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Acoustic Guitar

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lessons, music to play, and how-tos for all guitarists
Updated: 1 hour 52 min ago

Patty Griffin on Channelling Illness, Loss, and Renewal into Songs of Resilience

Wed, 07/01/2026 - 06:00
 Alysse Gafkjen
The singer-songwriter reflects on her 30-year career through the prism of her latest work, ‘Crown of Roses,’ a moving set of songs infused with folk, gospel, country blues, and dashes of flamenco.

Soloing Basics—How to Guide Your Solos with Chord Shapes

Wed, 06/24/2026 - 06:00
yellow road sign in the desert
In this lesson we will explore how chord shapes are especially useful for soloing over songs that use chords from outside the key.

The Trey Hensley Gold Label 510e

Tue, 06/23/2026 - 23:45
The Trey Hensley Gold Label 510e
Sponsored by Taylor Guitars: At 11 years old, Trey Hensley had been playing guitar for less than a year when a chance encounter changed everything. After hearing Trey perform at a county fair, Marty Stuart invited the young guitarist onstage. Two months later, Trey found himself performing on the Grand Ole Opry. What followed was a […]

Berta Rojas Traces the Guitar’s Journey Across Latin America

Sun, 06/21/2026 - 06:00
Berta Rojas Traces the Guitar’s Journey Across Latin America
In an expansive new multimedia project, the celebrated Paraguayan guitarist collaborates with performers from across the Americas to explore the instrument’s shared roots and regional transformations.

Jackson Emmer’s Serious Wit | Acoustic Guitar Sessions

Fri, 06/19/2026 - 06:00
Jackson Emmer’s Serious Wit | Acoustic Guitar Sessions
This set showcases Emmer’s mix of heart and humor and shines a light on his deft guitar work.

Unlock Your Acoustic Guitar to Sound & Play Better

Thu, 06/18/2026 - 23:45
Unlock Your Acoustic Guitar to Sound & Play Better
Sponsored by MusicNomad: A proper setup can help reduce unwanted buzzing, improve tuning stability, dial in intonation, and help your guitar sound and play its best. Saving time and money while improving sound and playability, thousands of guitar players have learned to set up their guitar with MusicNomad’s Keep It Simple Setup (KISS)™ system. “Setting up […]

“Little Darling Pal of Mine”—Learn to Flatpick This Classic Folk Tune

Wed, 06/17/2026 - 06:00
The Carter Family
Add flavor to this beloved traditional melody with strums, arpeggios, and cross picking.

How to Create a Better Practice Space

Sun, 06/14/2026 - 06:00
How to Create a Better Practice Space
Try these musician-tested ideas for making your guitar room more efficient, comfortable, and creatively inspiring.

Letter from the Editor | Acoustic Guitar, Summer 2026 Issue 358

Fri, 06/12/2026 - 06:10
Letter from the Editor | Acoustic Guitar, Summer 2026 Issue 358
From the Summer 2026 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine There’s a certain kind of guitarist whose influence becomes so embedded in the acoustic guitar world that it can be easy to forget how fresh and unusual they once sounded. Jorma Kaukonen is one of those players. Long before stylistic openness became commonplace in acoustic guitar […]

How to Revamp a Chord Progression to Spark New Arranging and Songwriting Ideas

Wed, 06/10/2026 - 06:00
CLose up of a hand playing the Cmaj7 chord on acoustic guitar
In this lesson, you’ll learn to make creative choices in reharmonizing a simple eight-bar melody, discovering methods that may open new doors in your own songwriting.

Bluegrass Jam Etiquette | Acoustic Guitar Teaching Artists

Sun, 06/07/2026 - 06:00
Jackson Emmer offers a practical introduction to bluegrass jam etiquette, aimed especially at players attending their first jam session

How Apollo Picks Founder Nik Monnin Turned a Pandemic Experiment into a Dream Job

Wed, 06/03/2026 - 08:00
Nik Monnin crafts each pick by hand. Courtesy of Nik Monnin
Apollo Picks are favored by players like Norman Blake, Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, and Mary Halvorson and are made one at a time in Monnin’s Ohio workshop.

Review: Grace Design’s MOXi, a Two-Channel Instrument Preamp, Offers Pristine Sound and Streamlined Features

Mon, 06/01/2026 - 09:20
 Grace Design’s MOXi, a Two-Channel Instrument Preamp, Offers Pristine Sound and Streamlined Features
A rugged, reliable, preamp with all the essentials for high-fidelity acoustic amplification.

Enter to Win a Taylor Next Generation 412ce Acoustic Guitar

Mon, 06/01/2026 - 00:00
Enter to Win a Taylor Next Generation 412ce Acoustic Guitar
One lucky winner will receive this Taylor Next Generation 412ce Offering players a more accessible entry point to the beloved sound of solid rosewood and spruce, the Next Generation 412ce is sure to impress everyday players and professionals alike. The combination of Indian rosewood back and sides with a Sitka spruce top gets a boost […]

May 2026 Teaching Artist Lesson Recap

Fri, 05/29/2026 - 06:46
May 2026 Teaching Artist Lesson Recap
This month’s TA lessons cover a wide range of topics: Argentinean jazz licks, the boom chuck, harp harmonics, slide blues, and flatpicking bass runs.

Great Acoustics: Earl Scruggs’ Iconic 1955 Martin D-18

Wed, 05/27/2026 - 06:00
Earl Scruggs’ iconic 1955 Martin D-18 acoustic guitar with dual pickguards
Thanks to Scruggs’ frequent appearances on ‘Grand Ole Opry’ television shows, this distinctive guitar was widely documented throughout the late ’50s and ’60s.

How to Play the Kinks’ Swingy, Snarky Hit “Sunny Afternoon”

Wed, 05/20/2026 - 06:00
 W. Veenman
This guitar arrangement combines bass and chords in one part that can stand alone, and it’s a blast to play.

Two Minute Tech: The Action Control Neck

Sun, 05/17/2026 - 23:45
 The Action Control Neck
Sponsored by Taylor Guitars: Is your acoustic guitar feeling stiff, sluggish or harder to play than it should? The culprit may be your action. In this episode of Two Minute Tech, Rob Magargal breaks down one of the most important factors in playability: string height, also known as action. He explains what action really means, why […]

Ask the Expert: Scale Length and 12- vs. 14-Fret Designs—How They Affect Your Guitar’s Tone, Feel, and Playability

Wed, 05/13/2026 - 06:00
Selmer-Maccaferri_o-Type_Nachbau-photo-wikimedia-Holzwurm52-Creative-Commons-Attribution-Share-Alike-4.0-International
Scale length is one of the most important variables in the tone and playability of a guitar, and often gets less attention than it deserves.

Learn to Play “Goodnight, Irene”—A Folk Standard Made Famous by Lead Belly and the Weavers

Wed, 05/06/2026 - 06:00
 The Daily Worker
Covered by artists across genres—from Lawrence Welk to Keith Richards—the song is built on just a handful of chords that repeat through both verses and chorus.

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