Jazz Guitar Talk | The Acoustic Guitar Podcast
Join San Francisco–based jazz guitarists Mimi Fox, Nick Rossi, and Paul Mehling for a lively roundtable discussion on acoustic jazz standards.
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NEW GEAR
Review: The Schertler Giulia X Amp Proves Great Sounding Things Can Come in Small Packages
For this review we tested the Schertler Giulia X amp using a handful of different guitars and pickups and were impressed by the abundance of great tones the amp delivers.
Review: Takamine’s CRN-TS1 Is a Stage-Ready Dreadnought with a Sensitive Side
Our reviewer found that for a big guitar with a big sound, the Takamine CRN-TS1 also offers an intimate quality that rewards an uncluttered approach, where notes are given the time and space to linger.
MORE GEAR
Acoustic Guitar Truss Rods: Correcting an Adjustment Gone Wrong
Truss rod adjustments can make a big difference in an acoustic guitar's playability. However, even the most straightforward adjustments can have their pitfalls.
Can a Budget Guitar Be Transformed into Something Better?
How can you improve a budget guitar? This is a simple question with a complicated answer. To really tackle the subject, we’ll have to let's consider a few different areas.
FROM THE LATEST ISSUE
Young at Art: Five Luthiers 30 and Under Share Their Stories and Talk Shop
Five promising young luthiers—Brian Itzkin, Oliver Marchant, Eve Meister, Max Spohn, and Olivia Elia—chat about their personal visions and approaches to the craft of building guitars.
SPONSORED LESSON
Sponsored by Elixir® Strings
PLAY LIKE YOUR FAVORITE GUITARISTS
Tips for Tackling the Flatpicking Bluegrass of Doc Watson and Clarence White on “Footprints in the Snow”
From the January/February 2022 issue of Acoustic Guitar | By Alan Barnosky The 1964 performance by Doc Watson and Clarence White togethe... Read More...
Remembering Folk Icon Elizabeth Cotten and Her Distinctive Guitar Approach
From the September/October 2020 issue of Acoustic Guitar ; excerpted from the February 1995 issue of AG | By Linda... Read More...
Video Lesson: How to Play the Blues Like Booker White
Explore Booker ("Bukka") White’s playing in open-G and open-D minor and work your way up to his quick tempos and powerful driving rhythm.
Watch Joan Armatrading Play Her Classic Ballad “Love and Affection”
Watch Joan Armatrading play "Love and Affection" on her Ovation 12-string guitar, and learn some tips for playing the song with her rich chord voicings.
NEW BOOK ALERT
The world of popular music is filled with singer-songwriters who are not just brilliant wordsmiths but distinctive guitarists, and this eclectic guide covers some of the very best. Learn how these musicians support their songs with inventive accompaniments in a wide range of styles, tunings, and techniques—so many cool ideas that you can borrow for use in your own songwriting. Learn more.
HERE'S HOW
Between the Lines: All About Guitar Notation
Here you’ll learn how guitar notation evolved into the sophisticated tool it is today, how it’s prepared for publications like AG, and most important, how you can use it to learn new music, whatever your style.
GET STARTED ON GUITAR
Am I Too Old to Learn Guitar?
If we, at whatever age, are truly determined to make music come out of those six strings, we will.
FEATURED LESSON
The Guitar-Tuning Odyssey of Joni Mitchell
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.
CHORD BY CHORD
What is Chord by Chord? Introducing Acoustic Guitar’s How-To Video Series
Welcome to Acoustic Guitar’s Chord by Chord, a series of 62 brief lessons designed to build your fretboard familiarity, chord flu... Read More...
SESSIONS
John McCutcheon | Acoustic Guitar Sessions in Place
Playing his “favorite guitar in the world,” his trusty Huss & Dalton MJC, John McCutcheon deconstructs his song "Peekaboo" and shows how to play it slowly and up to speed.
Elijah McLaughlin Performs Two Stunning Fingerstyle Pieces | Acoustic Guitar Sessions in Place
For this AG Session, Elijah McLaughlin and Jason Toth of the Elijah McLaughlin Ensemble perform two fingerstyle pieces from the ensemble's latest album
FEATURED SONG
Tips to Play ‘Tangled Up in Blue,’ Bob Dylan’s Apparently Unfinished Masterpiece
Here are tips for playing Bob Dylan's "Tangled up in Blue," as arranged on The Bootleg Series, Vol. 14 in an intimate and intense version with just guitar, harmonica and bass.
NEWS & REVIEWS
Arlo Guthrie on Why ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ Has Endured: Listen to the Thanksgiving Classic
"The idea was to play something that would allow me to tell a long tall tale without it becoming distracting—or in other words, play something familiar. The actual fingerpicking is instantly recognizable now.”
POPULAR STORIES
Can a Budget Guitar Be Transformed into Something Better?
How can you improve a budget guitar? This is a simple question with a complicated answer. To really tackle the subject, we’ll have to let's consider a few different areas.
12 Ways to Play Better Blues Guitar — Lesson 9: Playing Into the Downbeat
Look at how to play into the downbeat to create momentum in your fingerstyle blues soloing and explore different kinds of resolutions—short, long, and delayed.
Mississippi John Hurt’s Influence on the 1960s Folk Scene and Beyond
From the July 2018 issue of Acoustic Guitar | BY STEVE JAMES
In the close, dimly lit quarters of the subterranean Gaslight Cafe, on MacDoug... Read More...
Review: The Schertler Giulia X Amp Proves Great Sounding Things Can Come in Small Packages
For this review we tested the Schertler Giulia X amp using a handful of different guitars and pickups and were impressed by the abundance of great tones the amp delivers.
Guitar Basics: A Bluesy Lick You Need to Know
This blues lick is fairly easy to play on guitar, and when played well can create a very evocative sound that will add movement and interest to your accompaniment.
Elijah McLaughlin Performs Two Stunning Fingerstyle Pieces | Acoustic Guitar Sessions in Place
For this AG Session, Elijah McLaughlin and Jason Toth of the Elijah McLaughlin Ensemble perform two fingerstyle pieces from the ensemble's latest album