For the Sake of the Song: Accompaniment Tips and Techniques
Mark Erelli, Shawn Colvin, Anaïs Mitchell, Martin Sexton, and Anthony da Costa talk about technique for guitar accompaniment in their songs
These articles originally appeared in the January 2018 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
How to Shop for a Used Guitar
Even with a repair or two to consider, you still stand to get more for your money when shopping used or vintage. And of course, you can’t reproduce the mojo of a cool old guitar.
ADVERTISEMENT
Acoustic Guitar’s Guide to Loop Pedals and How to Use Them
Learn all about looping pedals, including how to shop for one and how a it can enhance your guitar playing
The Digital Troubadour, Part 2: How to record yourself to sound like yourself
In a recent piece, I discussed options for home-recording equipment at various price points. Now that you’ve bought the equipment and downloaded the manuals (you did download the manuals, right?), you’re ready to present your music to the world. That leads me to offer these following tips on making a…
Video Lesson: Learn to Play the Talking Blues
Sometime in the 1920s, a peculiar form of blues emerged that was substantially different from the better-known varieties. The style is commonly known today as talking blues. Despite the moniker, however, it rarely employs the 12-bar chord progression that is typical of most blues music. Many talking-blues songs are instead…
ADVERTISEMENT
Alberto Lombardi Embarks on a Fingerstyle Journey with ‘Birds’
Alberto Lombardi is in love. After 25 years as a producer, arranger, and electric session player, the Italian guitarist has given his heart to acoustic guitar. He credits Tommy Emmanuel for his conversion, and Emmanuel’s stylistic influence can be heard on Lombardi’s first acoustic album, Birds (Fingerpicking). The 2016 album…
Classic Shawn Colvin Revisited: ‘A Few Small Repairs’ 20th Anniversary Edition
“Sunny Came Home” and A Few Small Repairs are back in the spotlight with the recent 20th anniversary edition from Sony/Legacy.
Woody Guthrie—50 Years Gone: Spectacular Box Set Offers Historic All-Star Tribute Concerts, and More
On January 20, 1968, less than four months after folk music icon Woody Guthrie died in New York City at the age of 55, Carnegie Hall hosted an all-star tribute concert honoring the influential and much-loved musician, featuring such leading lights of the folk world as Judy Collins, Bob Dylan…
ADVERTISEMENT
Video Lesson: Get More from Your Accompaniment by Strumming Less
Vary your fretting- and picking-hand technique to create accompaniment parts that are more dynamic, supple, and nuanced, both harmonically and rhythmically.
Guitar Talk: Will Ackerman Goes with the FLOW on a New Group Project
The name is an acronym from the names of the members: pianist/vocalist Fiona Joy, guitarist Lawrence Blatt, flugelhorn master Jeff Oster, and Ackerman.
A Guitarist’s Guide to the Benefits of Single-Miking
In an era of in-your-face beats and cage-rattling bass drops, when even nominally acoustic performers often stand behind banks of pedals, it’s hard to overstate how radically different it feels to perform with a single microphone. There’s no line of stands, no mess of cables, no DIs, no monitors. Rather…
ADVERTISEMENT
Great Acoustics: 1956 Gibson J-185
A choice, collectible jumbo with a stellar voice.
Gear Review: Mesa Rosette 300/Two:Eight Combo Amp and Rosette Acoustic DI-Preamp
For its first-ever acoustic products, Mesa has aimed high, crafting what it hopes to be comprehensive, professional amplification solutions for acoustic musicians.
Gear Review: Taylor 352ce and 362ce 12-Strings
Two small-bodied, player-friendly 12-string acoustic guitars with distinct sonic signatures
Video Lesson: Sharpen Your Rhythms with These Displacement Exercises
Guitarists tend to find comfort zones, then lean on the same patterns. Rhythmic displacement is a great way to keep your playing rhythmically fresh.
ADVERTISEMENT
Gear Review: Boss AD-10 Acoustic Preamp
With an all-in-one processor pedal like the new Boss AD-10 Acoustic Preamp, getting a good live sound has been made much simpler. Assuming a given venue has a decent PA system, you can show up with just a guitar and AD-10 in hand, dial up your sound, and off you go.
Video Lesson: Learn How to Play Like Tampa Red
Tampa Red intertwines the bass and treble voices, employing a dance-like approach. Get your guitar tuned to open-D and explore Tampa's bottleneck slide style.
