from the first 30 years of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
“What’s Going On”—Learn an Unplugged Version of Marvin Gaye’s R&B Masterpiece
Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” has nary an acoustic guitar in its swirling arrangement, but the song, in the guitar-friendly key of E major, lends itself nicely to an acoustic treatment.
Learn Jon Stickley’s Clever Guitar Reimagining of the Classic Fiddle Tune “Blackberry Blossom”
Learn to play the Jon Stickley Trio's unique interpretation of the bluegrass tune “Blackberry Blossom” on guitar.
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Christmas Classics: Learn Three Unique Fingerstyle Arrangements
Learn sophisticated solo-guitar arrangements of "O Come, All Ye Faithful," "Joy to the World," and "Silent Night."
Learn an Open-D Bottleneck Slide Guitar Arrangement of “Silent Night”
Fingerstyle guitarist Steve Baughman shares an open-d acoustic guitar arrangement of the beloved Christmas carol "Silent Night" that lends itself nicely to slide treatment.
Learn a Beautiful Open-G Guitar Arrangement of ‘Sally Ann’
Dudley Hill was a beloved guitarist in the Pacific Northwest with great rhythm and time. Here's how to play his version of the tune "Sally Ann" on guitar.
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Learn an Easy Guitar Arrangement of “Low Bridge, Everybody Down” (aka “The Erie Canal Song”)
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.
“John Henry”: Play This Acoustic Guitar Tribute to an American Folk Hero
Passed down from the late 1800s, the folk ballad “John Henry” tells the story of a Black steel driver who dies in an effort to best a steam drill in laying down steel for the construction of a railroad. Henry is thought to have been a real person, whose proof…
Classical Bluegrass? Learn How to Flatpick a Matteo Carcassi Etude
Matteo Carcassi’s 25 Etudes, Op. 60 are a rite of passage for the advancing classical guitarist. Learn how to flatpick this classic on acoustic guitar.
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How to Play Neil Young’s Luminous Love Song “Harvest Moon“
With its graceful melody and romantic glow, the song is an acoustic repertoire staple—sung at countless weddings and song circles.
Video Lesson: Learn the Classical Guitar Standard “Romanza”
So, you want to play a composition like the 19th-century “Romanza,” eh? Here's how to make it sound beautiful on classical guitar.
Reimagining a Fernando Sor Etude as a String-Crossing Guitar Workout
This guitar lesson breaks down the mechanics of string crossing and applies it all to a classical guitar etude by Fernando Sor to help build up picking-hand precision.
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Learn Gretchen Menn’s Challenging Chord-Melody Arrangement of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling”
Guitarist Gretchen Menn based this lovely chord-melody guitar arrangement of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" on a version that vocalist Bing Crosby recorded in 1939.
Learn Peppino D’Agostino’s ‘Dancing with Shadows’
“As in a painting, the melody should be the subject right up front, close to your eyes, and the bass should be the mountains in the background,” D’Agostino says.
Fingerstyle Legend Will Ackerman Plays a New Piece, “I Had to Go There,” in a Radical Open Tuning
This song has a striking tuning of F C Eb Ab C Eb, try your hand at playing it!
How To Play Lead Belly’s Version of the Blues Ballad “John Hardy”
This guitar transcription of Lead Belly's blues murder ballad "John Hardy" uses the tuning of low-B from the 1940 Library of Congress recording.
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Flatpicking Guitar Lesson: Learn the Traditional Fiddle Tune “Bill Cheatham”
“Bill Cheatham” is the perfect example of a fiddle tune that's also a great way to learn flatpicking on guitar.
Learn a Campfire Guitar Version of the Classic Railroad Song “Casey Jones”
“Casey Jones” is one of the great traditional American folk songs. Here's how to play a basic campfire strumming version on guitar.
‘Little Satchel’— Learn Sarah Jarosz and John Leventhal’s Take on a Traditional Tune
On “Little Satchel,” the most traditional number on Sarah Jarosz’s brilliant new album, World on the Ground (see link to review below), Jarosz sings and plays clawhammer banjo while her producer, John Leventhal, lends spare but effective guitar parts. Leventhal’s instrument—a late 1930s Gibson J-35 that he has owned for…
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Learn Tony Rice’s Flatpicking Take on the Traditional Fiddle Tune ‘Cattle in the Cane’
This is not only a good introduction to fiddle tunes, but to flatpicking in general as it covers the hallmarks of the style.
‘Are You Lonesome Tonight?’ Learn an Easy Guitar Version of this Classic Popularized by Elvis
"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.
How to Play James Taylor’s Timeless Cowboy Lullaby “Sweet Baby James”
Here are some tips on how to play "Sweet Baby James,” the 1970 title track of James Taylor’s second album. Taylor himself has called it his best song.
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How the Music of Madagascar Can Expand Your Fingerstyle Guitar Playing
In this lesson, Bruce Molsky demonstrates how the guitar tradition from Madagascar takes in not only local music elements but classical and pop influences from everywhere.
Learn Eddie Lang’s Jazz Guitar Interpretation of a Rachmaninoff Prelude
Eddie Lang's jazz guitar interpretation of Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-Sharp Minor keeps the dark and brooding atmosphere of the original piano piece.
Watch Joan Armatrading Play Her Classic Ballad “Love and Affection”
Watch Joan Armatrading play "Love and Affection" on her Ovation 12-string guitar, and learn some tips for playing the song with her rich chord voicings.
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Aoife O’Donovan’s ‘Prodigal Daughter’
Once you’ve gotten a feel for the fingerpicking pattern, played in dropped-C tuning, look for ways to add your own variations to the song.