https://acousticguitar.com lessons, music to play, and how-tos for all guitarists Mon, 08 Jan 2024 23:53:28 +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/how-to-use-a-partial-capo/ https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-use-a-partial-capo/#respond Tue, 09 Jan 2024 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=142675 Like a magic trick on your guitar, partial capos hold down some strings while leaving others untouched, changing the intervals between open strings.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-use-a-partial-capo/feed/ 0 142675 https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-the-indigo-girls-folk-rock-anthem-closer-to-fine/ https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-the-indigo-girls-folk-rock-anthem-closer-to-fine/#respond Sun, 10 Dec 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=142672 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.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-the-indigo-girls-folk-rock-anthem-closer-to-fine/feed/ 0 142672 https://acousticguitar.com/nickel-creek-the-acoustic-guitar-podcast/ https://acousticguitar.com/nickel-creek-the-acoustic-guitar-podcast/#respond Wed, 29 Nov 2023 12:20:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=142914 Catch up with one of your favorite bluegrass bands! ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/nickel-creek-the-acoustic-guitar-podcast/feed/ 0 142914 https://acousticguitar.com/review-joni-mitchell-archives-vol-3/ https://acousticguitar.com/review-joni-mitchell-archives-vol-3/#comments Sun, 12 Nov 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=142481 New Rhino set spans a time when Mitchell made multiple musical breakthroughs—as a songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/review-joni-mitchell-archives-vol-3/feed/ 3 142481 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-tracy-chapmans-groundbreaking-hit-fast-car/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-tracy-chapmans-groundbreaking-hit-fast-car/#respond Fri, 27 Oct 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=141863 Thirty five years after its release, this powerful narrative, with its distinctive guitar part, feels as vital as ever.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-tracy-chapmans-groundbreaking-hit-fast-car/feed/ 0 141863 https://acousticguitar.com/explore-double-dropped-d/ https://acousticguitar.com/explore-double-dropped-d/#respond Tue, 10 Oct 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=141082 Lowering your first and sixth strings from E to D opens up enticing new possibilities on both the low and high ends of the guitar.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/explore-double-dropped-d/feed/ 0 141082 https://acousticguitar.com/john-lennon-a-songwriters-legacy/ https://acousticguitar.com/john-lennon-a-songwriters-legacy/#comments Mon, 09 Oct 2023 17:32:19 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=142240 What gives this music such vitality and allure, even for those who didn't grow up with Beatlemania in the 1960s?]]> https://acousticguitar.com/john-lennon-a-songwriters-legacy/feed/ 1 142240 https://acousticguitar.com/the-milk-carton-kids-deepen-their-sound-and-songwriting-on-i-only-see-the-moon/ https://acousticguitar.com/the-milk-carton-kids-deepen-their-sound-and-songwriting-on-i-only-see-the-moon/#respond Sun, 27 Aug 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=141195 Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale, aka the Milk Carton Kids, discuss the creative process behind what is perhaps their strongest set of songs to date.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/the-milk-carton-kids-deepen-their-sound-and-songwriting-on-i-only-see-the-moon/feed/ 0 141195 https://acousticguitar.com/review-paul-simon-seven-psalms/ https://acousticguitar.com/review-paul-simon-seven-psalms/#respond Wed, 16 Aug 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=141002 It’s remarkable to say that even after all these decades of exploring all sorts of sonic and stylistic terrain, ‘Seven Psalms’ is unlike any other Paul Simon creation. ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/review-paul-simon-seven-psalms/feed/ 0 141002 https://acousticguitar.com/sean-watkins-shares-guitar-parts-behind-nickel-creek-songs/ Sun, 13 Aug 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=139352 Watkins has developed a guitar vocabulary quite different from the classic boom-chuck.]]> 139352 https://acousticguitar.com/bruce-cockburn-the-acoustic-guitar-podcast/ https://acousticguitar.com/bruce-cockburn-the-acoustic-guitar-podcast/#comments Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:20:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=141372 We sat down with Bruce Cockburn to discuss songwriting, creativity, guitars, and his top guitar-playing tips.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/bruce-cockburn-the-acoustic-guitar-podcast/feed/ 1 141372 https://acousticguitar.com/how-nickel-creeks-sean-watkins-sara-watkins-and-chris-thile-made-their-most-ambitious-album-yet/ Sun, 16 Jul 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=139343 On ‘Celebrants,’ their first new record in nine years, the trio rekindles their connection and explores new territory.]]> 139343 https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-create-sophisticated-harmonies-on-guitar-with-cluster-chords/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=135631 Here are some of the evocative sounds you can create using chord voicings with notes that are close to each other—just a half step or whole step apart.]]> 135631 https://acousticguitar.com/larkin-poe-from-bluegrass-to-blues-rock/ https://acousticguitar.com/larkin-poe-from-bluegrass-to-blues-rock/#respond Wed, 07 Jun 2023 12:36:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=127226 To learn more about Larkin Poe's journey from acoustic roots music to amped-up rock, we caught up with the sisters by phone from their home bases in Nashville.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/larkin-poe-from-bluegrass-to-blues-rock/feed/ 0 127226 https://acousticguitar.com/acoustic-classic-a-dadgad-arrangement-of-pink-floyds-wish-you-were-here/ https://acousticguitar.com/acoustic-classic-a-dadgad-arrangement-of-pink-floyds-wish-you-were-here/#respond Sun, 04 Jun 2023 12:06:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=123673 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."]]> https://acousticguitar.com/acoustic-classic-a-dadgad-arrangement-of-pink-floyds-wish-you-were-here/feed/ 0 123673 https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-bonnie-raitts-grammy-winning-story-song-just-like-that/ https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-bonnie-raitts-grammy-winning-story-song-just-like-that/#comments Wed, 31 May 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=135612 With its character-driven narrative and fingerpicking guitar, “Just Like That” taps into Raitt’s love of the folk ballads of her songwriting contemporaries.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/how-to-play-bonnie-raitts-grammy-winning-story-song-just-like-that/feed/ 1 135612 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-happy-traums-dropped-d-fingerpicking-worried-blues/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-happy-traums-dropped-d-fingerpicking-worried-blues/#respond Fri, 26 May 2023 17:05:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=125784 “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 ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-happy-traums-dropped-d-fingerpicking-worried-blues/feed/ 0 125784 https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-exploring-john-prines-simple-but-distinctive-guitar-work/ https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-exploring-john-prines-simple-but-distinctive-guitar-work/#respond Fri, 28 Apr 2023 15:35:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=120151 This lesson takes a tour of John Prine’s music by way of his guitar style, using examples drawn from some of his most-loved songs.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/video-lesson-exploring-john-prines-simple-but-distinctive-guitar-work/feed/ 0 120151 https://acousticguitar.com/for-the-sake-of-the-song-accompaniment-tips-and-techniques/ https://acousticguitar.com/for-the-sake-of-the-song-accompaniment-tips-and-techniques/#respond Fri, 21 Apr 2023 16:25:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=104522 Mark Erelli, Shawn Colvin, Anaïs Mitchell, Martin Sexton, and Anthony da Costa talk about technique for guitar accompaniment in their songs]]> https://acousticguitar.com/for-the-sake-of-the-song-accompaniment-tips-and-techniques/feed/ 0 104522 https://acousticguitar.com/the-guitar-tuning-odyssey-of-joni-mitchell/ https://acousticguitar.com/the-guitar-tuning-odyssey-of-joni-mitchell/#respond Fri, 14 Apr 2023 16:27:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=118682 The melodies and harmonies of Joni Mitchell's music rarely unfold in ways that our ears have come to expect. Here's a look at her guitar tuning Odyssey.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/the-guitar-tuning-odyssey-of-joni-mitchell/feed/ 0 118682 https://acousticguitar.com/writing-songs-podcast-episode-13/ https://acousticguitar.com/writing-songs-podcast-episode-13/#respond Wed, 29 Mar 2023 14:20:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=136488 Join our illustrious panel for an in-depth conversation on songwriting. While each of our guests has a unique perspective and process, they share the belief that you can write songs, too.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/writing-songs-podcast-episode-13/feed/ 0 136488 https://acousticguitar.com/7-tips-to-make-cover-songs-feel-like-your-own/ https://acousticguitar.com/7-tips-to-make-cover-songs-feel-like-your-own/#respond Sun, 12 Mar 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=135140 As a songwriter, do you stick to your guns and your own songs—or cave and just deliver the hits everyone can sing along with? There’s a healthier way to look at covers: as a creative vehicle that can actually enhance rather than compete with your songwriting. ]]> https://acousticguitar.com/7-tips-to-make-cover-songs-feel-like-your-own/feed/ 0 135140 https://acousticguitar.com/12-ways-to-challenge-yourself-and-discover-new-territory-on-guitar/ https://acousticguitar.com/12-ways-to-challenge-yourself-and-discover-new-territory-on-guitar/#respond Sun, 05 Mar 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=135146 We talked to a group of artists and educators who share their favorite exercises, strategies, and tricks for helping get beyond the comfort zone and discover new territory on the guitar.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/12-ways-to-challenge-yourself-and-discover-new-territory-on-guitar/feed/ 0 135146 https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-madison-cunninghams-life-according-to-raechel/ https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-madison-cunninghams-life-according-to-raechel/#respond Sun, 12 Feb 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=134175 Learn to play the hushed, sparse, gorgeously melodic song that Madison Cunningham wrote in honor of her grandmother.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/learn-to-play-madison-cunninghams-life-according-to-raechel/feed/ 0 134175 https://acousticguitar.com/remembering-guitarist-and-teacher-dix-bruce-1952-2023/ https://acousticguitar.com/remembering-guitarist-and-teacher-dix-bruce-1952-2023/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2023 14:00:00 +0000 https://acousticguitar.com/?p=135296 The versatile, knowledgeable, and always cheerful musician and educator Dix Bruce passed away suddenly and peacefully in his sleep at age 70.]]> https://acousticguitar.com/remembering-guitarist-and-teacher-dix-bruce-1952-2023/feed/ 33 135296