https://acousticguitar.com lessons, music to play, and how-tos for all guitarists Sun, 21 Sep 2025 17:04:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/acousticguitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/AG_Favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 https://acousticguitar.com 32 32 103806923 https://acousticguitar.com/letter-from-the-editor-acoustic-guitar-issue-355/ https://acousticguitar.com/letter-from-the-editor-acoustic-guitar-issue-355/#respond Sun, 21 Sep 2025 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=148724 The acoustic guitar remains relevant because of the people who continue to do meaningful work with it. That’s why we make this magazine: to document and celebrate that work, and to keep the conversation going between musicians, makers, and listeners.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/letter-from-the-editor-acoustic-guitar-issue-355/feed/ 0 148724 https://acousticguitar.com/parlor-guitars-a-brief-history-and-a-2020-buyers-guide/ https://acousticguitar.com/parlor-guitars-a-brief-history-and-a-2020-buyers-guide/#comments Fri, 12 Sep 2025 14:25:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=116106 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. ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/parlor-guitars-a-brief-history-and-a-2020-buyers-guide/feed/ 7 116106 https://acousticguitar.com/letter-from-the-editor-acoustic-guitar-issue-354/ https://acousticguitar.com/letter-from-the-editor-acoustic-guitar-issue-354/#respond Fri, 25 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=148288 If there’s a thread running through this issue, it’s not reinvention for its own sake, but the idea that familiar forms still hold new meaning. ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/letter-from-the-editor-acoustic-guitar-issue-354/feed/ 0 148288 https://acousticguitar.com/5-minute-lesson-julian-lage-teaches-how-to-add-dimension-to-your-playing/ https://acousticguitar.com/5-minute-lesson-julian-lage-teaches-how-to-add-dimension-to-your-playing/#respond Wed, 16 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=148210 Julian Lage shows how to turn a single melodic line into a layered, expressive statement—with just one subtle move.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/5-minute-lesson-julian-lage-teaches-how-to-add-dimension-to-your-playing/feed/ 0 148210 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-dave-van-ronks-freewheeling-take-on-the-entertainer-ag-patreon-song-of-the-month/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-dave-van-ronks-freewheeling-take-on-the-entertainer-ag-patreon-song-of-the-month/#respond Fri, 04 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=143401 Much like Van Ronk himself wasn’t concerned with strict adherence to societal norms, the version doesn’t follow the original chords exactly.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-dave-van-ronks-freewheeling-take-on-the-entertainer-ag-patreon-song-of-the-month/feed/ 0 143401 https://acousticguitar.com/meet-the-acoustic-guitar-teaching-artists/ https://acousticguitar.com/meet-the-acoustic-guitar-teaching-artists/#respond Wed, 11 Jun 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=147806 Meet the team behind Acoustic Guitar's new Teaching Artists series.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/meet-the-acoustic-guitar-teaching-artists/feed/ 0 147806 https://acousticguitar.com/take-a-guitar-lesson-with-margaret-glaspy/ https://acousticguitar.com/take-a-guitar-lesson-with-margaret-glaspy/#respond Fri, 02 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=147682 Singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy demonstrates some of the guitar parts from her first solo acoustic effort—‘The Sun Doesn’t Think.’]]> https://acousticguitar.com/take-a-guitar-lesson-with-margaret-glaspy/feed/ 0 147682 https://acousticguitar.com/sue-foley-teaches-the-guitar-stylings-of-maybelle-carter-and-elizabeth-cotten/ https://acousticguitar.com/sue-foley-teaches-the-guitar-stylings-of-maybelle-carter-and-elizabeth-cotten/#respond Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=147529 In this lesson, Foley demonstrates the Maybelle Carter-pioneered Carter scratch, and the rhythmically rich, idiosyncratic fingerpicking style of Elizabeth Cotten.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/sue-foley-teaches-the-guitar-stylings-of-maybelle-carter-and-elizabeth-cotten/feed/ 0 147529 https://acousticguitar.com/great-acoustics-alan-carruths-proper-harp-guitar/ https://acousticguitar.com/great-acoustics-alan-carruths-proper-harp-guitar/#respond Wed, 22 Jan 2025 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=143163 The guitar has an uncommon resonance and complexity, thanks to the harp’s extended arm, soundboard, and back]]> https://acousticguitar.com/great-acoustics-alan-carruths-proper-harp-guitar/feed/ 0 143163 https://acousticguitar.com/little-joe-the-wrangler-learn-dom-flemons-fresh-take-on-a-classic-cowboy-ballad/ https://acousticguitar.com/little-joe-the-wrangler-learn-dom-flemons-fresh-take-on-a-classic-cowboy-ballad/#respond Fri, 17 Jan 2025 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=146277 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.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/little-joe-the-wrangler-learn-dom-flemons-fresh-take-on-a-classic-cowboy-ballad/feed/ 0 146277 https://acousticguitar.com/the-year-in-gear-and-more-acoustic-highlights-of-2024/ https://acousticguitar.com/the-year-in-gear-and-more-acoustic-highlights-of-2024/#respond Sun, 15 Dec 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=146331 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. ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/the-year-in-gear-and-more-acoustic-highlights-of-2024/feed/ 0 146331 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-steve-baughmans-christmas-medley-patreon-song-of-the-month/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-steve-baughmans-christmas-medley-patreon-song-of-the-month/#respond Fri, 06 Dec 2024 20:54:46 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=146665 This fingerstyle Christmas medley includes “Angels from the Realms of Glory” and not one but two versions of “Away in a Manger.” ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-steve-baughmans-christmas-medley-patreon-song-of-the-month/feed/ 0 146665 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-the-beatles-ballad-and-i-love-her-as-interpreted-by-pat-metheny/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-the-beatles-ballad-and-i-love-her-as-interpreted-by-pat-metheny/#comments Sun, 24 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=145773 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.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-the-beatles-ballad-and-i-love-her-as-interpreted-by-pat-metheny/feed/ 2 145773 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-happy-traums-bluesy-take-on-the-traditional-song-he-was-a-friend-of-mine/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-happy-traums-bluesy-take-on-the-traditional-song-he-was-a-friend-of-mine/#respond Wed, 13 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=145766 This tune from Traum's last album exemplifies the late guitarist's signature steady bass groove and complex picking.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-happy-traums-bluesy-take-on-the-traditional-song-he-was-a-friend-of-mine/feed/ 0 145766 https://acousticguitar.com/review-nakupenda-gm25-guitar-master-stool/ https://acousticguitar.com/review-nakupenda-gm25-guitar-master-stool/#comments Sun, 03 Nov 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=146180 The GM25 Guitar Master Stool isn’t just a seating solution; it’s an ergonomic design that doubles as a guitar stand and adds a touch of style to any space.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/review-nakupenda-gm25-guitar-master-stool/feed/ 1 146180 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-the-doobie-brothers-roots-rock-anthem-black-water/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-the-doobie-brothers-roots-rock-anthem-black-water/#comments Sun, 22 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=145212 This mellow 1974 tune features an acoustic solo that requires a bit of dexterity and finesse to play convincingly.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-the-doobie-brothers-roots-rock-anthem-black-water/feed/ 2 145212 https://acousticguitar.com/margaret-glaspy-connects-with-her-younger-self-and-an-old-gibson-l-00-on-the-sun-doesnt-think/ https://acousticguitar.com/margaret-glaspy-connects-with-her-younger-self-and-an-old-gibson-l-00-on-the-sun-doesnt-think/#comments Sun, 15 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=145410 It wasn’t until a recent solo acoustic tour that Glaspy played for a public audience with just her steel-string guitar for the first time in her professional life, a format she found freeing both literally and metaphorically. ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/margaret-glaspy-connects-with-her-younger-self-and-an-old-gibson-l-00-on-the-sun-doesnt-think/feed/ 3 145410 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-bob-dylans-it-aint-me-babe-patreon-song-of-the-month/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-bob-dylans-it-aint-me-babe-patreon-song-of-the-month/#comments Sun, 08 Sep 2024 12:21:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=145795 Learn to play “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” first released on the 1964 album ‘Another Side of Bob Dylan,’ a defining piece of Dylan’s catalog.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-bob-dylans-it-aint-me-babe-patreon-song-of-the-month/feed/ 2 145795 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-green-green-rocky-road-patreon-song-of-the-month/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-green-green-rocky-road-patreon-song-of-the-month/#respond Fri, 09 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=145566 “Green, Green Rocky Road” is a traditional song that originated in the American South. Learn a dropped-D arrangement inspired by Dave Van Ronk's seminal version. ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-green-green-rocky-road-patreon-song-of-the-month/feed/ 0 145566 https://acousticguitar.com/play-laurence-jubers-solo-guitar-take-on-the-beatles-in-my-life/ https://acousticguitar.com/play-laurence-jubers-solo-guitar-take-on-the-beatles-in-my-life/#respond Sun, 14 Jul 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=144747 While he is known for using DADGAD tuning, this fingerstyle arrangement is in standard tuning]]> https://acousticguitar.com/play-laurence-jubers-solo-guitar-take-on-the-beatles-in-my-life/feed/ 0 144747 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-mississippi-john-hurts-im-satisfied-patreon-song-of-the-month/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-mississippi-john-hurts-im-satisfied-patreon-song-of-the-month/#respond Fri, 12 Jul 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=145227 Mississippi John Hurt (1893–1966) was one of the great country blues singer-songwriters, and a superb, subtly eccentric guitarist whose work was teeming with colorful details. One of his most well-known recordings, “I’m Satisfied,” related to the Memphis Jug Band piece “You May Leave, But This Will Bring You Back,” offers a glimpse into what made […]]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-mississippi-john-hurts-im-satisfied-patreon-song-of-the-month/feed/ 0 145227 https://acousticguitar.com/santa-cruz-guitar-company-new-vault-series/ https://acousticguitar.com/santa-cruz-guitar-company-new-vault-series/#comments Sun, 30 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=144789 Hoover enlisted the most skilled luthiers in his workshop to build a series of instruments that would represent the state of the art of the steel-string guitar.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/santa-cruz-guitar-company-new-vault-series/feed/ 3 144789 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-the-lakes-of-pontchartrain-ag-patreon-song-of-the-month/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-the-lakes-of-pontchartrain-ag-patreon-song-of-the-month/#respond Fri, 14 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=144954 Learn a fingerstyle arrangement of this ballad; a tune interpreted by Paul Brady, Bob Dylan, Aoife O'Donavan, and countless pub session players.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-the-lakes-of-pontchartrain-ag-patreon-song-of-the-month/feed/ 0 144954 https://acousticguitar.com/jls-hymn-no-2-play-a-beautiful-new-solo-work-by-john-leventhal/ https://acousticguitar.com/jls-hymn-no-2-play-a-beautiful-new-solo-work-by-john-leventhal/#respond Sun, 26 May 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=143902 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.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/jls-hymn-no-2-play-a-beautiful-new-solo-work-by-john-leventhal/feed/ 0 143902 https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-hey-there-delilah-by-the-plain-white-ts/ https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-hey-there-delilah-by-the-plain-white-ts/#respond Sun, 19 May 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=143908 This arrangement is based on the original studio recording, which spotlights a fingerpicked acoustic guitar.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-hey-there-delilah-by-the-plain-white-ts/feed/ 0 143908