Johnny Cash’s ‘boom-chick’ acoustic style is worthy of more attention By Stuart Ryan published 29 April 24 Learn the pick and strum style of the legendary Johnny Cash, and make the big-bodied acoustic in your life really sing
Janis Joplin covered his songs and he was in a supergroup with Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings – Kris Kristofferson is a movie star and outlaw country icon with a classic acoustic style By Stuart Ryan published 25 March 24 Kristofferson is one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, one of its biggest movie stars, and a master of making open chords work to a song's advantage
Willie Nelson wrote his first song at 7 years old. Now he’s one of the music world’s true ‘hitmakers’ – and an outlaw country icon with a unique guitar style By Stuart Ryan published 27 February 24 Fusing country, folk, jazz and blues, the Nashville country legend’s rhythm and lead playing approach is difficult to emulate
Ed Sheeran isn’t just a fingerpicker or a strummer – his ‘guitar orchestra’ approach sells out stadiums. Here’s how he does it By Stuart Ryan published 16 February 24 Sheeran is proof you can become a megastar with only an acoustic, a looper pedal, and, oh, a ton of talent. Here, we’re going to workshop your DADGAD fingerstyle chops so you’re stadium-ready, too
How to play the Holly and the Ivy on acoustic guitar By Stuart Ryan published 18 December 23 A Christmas cracker popularized by Steeleye Span, his traditional song dates back to the 19th century – and will entertain the family as only an acoustic waltz in 3/4 can
Waylon Jennings was an outlaw country pioneer – and his clever open chord modifications were at the heart of his rhythmic acoustic strumming style By Stuart Ryan published 13 December 23 Jennings was country's original bad boy and lived a life less ordinary. His style might be simple but deceptively so, with strums complemented by embellishments that all served the song
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 28 November 23 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
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 10 November 23 Develop your alternating bassline picking and bluegrass soloing techniques with this country rhythm workout
"When you practice the skills enough, one day, just like magic, the skills turn into music": Tommy Emmanuel's thumbpicking masterclass By Tommy Emmanuel published 25 October 23 Video lesson: Tommy Emmanuel takes us through the basics of how to use a thumbpick so you can play your own version of Elizabeth Cotten’s Freight Train
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 18 October 23 Whether using a small-bodied acoustic or a J-45, Musgraves' playing has an abundance of melodic content that supports her vocals
Learn the vibrant guitar styles of bossa nova, tango and rumba with this lesson in South American rhythms By Jon Bishop published 18 September 23 Expand your musical vocabulary with this guide to six of the most important South American guitar styles
Every guitarist wishes they were better at fingerstyle – and this lesson may make you want to ditch the pick for good By Chris Bird published 8 September 23 Whatever style of music you play, these workouts will improve your fingerstyle technique – and that counts for both electric and acoustic guitar
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 6 September 23 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
There’s no such thing as an ‘acoustic guitar chord’ – but these 12 shapes sound amazing unplugged By Chris Bird published 30 August 23 Learn a dozen chords that will expand your musical vocabulary and enhance your songwriting – and the best bit? They’re not that difficult
You've heard it in The Muppets and Ren and Stimpy – now learn Delibes' quirky masterpiece Pizzicato By Declan Zapala published 3 August 23 We reduce an orchestra to just six strings with this guitar arrangement of Delibes' iconic movement – the classical piece that will impress the cartoon superfan in your life
5 ways to improve your acoustic guitar strumming By Jenna Scaramanga published 26 June 23 Strumming is the one of the essential techniques for any guitarist, so let's give it the attention it deserves with a lesson that will develop your rhythm style
30 beautiful acoustic guitar chords you need to know By Richard Barrett published 21 June 23 Increase your musical vocabulary and expand your compositional horizons, in each and every key
Learn Jason Isbell’s heartfelt acoustic fingerpicking style By Stuart Ryan published 28 April 23 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...
Improve your fingerpicking with this lesson in Chris Stapleton’s intricate acoustic style By Stuart Ryan published 3 April 23 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
How to play acoustic blues in open D tuning By Richard Barrett published 24 March 23 Open minds with open tunings can bring new shades to the blues, and in this acoustic piece inspired by Molly Tuttle and Jimmy Page, we bring bluegrass, blues and folk to the party