The ultimate goal of many acoustic guitarists is to develop a personal style. A good way to achieve this is to study the guitar styles of the greats and synthesize the ideas you find most appealing. Acoustic Guitar has many lessons offering insights into the distinct styles and techniques of your favorite guitarists—including blues greats, folk icons, singer-songwriters, and beyond.
A skilled and precise fingerstyle player, Joan Baez modeled an approach to accompaniment that was not flashy, but effective, elegant, and complete-sounding with no other instruments.
The use of open tunings can open up a whole new world for singer/songwriters looking to establish their own voice on acoustic guitar. Here we take a look at Richard Thompson, Joni Mitchell, and Laurence Juber's use of open tunings and the effect it has on their songwriting.
Widely known as the Father of the Delta Blues, Charley Patton is generally recognized as one of the most influential blues artists active in the first decades of the 20th century. Although no single individual can be credited with inventing the Delta blues style, Patton was one of the first…
In Bruce Cockburn’s hands, the guitar becomes a true band in a box, delivering powerful grooves, riffs, melodies, harmonized lines, and improvised solos in real time.
Thanks to his gift for simple and emotionally direct expression, the songs John Denver wrote and interpreted have remained standard repertoire for any musicians who sing with an acoustic guitar.
When Gillian Welch and David Rawlings released their seminal debut back in 1996, they were often tagged as traditionalists—after all, the album title was Revival, with a black-and-white cover photo of Welch that looked as if it could have been taken during the Great Depression, and they played mostly stripped-down…
When Richard Thompson plugs in his Stratocaster, fireworks regularly ensue. But his playing is equally brilliant when he picks up a Martin, Ferrington, or Lowden and goes unplugged.
Whether playing live or in the studio, Campbell always displayed a distinctive style. Here's a look at some of the essential elements of his methodology.
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.
Paul Simon—with Art Garfunkel and without—and has composed some of the most beloved songs of the 20th century. This lesson explores his musical styles and techniques.
Memphis Minnie’s guitar playing has gone mostly underappreciated through the decades, but for many blues-inspired fingerpickers she is a crucial link in the chain of Delta blues through to Chicago blues.
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.
Among the many players who’ve used such tactics to create sui generis riffs and chord progressions, perhaps no one has been more successful than prolific singer-songwriter Neil Young.
Examine the trademarks of Garcia’s acoustic approach, which incorporates strumming and flatpicking in both accompaniment and lead roles, all imbued with a fair amount of improvisation.
Prewar blues is just a stepping-off point for Phelps’ intricate fingerpicking and soulful vocals. In this lesson, you'll adapt his open-D ideas to bottleneck style.
Few guitarists have had as much impact on fingerstyle folk and blues guitar as Elizabeth Cotten. Learn to capture her sound, phrasing, and dynamic approach to guitar.
Hart leans heavily on single-chord grooves with monotonic bass patterns. Learn some of these licks and how to capture the feel of Hart's acoustic blues.
