Learn “Doc’s Guitar”—Doc Watson’s Fingerstyle Tour de Force
The brilliance of Watson’s right-hand technique can be clearly heard on this punishingly fast instrumental
Borrowing Fiddle Techniques for Flatpicking Guitar on the Traditional Tune “Little Liza Jane”
This version of “Little Liza Jane” comes from the eastern Kentucky fiddler J.P. Fraley (1923–2011), who played it in the key of A major.
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How to Play Billy Strings’ Fleet-Fingered Solos on “Way Downtown”
Strings' version of this traditional song includes two solos that quote some signature Doc Watson licks.
Learn to Play Mary Flower’s ‘Waltz,’ a Jazzy Roots Piece in Dropped D Tuning
“Most of the time I have no idea how the music comes from my fingertips while writing. It’s not like I’m going for some genre or sound. It just happens!”
Fanø/Black Sea Dress: Learn to Play this Pair of Miniatures from Charlie Rauh
While hybrid picking lends a certain definition and crispness, especially on the bass notes, straight fingerpicking will work equally well on the two pieces.
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Woodshed: How to Play a Dropped-D Gospel Theme as Recorded by Bahamian Guitar Legend Joseph Spence
Listen to any Joseph Spence song and you’ll find unexpected nuance and detail, no matter how many times you have heard it.
“Dans Kef” – Learn to Play a Mysterious Celtic Arrangement for Solo Guitar
“Dans Kef” is in a sort of modified Orkney tuning I call Celto-Hawaiian, because it can sound like it’s from the islands. The tune is in fact a good case study in how to build your own Celtic arrangement.
“Prelude No. 1 in C Major”—Transforming a Bach Keyboard Work into a Flatpicking Guitar Study
As this arrangement shows, Bach's Prelude No. 1 in C Major works quite well as a flatpicking etude.
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Flatpicking Guitar Lesson: Learn Courtney Hartman’s Arrangement of “Cumberland Gap”
Learn to play this expressive and understated flatpicking guitar rendition of the classic tune “Cumberland Gap,” from Courtney Hartman’s 2016 Nothing We Say.
Woodshed: How To Play John Fahey’s ‘Uncloudy Day’
Fahey’s version of “Uncloudy Day” was originally released on his 1959 debut, Blind Joe Death.
Three New Solo Guitar Arrangements of Christmas Carols for 2022
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers shares three new solo guitar arrangements of Christmas Carols: "What Child Is This?," "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and "Jingle Bells."
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Tips on How to Play Michael Hedges’ Evocative Composition “Breakfast in the Field”
This meditative song uses two-handed tappings to fret notes in unprecedented ways.
Adam Levy Teaches His Moving Solo Guitar Composition “Clandestino (Elegy for a Cheesemonger)”
“Clandestino” begins with a playful single-note figure drawn from the D major pentatonic scale.
Learn Jon Stickley’s Clever Guitar Reimagining of the Classic Fiddle Tune “Blackberry Blossom”
Learn to play the Jon Stickley Trio's unique interpretation of the bluegrass tune “Blackberry Blossom” on guitar.
Christmas Classics: Learn Three Unique Fingerstyle Arrangements
Learn sophisticated solo-guitar arrangements of "O Come, All Ye Faithful," "Joy to the World," and "Silent Night."
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Learn an Open-D Bottleneck Slide Guitar Arrangement of “Silent Night”
Fingerstyle guitarist Steve Baughman shares an open-d acoustic guitar arrangement of the beloved Christmas carol "Silent Night" that lends itself nicely to slide treatment.
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.
Classical Bluegrass? Learn How to Flatpick a Matteo Carcassi Etude
Matteo Carcassi’s 25 Etudes, Op. 60 are a rite of passage for the advancing classical guitarist. Learn how to flatpick this classic on acoustic guitar.
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Video Lesson: Learn the Classical Guitar Standard “Romanza”
So, you want to play a composition like the 19th-century “Romanza,” eh? Here's how to make it sound beautiful on classical guitar.
Reimagining a Fernando Sor Etude as a String-Crossing Guitar Workout
This guitar lesson breaks down the mechanics of string crossing and applies it all to a classical guitar etude by Fernando Sor to help build up picking-hand precision.
Learn Gretchen Menn’s Challenging Chord-Melody Arrangement of “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling”
Guitarist Gretchen Menn based this lovely chord-melody guitar arrangement of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" on a version that vocalist Bing Crosby recorded in 1939.
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Learn Peppino D’Agostino’s ‘Dancing with Shadows’
“As in a painting, the melody should be the subject right up front, close to your eyes, and the bass should be the mountains in the background,” D’Agostino says.
Fingerstyle Legend Will Ackerman Plays a New Piece, “I Had to Go There,” in a Radical Open Tuning
This song has a striking tuning of F C Eb Ab C Eb, try your hand at playing it!
Flatpicking Guitar Lesson: Learn the Traditional Fiddle Tune “Bill Cheatham”
“Bill Cheatham” is the perfect example of a fiddle tune that's also a great way to learn flatpicking on guitar.
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Learn Tony Rice’s Flatpicking Take on the Traditional Fiddle Tune ‘Cattle in the Cane’
This is not only a good introduction to fiddle tunes, but to flatpicking in general as it covers the hallmarks of the style.
