Sean McGowan | Acoustic Guitar

Based in Denver, Colorado, Sean McGowan is a guitarist and educator whose work focuses on jazz, fingerstyle, composition, and injury prevention for musicians. He is a professor of music and department chair at the University of Colorado Denver. Sean has contributed articles for Acoustic Guitar since 2004, and has authored the Stringletter Media books Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar Essentials, The Acoustic Jazz Guitarist, and Holiday Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar.

Favorite Album: Solo Guitar by Earl Klugh
Favorite Song to Play: “All Blues” by Miles Davis
Favorite Guitars: Bourgeois OMC; Nickerson FC3; various archtops by Tad Brown and Brad Nickerson
Dream Guitars: vintage Stromberg or Gibson L-5 from the 1920s
Related Discography:

Articles by Sean McGowan

Beyond Flattops: The Magic of Archtop Guitars

Though long favored by jazz and swing guitarists, the archtop is currently enjoying a revival among roots and Americana musicians, flatpickers, and singer-songwriters.

close up photograph showing three fingers on a guitar neck playing a Gmaj9 chord

Video Lesson: Generating Challenging Picking Exercises From Ninth Chords

Let’s take a close look at a common extended chord—containing a note beyond the seventh, the venerable ninth.

Try These Fun and Challenging Counterpoint Exercises on Guitar

Contrapuntal lines are not necessarily intuitive for most guitarists, but the approach is certainly worth the investment and yields dividends equivalent to sonic gold.

close up of acoustic guitar playing, how to get good tone

30 Ways to Improve Your Acoustic Guitar Tone

Improve your acoustic guitar tone with these tips and techniques for fretting-hand, flatpicking, and fingerstyle playing for both your right and left hands.

The Blues in Jazz: Using the Classic 12-Bar Form to Learn Bebop Improv

Explore comping and soloing strategies over a standard 12-bar jazz blues progression, as well as chord substitutions and variations.

Sean McGowan holding acoustic guitar in his home studio

Try These Fun Guitar Exercises to Build Coordination Between Your Fretting and Picking Hands

Take a deep dive into building independence among the fingers of both hands.

ron jackson sean mcgowan acoustic guitar fb live takeover

Watch Ron Jackson’s AG Facebook Takeover Performance and Q&A with Sean McGowan

It was your typical summertime Friday night—the sun taking its time to retreat into the horizon, dreams of a fun weekend beginning to form in the mind, and the... Read More...

Ron Jackson ‘Takes Over’ Acoustic Guitar’s FB Page July 10 for Live Performance, Q&A with Special Guest Sean McGowan

Looking for something fun, safe, and socially distant to do on Friday night? Seven-string guitarist Ron Jackson will take over Acoustic Guitar's Facebook page ... Read More...

How to Use Guide Tone Voicings in Fingerstyle Jazz

By Sean McGowan | Excerpted from Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar Essentials Separating parts on the piano is fairly easy, because each hand is essentially free to f... Read More...

Gear Review: Henriksen The Bud Head Amplifier

By Sean McGowan In the not-too-distant past, acoustic guitarists and singer-songwriters were relegated to hauling around large PA systems replete with a mix... Read More...