Guitar Techniques and Tips
With ideas from our expert instructors, explore guitar techniques you can apply in different musical styles and settings.

All-Purpose Rhythm Guitar A few rhythm techniques useful in a wide variety of playing styles and situations

Alternate Tunings Made Easy David Hodge explains alternate tunings from the ground up. Music to 'Handsome Molly'

Chord Fills Spice up basic chord progressions with great-sounding embellishments. This lesson includes a wealth of pro tips on suspensions, hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and special licks coutesy of Acoustic Guitar magazine's former music editor Dylan Schorer.

Clawhammer Guitar Add driving rhythms to your arrangements with clawhammer banjo techniques.

Conquer Stage Fright Is your fear of the bright lights keeping you from sharing your music with the world? Remember that people really aren't that scary, you can never be too prepared, and most importantly, it's not about you, it's about the music.

Creating Chord Progressions Coming up with your own chord progressions with basic chords.

Do the Shuffle Chris Grampp gives an easy introduction to one of the most popular rhythms of all time.

Dynamic Arranging Eight simple ways to use dynamics to get to the emotional heart of your band's songs.

Embellishing Arpeggios John Coco leads beginners through an easy, step-by-step process for learning and integrating arpeggios into their playing.

Expanding Your Chord Vocabulary Gary Talley explores the world of chords from a songwriter's perspective.

Harmonics The pure, flute-like tone that you get when you pluck a guitar string while lightly touching—but not fretting—the 12th fret is called a harmonic. Learn all about harmonics up and down the fingerboard from Sharon Isbin.

Harmonize a Melody Add color to your melodic lines by harmonizing them with chord or scale tones a third or sixth below the melody.

Hendrix-Style Embellishments How to adapt Jimi Hendrix-like chord voicings to acoustic guitar.

Legato Lines Do your single-note melodies sound staccato and stiff? Make them more fluid by mixing open strings with higher notes up the neck on lower strings, and using hammer-ons and pull-offs 'from nowhere.'

Luring the Muse Songwriter Patty Larkin shares her thoughts on the art of songwriting, with a look into her own creative process.

Modal Harmony Scott Nygaard shows you how to build chords from a mode or scale to create different sounds. Learn 88 modal chords and a song.

Movable Open-String Chords AG's music editor shows you how to turn simple chord patterns integrating open strings into magic bullets you can fire from across the fretboard.

Open-String Chords Create a whole new library of fresh, colorful chord voicings by combining familiar chord shapes with open strings.

Play It Loud Increase your flatpicking volume—without sacrificing tone—with these seven adjustments to your technique and attitude.

Soloing with Nonchord Tones We show you how to paint leads in exuberant new colors by venturing outside expected chord notes.

Start Your Own Jam Find songs that are fun and easy to play, round up some nourishment for your jammers, and you can fill your house with the great feeling of friends making music together.

Sustained-Note Chords Create exciting new chords by simply holding onto a note or two when you change from one chord to another.

Take It Easy It doesn't take much to prevent playing-related injuries.

Understanding Modes A primer in learning and playing in seven different modes.

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Got a question for Acoustic Guitar's editors? Please send us an email at editors.ag@StringLetter.com or snail-mail Acoustic Guitar Editorial, PO Box 767, San Anselmo, CA 94979. We regularly print reader letters in our Mail column and reader questions and tips in Q&A.

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