Watch Your Back: Practicing Healthy Approaches to Guitar Posture
Poor posture can lead to back and neck deterioration and neuromuscular disease in guitarists. Here are some steps to help keep you healthily seated with your guitar.
Woodshed: How To Play John Fahey’s ‘Uncloudy Day’
Fahey’s version of “Uncloudy Day” was originally released on his 1959 debut, Blind Joe Death.
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How to Craft Dynamic Song Arrangements on Acoustic Guitar
Even if you’re accompanying a song with one guitar, you can create the same kind of journey on your instrument that a full band arrangement would.
Ask the Expert: All About Slotted Headstocks and Dead G Strings
Repair expert Martin Keith discusses acoustic guitar headstock design and how to maintain evenness and consistency of timbre on your classical guitar's thickest string.
Learn Fingerstyle Master Alex de Grassi’s Sophisticated Style
De Grassi’s concepts and techniques on his album The Bridge are both subtler and more complex than standard steel-string fare
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Guitar Review: Martin’s Radical New Acoustic-Electric SC-13E Uses Innovative Construction for Playability and Tone
Martin's affordable new SC-13E acoustic guitar boasts a fresh, out-of-the-box redesign—even flying in the face of Martin’s usual traditional glued dovetail joint!
Album Review: Hiroya Tsukamoto’s Brilliant ‘Window to the World’
Amazing fingerpicking on a Martin, plus looping pedals.
Album Review: On Steve Hicks’ ‘Rule of Thumb,’ Old Tunes Are Enlivened by Fingerpicking Mastery
As the title of Steve Hicks’ Rule of Thumb indicates, the British fingerstylist’s solo showcase of old-time music is tied together by his alternating bass thumb technique,
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Guitarist/Composer/Teacher Benjamin Verdery Has Taken the Eclectic Road
Benjamin Verdery inhabits his own exclusive territory in the classical guitar world. Among the virtuosi of the baby boomer generation, it’s not hard to make a case that Verdery has explored the most diverse musical terrain.
Remembering the Queen of Folk Music: New biography spotlights singer, guitarist, actor, and activist Odetta
Ian Zack’s ‘Odetta: A Life in Music and Protest’ is an authoritative biography of this cultural icon.
Ecuadorian Master Luthier Luis Uyaguari Uses Hand Tools and Designs His Own Guitar Molds
Almost 50 years ago, master luthier Luis Uyaguari Quezada, then an adolescent, moved with his family to the metropolis of Cuenca, Ecuador, leaving behind the remote mountain village of San Bartolome. Their tiny pueblo had a generations-long tradition of guitar making, and Uyaguari’s father was one of the village’s best,…
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A Guitarist’s Guide to Managing Aging and Overuse Injuries
Playing guitar is a pain. At first, we suffer through blistered fingertips, overstretched tendons, fatigued muscles, and limited range of movement. With practice, those hindrances pass and we play easily. Until we can’t. Acoustic guitarists, like everyone, must manage physiological changes due to aging, often including hearing loss, arthritis, and…
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.
Album Review: Laurence Juber’s ‘The Fab 4th’ Is Full of Beatles Magic
LJ’s takes on The Beatles never get old
Eliminate Barriers to Practicing Guitar
Everyone knows that practice makes perfect, but do we really take this to heart? In my many years as a teacher, I’ve heard every excuse for not practicing: There’s not enough time; it’s not fun; it hurts too much; I’m not making progress; I’m stuck; or I’m just not inspired…
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Great Acoustics: Gurian’s 1973 S3B3H Incorporates Luxurious Nylon-Stringed Guitar Elements
This steel-string incorporates elements from the luthier's nylon-string background, such as the combination of an ebony fretboard and a rosewood bridge.
Peace, Love & Guitars: the 1970s Lutherie Revolution
Michael Durian, Richard Hoover, Linda Manzer, and Steve Klein reflect on their early days of guitar building and their contributions to the luthiers scene of today.
Review: D’Addario Casein Picks Are a Solid Alternative to Tortoiseshell
D’Addario was the first major manufacturer to offer casein plectrums, including a heavy 2.00mm 351-shape guitar pick ($21.99 street) with a faux-tortoiseshell appearance, beveled edges, and embossing to provide grip—with prices lower than their typical boutique counterparts.
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Album Review: James Taylor Takes a Nostalgic Turn with ‘American Standard’
In turbulent times, the mellow tones of James Taylor are a soothing balm. On American Standard, the popular singer, songwriter, and guitarist teams up with ace jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli to explore the Great American Songbook, including the rich repertoire found in such vintage musical theater hits as the Broadway…
Pickin’: The Delmore Brothers’ ‘Wabash Blues’
Known for their deft guitar duos and close harmony singing, the Delmore Brothers (Alton and Rabon) were popular performers on the Grand Ole Opry in the 1930s. In the introduction to Alton’s intriguingly titled autobiography, The Truth Is Stranger Than Publicity, music historian Charles Wolfe recognizes the duo’s historical significance…
Gear Review: Collings 001 14-Fret Acoustic Guitar
It sure makes gratifying sounds while in the driver’s seat, but all of the 001’s good qualities shine even brighter from the audience’s perspective:
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“I Will”—Laurence Juber’s Solo Guitar Version of The Beatles Gem
While the Beatles song kicks off right on the vocal melody, Juber takes structural liberties and begins his arrangement with an adaptation of the guitar figure that appears between verses on the original recording.
Gear Review: Curtis Novak Magnetic Soundhole Pickups
Pickup wizard Curtis Novak recently launched a new line of magnetic soundhole designs that deliver a wide range of vintage-style tones.
Gear Review: Orange Crush Acoustic 30
The Crush Acoustic 30 is a tiny little amp that weighs almost nothing. The specs claim it’s 13.5 pounds, but I don’t believe that. It comes right out of the box with a tilt-back design, so all the sound is projecting upward, where you want it.
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Learn the Guitar Composition ‘Chapdelaine’ by Dennis Hayes
Michael Chapdelaine told his life story to San Francisco composer and guitarist Dennis Hayes, who then felt moved to compose a piece