Stuart Ryan

Stuart Ryan

Stuart Ryan is best known for his acoustic guitar playing, from Celtic fingerpicking and traditional folk to modern percussive phrasing and fresh interpretations of popular pieces. He has released several solo albums, written pieces for UK examination boards and created nine tutorial books ranging from acoustic guitar arrangements to Americana styles.

Articles by: Stuart Ryan

Eric Bibb

Your acoustic blues playing will come on leaps and bounds with new fingerpicking patterns – here are 10 you need to know

By Stuart Ryan published

Ditch the pick and dive into these fingerpicking style guitar lessons on some of blues guitar's finest fingerstylists, including Eric Bibb, Rory Gallagher and Leo Kottke

Dolly Parton

Country icon Dolly Parton has written over 3,000 songs, but her trademark ‘thumb and flick’ playing style is essential learning for acoustic players

By Stuart Ryan published

Develop your alternating bassline picking and bluegrass soloing techniques with this country rhythm workout

Kacey Musgraves

She's a Grammy winner who's been writing songs since she was 8, but Kacey Musgraves also has a fingerstyle approach that will give your acoustic playing a real identity

By Stuart Ryan published

Whether using a small-bodied acoustic or a J-45, Musgraves' playing has an abundance of melodic content that supports her vocals

Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt may be best known for slide, but she's an expert fingerpicker, too – and her Americana-indebted style will improve your acoustic playing

By Stuart Ryan published

In this video and tab lesson, we unpack the acoustic fingerstyle approach of one of America's great songwriters, and give you ideas for how to embellish chords and use inversions

Jason Isbell

Learn Jason Isbell’s heartfelt acoustic fingerpicking style

By Stuart Ryan published

The four-time Grammy winner and guitarist’s guitarist is one of the most gifted fingerstylists around, and this study exercise is as good an excuse to ditch the pick as you’ll get all day...

Chris Stapleton

Improve your fingerpicking with this lesson in Chris Stapleton’s intricate acoustic style

By Stuart Ryan published

Following a spellbinding national anthem performance at the Super Bowl – and the release of his stunning signature Epiphone Frontier – we look at a Stapleton-inspired fingerpicking exercise with a few surprises thrown in

Brad Paisley

Exploring Brad Paisley’s awe-inspiring acoustic country playing

By Stuart Ryan published

Let's dive headlong into the acoustic style of a Nashville superstar who’s better known for ripping out scary electric licks. Spoilers: he's just as spectacular unplugged

John Martyn

Master the guitar style of 8 folk-rock legends, from John Martyn to Jimmy Page

By Stuart Ryan published

This lesson takes a deep dive into the '60s and '70s music that blurred the line between the acoustic and electric and spoke to a rich British folk heritage

Chet Atkins

How to master Chet Atkins’ fingerpicking technique and take your acoustic playing to the next level

By Stuart Ryan published

Atkins was one of Nashville’s most successful producers, session guitarists, and a veritable picking legend whose influence can still be heard in countless player's styles

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