“Little Joe the Wrangler”—Learn Dom Flemons’ Fresh Take on a Classic Cowboy Ballad
The transcription here is based on the version Flemons recorded for his 2018 album ‘Black Cowboys,’ which highlights the African American experience in country music.
These articles originally appeared in the January/February 2025 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
Why Your Guitar Won’t Play Perfectly in Tune—and Why That’s OK
It’s time to face the elephant in the room: there is a compromise built into
the tuning of every fretted instrument.
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Great Acoustics: A Rare 1920s Clef Club Deluxe Guitar Banjo
With its 16-inch head, this oversized instrument—Dubbed Big Head Joe by its owner, Dom Flemons—has all the punch and power you could want.
Learn to Play Gillian Welch and David Rawlings’ Powerful New Folk Rocker “Empty Trainload of Sky”
As with all of the duo’s songs, the basic ingredients of “Empty Trainload of Sky” are dead simple, with just two sections and four chords.
Learn to Flatpick Melody and Chords with “I’ll Fly Away”
Walk through three approaches for flatpicking melody and chords together using the classic spiritual “I’ll Fly Away.”
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Discover the Creative Power of Transposing on Guitar
Learning to play songs in different keys by actually transposing and understanding the resulting chords and melodies can transform your guitar playing.
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.
Review: The JangleBox Acousticomp Pedal Adds Sustain and Clarity to Your Acoustic Sound
While compression pedals for electric guitars are fairly common, the Acousticomp compressor/sustainer is voiced specifically for acoustic guitar.
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Go Beyond Alternating Thumb Picking with Melodic Bass Runs
Melodic bass lines are a great skill to add after you’ve mastered the alternating thumb style.
Dale Fairbanks Blends His Jazz Background with a Passion for Crafting Vintage-Inspired Guitars
The Fairbanks Guitars founder talks about his journey from being a jazz trumpeter and guitarist with coffee-shop day jobs to becoming a master luthier.
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.
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The Year in Gear (and More)—Acoustic Highlights of 2024
We look back at some of the year’s most exciting guitars, accessories, and amplifiers, as well as albums that captured the diverse voices of acoustic guitar music.
Review: Sharon Isbin and Amjad Ali Khan and Sons Deliver a Transcendent Fusion on ‘Live in Aspen’
East meets West in this fascinating collaboration of classical guitar and sarod, captured live at the Aspen Music Festival.
“Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down”—Strum Through This Bluegrass and Folk Standard
It’s a simple song with just four basic chords, but the most challenging aspect for some beginners may be the spirited tempo.
Passion and Fire: How Russian-Born Virtuoso Grisha Goryachev Became a Flamenco Guitar Master
In a wide-ranging phone interview, Goryachev discusses his early training, interactions with Paco de Lucía, arrival in America, and approach to performing.
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Review: Taylor 614ce LTD and 858e LTD Golden Anniversary Guitars
Taylor's 50th anniversary lineup revisits some of the brand’s most iconic designs, blending the character of the originals with modern innovations.
Nylon-String Virtuoso Niwel Tsumbu Blends Congolese Roots with Global Sounds
No matter how far the Ireland-based guitarist travels, both physically and musically, his connection to Congo is ever-present, as this Zoom interview reveals.
Guitar Basics: How to Connect Chords with Bass Runs
We’ll start off with a series of examples that use a bass run to connect two chords, and then we’ll try out bass runs in a few classic progressions.
