Acoustic Guitar | lessons, music to play, and how-tos for all guitarists

Mother Maybelle Carter album cover for "Pickin and Singin"

Improve Your Flatpicking Technique with These Mother Maybelle Carter-Inspired Exercises

Great Acoustics: Hank Williams’ Other Martin Guitar

photo of guitar student seated on a rug taken from above

The Best Websites and Apps for Learning Guitar

Review: PRS SE A40E Angelus Acoustic-Electric Guitar Is a Workhorse Import That Overdelivers

Probably more than any instrument I’ve tested in years, the PRE SE A40E Angelus acoustic-electric guitar revealed its true potential gradually.

What Do You Love About Your Local Guitar Shop?

acoustic guitar body shapes (martin and gibson) from acoustic guitar magazine

A Guide to Identifying Common Acoustic Guitar Shapes and Sizes

How the Music of Madagascar Can Expand Your Fingerstyle Guitar Playing

Learn to Play Rock-Solid Rhythm Guitar

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NEW GEAR

Review: PRS SE A40E Angelus Acoustic-Electric Guitar Is a Workhorse Import That Overdelivers

Probably more than any instrument I’ve tested in years, the PRE SE A40E Angelus acoustic-electric guitar revealed its true potential gradually.

Guitar Review: Luna’s Vineyard Koa Bevel Folk Is a Versatile and Vibrant Acoustic-Electric

The Vineyard Koa is based on Luna’s Folk body, which splits the difference between a grand auditorium and a parlor. Hear how it sounds in this guitar review.

MORE GEAR

A Guide to Identifying Common Acoustic Guitar Shapes and Sizes

The steel-string acoustic guitar appears in many different sizes and shapes. This guide gives a general understanding of the most common styles and what they may offer players

2022 Cowardin 000 guitar-front-photo-Nick Davis

Great Acoustics: This Custom Style 21 Cowardin 000 Celebrates a Decades-Long Friendship

A friend commissioned Jack Cowardin to build an understated 000 acoustic guitar to complement his 1938 Martin 000-18. The result was much more than just wood and metal.

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FROM THE LATEST ISSUE

Golden Jubilee: Bob Taylor, Richard Hoover, and Dana Bourgeois Reflect on 50 Years of Guitar Making

Bob Taylor (Taylor Guitars), Richard Hoover (Santa Cruz Guitars), and Dana Bourgeois (Schoenberg, Bourgeois Guitars) reflect on 50 years of guitar making.

Watch Joan Armatrading Play Her Classic Ballad “Love and Affection”

Ana Vidovic’s Live and Virtual Recitals Have Made Her One of the Classical Guitar’s Brightest Stars

Trevor Gordon Hall Crafts Expressive Instrumentals from a Variety of Guitars on ‘This Beautiful Chaos’

Carlos Barbosa Lima with Johannes Tonio Kreusch playing guitars onstage

Carlos Barbosa-Lima and Johannes Tonio Kreusch Shine on ‘Manisero’

Reimagining a Fernando Sor Etude as a String-Crossing Guitar Workout

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FEATURED CONTRIBUTOR

Get to know Alan Barnosky

“Salt Creek” Bluegrass Flatpicking Guitar Lesson

A common question advancing flatpickers have is how and when to play up the guitar neck. The old favorite "Salt Creek" gives a good example of how to do it.

pickin guitar lesson classical bluegrass

Classical Bluegrass? Learn How to Flatpick a Matteo Carcassi Etude

Reimagining a Fernando Sor Etude as a String-Crossing Guitar Workout

Alan Barnosky Flatpicking Guitar Lesson video still

Learn to Play ”Leather Britches”: A Classic Fiddle Tune, Arranged for Flatpicking Guitar

Kendall Bailey Photography: Alan Barnosky in black and white with his guitar

Alan Barnosky is a guitarist and songwriter based in Durham, NC. He is a regular contributor for Acoustic Guitar magazine, and performs as a solo songwriter, as a guitarist with the bluegrass four-piece Counterclockwise String Band, and as a bassist with the folk outfit Chatham Rabbits.. Read More...

illustration of skip james and the headstock of his guitar

Video Lesson: How to Play the Blues Like Skip James

Capturing the haunting, emotive quality of Skip James' music is a challenge. Learn to get into open-D-minor tuning and explore his evocative music.

Video Lesson: Inside Joni Mitchell’s Inventive Guitar Style

Mitchell reinvented the guitar as a vehicle for accompaniment and songwriting. The evolution of her guitar style is inseparable from her journey as one of the defining singer-songwriters of her generation.

Learn Four Classical and Traditional Songs in Open Tunings

In previous posts, we have explored the use of tunings by singer-songwriters and blues guitarists. This time we’ll check out some classical... Read More...

Illustration of Tampa Red with a golden resonator guitar

Video Lesson: Learn How to Play Like Tampa Red

Tampa Red intertwines the bass and treble voices, employing a dance-like approach. Get your guitar tuned to open-D and explore Tampa's bottleneck slide style.

NEW BOOK ALERT

Play Guitar Like the Great Singer-Songwriters Book Cover

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.

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HERE'S HOW

Guitar on a Budget: Pros Offer Advice on Getting the Most Out of Your Gear

From the June 2018 issue of Acoustic Guitar | BY GREG OLWELL Even if you’re the kind of guitar-obsessed nut who spends hours cruising reve... Read More...

A Guitarist’s Guide to Managing Aging and Overuse Injuries

guitar teacher giving online lesson in front of a computer

Class Action: Tips on Building a Successful Guitar Teaching Practice

The Digital Troubadour, Part 2: How to record yourself to sound like yourself

Tracking and Editing Your Acoustic Guitar—Home Recording Part 3/3

The Best Websites and Apps for Learning Guitar

GET STARTED ON GUITAR

This Is Classical Guitar's Bradford Werner plays guitar with capo at third fret

Digital Conservatories: Online Learning Resources for Classical Guitarists

We looked into a number of the most popular classical-guitar learning sites and offer profiles of three here; at the end you’ll also find brief glimpses of four others.

7 Ways to Find a New Guitar Teacher Now

Syracuse’s Guitar League has Created an Impressive Model for Both Teaching and Learning

The Best Websites and Apps for Learning Guitar

A Week at Puget Sound Guitar Workshop Offers a Chance to Woodshed & Canoe with a Guy Named Dave

FEATURED LESSON

black and white photo of Jimmy Page seated playing his acoustic guitar

Video Lesson: Learn to Play Slide Like Jimmy Page

In this lesson, you'll get Jimmy Page's blues riffs and musical ideas under your fingers and learn how to take them somewhere new and exciting.

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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...

Learn 7 Ways to Play C Major | Chord by Chord

8 ways to play g major on guitar chord by chord

Learn 8 Ways to Play G Major | Chord by Chord

Learn to Play D Major Chords Up and Down the Neck | Chord by Chord

Kate Koenig teaching the C-G chord progression on guitar

How to Play a C-G Progression | Chord by Chord

Learn 8 Ways to Play an A Minor | Chord by Chord

Video lessons week by week, Chord by Chord. Sign up free!

SESSIONS

Richard Thompson Performs “Turning of the Tide” on His Road-Worn Lowden Acoustic Guitar

Richard Thompson performs "Turning of the Tide" on his Lowden F-35 acoustic guitar at the Freight & Salvage for Acoustic Guitar Sessions

whitmore sisters Acoustic Guitar sessions

The Whitmore Sisters Play a Song off ‘Ghost Stories’ | Acoustic Guitar Sessions in Place

The Whitmore Sisters perform the song “Friends We Leave Behind” from their album Ghost Stories.

FEATURED SONG

Learn a Beautiful Open-G Guitar Arrangement of ‘Sally Ann’

Dudley Hill was a beloved guitarist in the Pacific Northwest with great rhythm and time. Here's how to play his version of the tune "Sally Ann" on guitar.