Learn the Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin’” on Guitar
This classic song captures the ethos of the early hippie era and is played in the key of A minor, with a capo at the fourth fret causing the music to sound in C# minor.
Adam Perlmutter
Adam Perlmutter holds a bachelor of music degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and a master's degree in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory. He is the editor of Acoustic Guitar.
2022: The Year in Gear
Despite uncertain times, makers unveil guitars, guitars, and more guitars. There have been many new gear releases in the past 12 months - in this story, we explore the year's highlights and trends.
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Parlor Guitars: A Brief History and Buyer’s Guide
Interest in small-bodied parlor guitars—precursors to the bulky modern dreadnought—is skyrocketing. Learn all about these guitars, why players love them, and which model could be right for you.
Tips on How to Play Michael Hedges’ Evocative Composition “Breakfast in the Field”
This meditative song uses two-handed tappings to fret notes in unprecedented ways.
Adam Levy Teaches His Moving Solo Guitar Composition “Clandestino (Elegy for a Cheesemonger)”
“Clandestino” begins with a playful single-note figure drawn from the D major pentatonic scale.
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“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.
Exploring the Open Tunings of Robert Johnson and Other Blues Guitarists
This trio of lessons explores some of the open tunings most frequently heard in the blues: Vastopol, Spanish, open-C and open-G
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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Lily Henley’s ‘Oras Dezaoradas’ Is a Beautiful Fusion of Sephardic and American Folk Tunes
Sephardic songs from 15th century Spain and tunes from the American folk tradition fuse together as the core of Lily Henley's album Oras Dezaoradas.
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.
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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!
Between the Lines: All About Guitar Notation
Here you’ll learn how guitar notation evolved into the sophisticated tool it is today, how it’s prepared for publications like AG, and most important, how you can use it to learn new music, whatever your style.
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.
Paul Reed Smith Took Inspiration from Torres for His Acoustic Guitar Design
When Paul Reed Smith first heard an 1800s acoustic guitar built by Antonio Torres, he knew his own steel-string guitar designs would borrow structural elements from Torres.
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‘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…
Are $45 Guitar Picks Worth the Cost? A Roundup of Tortoiseshell-Alternative Picks from Boutique Makers
Dive into the boutique pick market, where makers work by hand to produce flatpicks in small batches, and discover the difference these small accessories can make.
What to Look for When Buying a Gypsy-Jazz Guitar, from Tone to Playability
A gypsy jazz guitar's optimal setup differs from that of a regular steel-string
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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.
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.
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.
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Nathan Salsburg’s ‘Psalms’ Is an Idiosyncratic New Take on the Old Testament
"Psalms" is almost as much about Nathan Salsburg’s connection with his acoustic guitar as it is with his Jewish heritage.
Guitar Transcription: Norman Blake’s Take on “Just Tell Them That You Saw Me,” an Early Tin Pan Alley Song
Rather than strumming full chords, Norman Blake's acoustic guitar version of "Just Tell Them That You Saw Me" features a taut melody on the bass strings.
Video Lesson: Molly Tuttle Breaks Down Her Deft Right-Hand Techniques
On an early afternoon last September, Molly Tuttle, who was holding a spruce-and-mahogany dreadnought that appeared to be not much younger than 80, showed me the back of the guitar, which sported telltale lacquer wear. Tuttle explained that the instrument…
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‘Everywhere You Go’ is a Wide-Ranging Guitar Album from Fiddle and Banjo Icon Bruce Molsky
On his long-overdue guitar album, Everywhere You Go, Bruce Molsky revisits the music that has left the deepest impressions on him.