How to Play the Indigo Girls’ Folk-Rock Anthem “Closer to Fine”
With tight harmonies, sturdy twin guitar strumming, thoughtful lyrics, and a bit of vocal countermelody, the song has all the hallmarks of the duo's style.
Learn “In the Pines,” a Haunting Folk Song Recorded by Musicians from Lead Belly to Nirvana
The arrangement of this song, also known as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night," is inspired by Nirvana’s version.
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Learn to Play Tracy Chapman’s Groundbreaking Hit “Fast Car”
Thirty five years after its release, this powerful narrative, with its distinctive guitar part, feels as vital as ever.
Taking a Fresh Look at the Centuries-Old Waltz “On Top of Old Smoky” on Guitar
Singer-songwriter Maurice Tani teaches how to add fresh color and anticipation to a traditional favorite.
Learn to Play Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”
Lightfoot recorded the song on a 12-string—specifically, a Gibson B-45-12—but it will work just as well on a six-string.
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Play the Classic Sea Shanty “Drunken Sailor” with 3 Simple Chords
This easy campfire arrangement follows a traditional four-bar pattern using just the chords Am, G, and C.
Tips on Playing “Shake Sugaree,” an Elizabeth Cotten Fingerpicking Staple
Cotten plays “Shake Sugaree” on a guitar tuned down a whole step, using chord shapes in the key of C major that sound in Bb.
Learn “Talco Girl,” Steve James’ Rootsy Character Study in Dropped-D Tuning
One of James' most popular tunes, “Talco Girl” is supported by a guitar accompaniment that would make a smart instrumental composition on its own.
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Learn How to Play Joe Robinson’s Showstopping “Let the Guitar Do the Talkin’”
It’s one thing to play blazingly fast Travis picking, and quite another to sing at the same time, as Joe Robinson does.
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Learn to Play “Handle With Care,” the Traveling Wilburys’ Impromptu Hit
George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan had so much fun recording this song that they ended up making a band together.
Acoustic Classic: A DADGAD Arrangement of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”
One of the pleasures of DADGAD and other open tunings is letting open strings add lush extensions to chords, as in this arrangement of "Wish You Were Here."
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How to Play Bonnie Raitt’s Grammy-Winning Story-Song “Just Like That”
With its character-driven narrative and fingerpicking guitar, “Just Like That” taps into Raitt’s love of the folk ballads of her songwriting contemporaries.
Play Happy Traum’s Fingerstyle Arrangement of “Worried Blues” on Acoustic Guitar
“It’s one of those lonesome blues things, but it’s not a standard 12-bar blues... It’s more like a folk song,” says Traum
Learn “Cam Ye O’er Frae France,” a Dropped-D Arrangement of an Irreverent Scottish Song
Popular versions have been performed by Steeleye Span, Ewan MacColl, and Dick Gaughan
Sunny War’s “No Reason” Is Built from a Cool and Distinctive Riff
It has a non-Western vibe, but at the same time connects to the Travis picking tradition
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How to Play “Willin’” — Little Feat’s Trucking Anthem in Open-G Tuning
This guitar lesson is based on Little Feat’s original recording of "Willin'," a duet with George on vocals and acoustic guitar and Ry Cooder on bottleneck electric guitar.
Learn to Play the Fun and Breezy 19th Century Dance Tune “Jenny Jenkins”
“Jenny Jenkins,” which has been covered by the likes of Jerry Garcia (with David Grisman) and Lisa Loeb, is as simple as it is sweet.
Learn a Simple Guitar Arrangement of the Scottish Folk Anthem “Fortune Turns the Wheel”
"Fortune Turns the Wheel" is simple, and the sung melody needs little in the way of instrumental propulsion, so the guitar setting is spare in this arrangement.
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Learn the Scottish Folk Song “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” on Guitar
Learn an easy guitar arrangement of the traditional Scottish folk song "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean."
Learn the Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin’” on Guitar
This classic song captures the ethos of the early hippie era and is played in the key of A minor, with a capo at the fourth fret causing the music to sound in C# minor.
“What’s Going On”—Learn an Unplugged Version of Marvin Gaye’s R&B Masterpiece
Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” has nary an acoustic guitar in its swirling arrangement, but the song, in the guitar-friendly key of E major, lends itself nicely to an acoustic treatment.
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Learn an Easy Guitar Arrangement of “Low Bridge, Everybody Down” (aka “The Erie Canal Song”)
Here's an easy strumming version of “Low Bridge, Everybody Down” (aka “The Erie Canal Song”), a 1900s tune that takes a look back to the mid-1800s.
“John Henry”: Play This Acoustic Guitar Tribute to an American Folk Hero
Passed down from the late 1800s, the folk ballad “John Henry” tells the story of a Black steel driver who dies in an effort to best a steam drill in laying down steel for the construction of a railroad. Henry is thought to have been a real person, whose proof…
How to Play Neil Young’s Luminous Love Song “Harvest Moon“
With its graceful melody and romantic glow, the song is an acoustic repertoire staple—sung at countless weddings and song circles.
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How To Play Lead Belly’s Version of the Blues Ballad “John Hardy”
This guitar transcription of Lead Belly's blues murder ballad "John Hardy" uses the tuning of low-B from the 1940 Library of Congress recording.