Woody Guthrie’s Songwriting Wisdom
Guthrie is in many ways our prototypical singer-songwriter, showing the young Bob Dylan, among countless others, how to use old songs to make new ones.
Five Questions for David Hamburger, Author of ‘The Acoustic Guitar Method’
We checked in to learn about what David's been up to lately and to hear his suggestions on remote learning.
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Ron Jackson ‘Takes Over’ Acoustic Guitar’s FB Page July 10 for Live Performance, Q&A with Special Guest Sean McGowan
Looking for something fun, safe, and socially distant to do on Friday night? Seven-string guitarist Ron Jackson will take over Acoustic Guitar’s Facebook page Friday, July 10 at 6–7PM (PST) for a live performance and Q&A. Joining him for a portion of the event will be Sean McGowan, who will…
Watch Raphaël Feuillâtre Perform Rameau’s ‘Les Sauvages,’ a Melodic and Complex Baroque Piece
This wonderful recent performance of Rameau’s popular piece Les Sauvages, from the composer’s Nouvelles Suites de Pièces de Clavecin (1726–1727), is delivered by one of the finest young players on the contemporary guitar scene, Frenchman Raphaël Feuillâtre, who was the deserving winner of the 2018 Guitar Foundation of America competition.
Guitar Talk: Alberto Lombardi on Motown, Taylor Guitars, and More
Alberto Lombardi had been working as a professional guitarist—a professional electric guitarist, that is—for more than two decades before he turned to the acoustic as a primary form of musical expression several years ago.
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Out of the Blues: Reflections on the 1960s Folk Revival
In the late 1950s and early ’60s, prewar acoustic blues guitarists such as Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, and Reverend Gary Davis earned late-in-life fame as new audiences eagerly devoured their music through performances at events like the Newport Folk Festival and LP reissues and compilations on labels like Folkways…
Bob Dylan’s Acoustic Guitars
Throughout his career Bob Dylan has played a lot of acoustic guitars, mostly Gibsons and Martins, with some exceptions. Here, we take a close look at the guitars of Bob Dylan.
R.I.P. Bill Withers: Watch Him Play “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Use Me” in 1972
Sad news that the great R&B singer-songwriter Bill Withers passed away on March 30, 2020 at the age of 81. The West Virginia native made a big impact during his relatively brief 15-year career between 1970-1985. (He stopped recording and performing after that.) Among his hits were “Lean on Me,”…
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Guitar Talk: Railroad Earth’s Todd Sheaffer on His Influences, His Martins, and More
Sheaffer is a colorful and imaginative soloist who does wonders with a very simple setup
Cowboy Chords: An Introduction to Western Swing and Its Illustrious Guitarists
Western swing developed quickly in the 1930s and ’40s from a number of influences: Western life and cowboy culture, various and diverse forms of blues and gospel music, Dixieland jazz and swing, and an all-but-forgotten form of entertainment in traveling tent shows and vaudeville theatre.
Guitar Talk: French Guitarist Antoine Boyer Is a Master of Many Styles
Guitarist Antoine Boyer Boyer grew up in a Paris suburb, where his musical education began with the Gypsy jazz his parents would play around the house.
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Django Reinhardt Still Inspires Guitarists Six Decades After His Death
John Jorgenson thought he’d heard every possible description of Django Reinhardt’s guitar style—until he was asked to play the Gypsy-jazz guitarist’s music for the 2004 film Head in the Clouds. “The British director [John Duigan] said, ‘Django Reinhardt makes a particular sort of a racket on guitar. Can you make…
Classical Guitarist Jason Vieaux and His Broad Spectrum Approach
Among the world’s most prominent Gen-X classical guitarists, Jason Vieaux has embarked on a musical adventure that includes deep excursions into the classical literature juxtaposed with serious expeditions into pop, jazz, and other musical tributaries.
DIY Folk: What It Takes to Survive and Thrive in the Streaming Era
At the 2019 Folk Alliance International conference, held in Montréal in February, evidence of the vitality and diversity of the contemporary folk scene was everywhere, as nearly 3,000 attendees representing 47 countries crammed the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel with acoustic guitars, banjos, mandolins, fiddles, and upright basses. Alongside legends like…
The Lasting Legacy of the Kingston Trio
Dick Boak traces the Kingston Trio's massive success to their folk roots.
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Guitar Talk: Keb’ Mo’ on His Evolution as an Acoustic Player
Multiple Grammy Award-winning American blues artist Keb’ Mo’ counts collaborations with Taj Mahal, Jackson Browne, and Bonnie Raitt among his many golden moments.
Cataloging the acoustic guitars at Woodstock
On the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, our author compiled a catalog of the acoustic guitars played on stage by Richie Havens, John Sebastian, Country Joe McDonald, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Neil Young and more.
Guitar Talk: Nashville Picker Extraordinaire David Grier is Happy to Play Anything
David Grier is the classic guitarist’s guitarist—not terribly well-known by the general public despite a long, stellar career working with just about everyone who’s anyone in the bluegrass and Nashville country music communities over the past four-plus decades, but uniformly admired by fellow guitarists for his amazing skill and versatility.
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Steel-String Master Alex de Grassi and Classical Guitarist Andrew York Team Up For Annual Camp
For the fourth consecutive year, steel-string fingerstylist and composer Alex de Grassi Andrew York are teaming up to mentor intermediate and advanced players at the Mendocino Guitar Workshop.
Guitar Talk: Yasmin Williams Finds Her Own Way
Watching Yasmin Williams perform, it is immediately apparent that the 22-year-old guitarist has an uncommon approach to her solo playing.
Guitar Talk: Eric Skye on Intentional Limitations and the Blues
Skye is among a handful of artists to have been honored with a Santa Cruz Guitar Company signature model. Since its introduction in 2011, he has used the guitar exclusively when straddling the worlds of fingerpicking and flatpicking—in traditional acoustic and more adventurous jazz contexts—which he does with apparent effortlessness.
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How to Promote Your Music
It’s easier than ever to put your music out into the world... but building a career is still work, just as it has always been.
Southern Journeys: Alan Lomax’s Steel-String Discoveries
Folklorist Alan Lomax is primarily recognized, when at all, by the instrumental role he played in launching the careers of some America’s—and the world’s—most beloved guitarist-singers. Indeed, it’s difficult to overestimate the role that he and his father, John A. Lomax, played in shaping musical history as they traveled the back roads of the southern United States collecting traditional music under the auspices of the Library of Congress.
10 Music Festivals You Must Attend At Least Once
Here are ten musical festivals to put on your bucket list (plus, an idea for creating the eleventh...)
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A Tribute to Izzy Young
Izzy Young’s accomplishments are the stuff of legend, from producing hundreds of folk concerts (among them Bob Dylan’s first) to organizing protests and beyond.