Generating Challenging Picking Exercises From Ninth Chords on Guitar
Let’s take a close look at a common extended chord—containing a note beyond the seventh, the venerable ninth.
These articles originally appeared in the January-February 2020 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
Ask the Expert: What’s the Deal with Nylon Strings?
Guitar repair expert Martin Keith explains the differences between steel and nylon guitar strings and shares some useful terminology.
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Video Lesson: Molly Tuttle Breaks Down Her Deft Right-Hand Techniques
On an early afternoon last September, Molly Tuttle, who was holding a spruce-and-mahogany dreadnought that appeared to be not much younger than 80, showed me the back of the guitar, which sported telltale lacquer wear. Tuttle explained that the instrument wasn’t in fact vintage but was recently made by Pre-War…
A Steel-String Guitarist’s Introduction to Nylon-String Techniques and Repertoire
Let's have a look at technique, repertoire, and mindfulness involved in playing classical guitar.
A Survey of British Fingerstyle Guitar from the 1960s to the Present
British guitarists Davey Graham, Martin Carthy, John Renbourn, and their contemporaries created a body of work that set the template for modern players while helping extend the expressive range of the steel-string guitar in general.
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Great Acoustics: 1870s Zogbaum & Fairchild/John C. Haynes Parlor Guitar
A couple of years ago, Darren Stewart—Chief of Police at the Stonington Police Department, in Pawcatuck, Connecticut—encountered a particularly sad case. Stewart was visiting the estate of a local celebrity, Eva Franchi, helping her prepare for an annual concert in memory of her late husband, the tenor and actor Sergio…
Gear Review: AER MM200 and Compact 60
AER's MM200 acoustic guitar amplifier is the model through which sonic adventurer Monte Montgomery channels his powerful music.
Album Review: Hot Club of Cowtown’s ‘Wild Kingdom’ Goes Beyond Django, Wills
To say Hot Club of Cowtown—guitarist Whit Smith, fiddler and vocalist Elana James, and upright bassist Jake Erwin—explores the past on their new album, Wild Kingdom (Gold Strike) is an understatement: one of the CD’s 11 originals, “Caveman,” imagines a prehistoric character who becomes famous for his cave paintings.
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‘The Pearls’: Dave Van Ronk’s Clever Arrangement of a Jelly Roll Morton Rag
This delightful arrangement serves as an excellent introduction to ragtime in general.
Makers & Shakers: A Chat with Nylon-String Luthier Stephan Connor
Cape Cod, Massachusetts–based luthier Stephan Connor has built a world-class reputation by taking a fresh approach to what may be the most traditional branch of guitar building.
Review: Yamaha CG-TA TransAcoustic Nylon-String Guitar
Yamaha's CG-TA TransAcoustic guitar is the company's first nylon-stringed model in its popular TransAcoustic lineup of guitars, which include built-in effects.
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‘The Earle of Salisbury’: Learn John Renbourn’s Classic Arrangement of a Renaissance Keyboard Piece
It can be a challenge to play keyboard music on guitar, but we share Renbourn's clever fingering strategies to keep the music smooth and flowing.
Top Gear: The Best Acoustic Guitars & Accessories of 2019
“Giant steps” might just be the motto of guitar makers in 2019. It was a year in which we saw the results of several large makers looking to the future of the guitar and daring to do something different. Martin hit the ejector-seat button on its popular Vintage series to launch the new Modern Deluxe line; Taylor built on last year’s buzz around a new bracing system to debut an all-new guitar that’s unlike anything they’ve made before; and Fender dropped an ambitious new acoustic/electric hybrid. Each move stirred the souls of the brands’ biggest fans, and you can say one thing for sure: These companies aren’t treading water. They’re challenging their own legacies by rethinking what can be done—and they’re delivering some of their finest guitars yet.
Classical Guitarist Jason Vieaux and His Broad Spectrum Approach
Among the world’s most prominent Gen-X classical guitarists, Jason Vieaux has embarked on a musical adventure that includes deep excursions into the classical literature juxtaposed with serious expeditions into pop, jazz, and other musical tributaries.
Gear Review: B&G Guitars Caletta
B&G throws in some of its own ideas to create an instrument that is a more of an individual interpretation than any kind of replica.
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Guitar Talk: UK Guitar Maker Roger Bucknall of Fylde Guitars
Roger Bucknall built his first guitar around 1959 and started taking his craft seriously around 1973 in a small shop on the northwest coast of England, in Fylde, Lancashire. There were very few guitar builders in that country at the time, but Bucknall helped spearhead the fine art of guitar…
Acoustic Classic: James Taylor’s ‘Fire and Rain’
It’s been 50 years since James Taylor released what would prove to be one of the most enduring ballads in the folk-pop realm—and, according to recent surveys, an overwhelming favorite of AG readers. “Fire and Rain” is a rather heavy song. Its three verses refer obliquely to a friend who…
Ace Fingerpicker Charlie Parr Revisits His Catalog on Self-Titled Album
Parr returns to some songs he’d written years earlier, determined to “live through them again, and take them apart, and put them together.”
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‘Super Moon’: Learn a Barn-Burner From Molly Tuttle
Among the many cool moments of Molly Tuttle’s variations are the jazz-informed block chords that suddenly appear in bars 61–65.
Gear Review: L.R. Baggs Align Series Delay and Chorus Pedals
The Delay and Chorus pedals are proof that L.R. Baggs has succeeded in creating acoustic effects that can enhance and expand your sonic toolkit—while preserving the natural tone of your acoustic guitar.
Album Review: Scorching Guitar-Dobro Combo of Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley Live In a ‘World Full of Blues’
Ickes and Hensley are clearly made for each other, and over time they’ve learned how to bring out their one-upping best.