Post archive
How to create sophisticated harmonies on guitar with cluster chords
Video lesson with examples based on songs by Neil Young, James Taylor, Janis Ian, Dave Matthews, and more
Get into the learning zone
Tips and exercises to help you get out of ruts and discover new territory on the guitar
Explore the guitar style of James Taylor
An in-depth video lesson on the distinctive fingerstyle guitar of JT, with examples to play based on some of his best-loved songs.
Joan Armatrading interview and guitar lesson
A conversation with legendary U.K. songwriter Joan Armatrading, and a video lesson teaching guitar grooves and riffs from some of her best songs.
Larkin Poe’s journey from bluegrass to blues rock
How Megan and Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe traveled from bluegrass to blues rock and beyond.
Happy Traum interview and guitar lesson
Roots music performer and teacher Happy Traum looks back at his 50-plus-year career, and shares how to play some of his signature songs.
Lucinda Williams interview and guitar lesson
A conversation with Americana icon Lucinda Williams about guitar and songwriting, with a video lesson teaching rhythm patterns from some of her best songs.
Inside the soulful guitar style of Bill Withers
Explore the stripped-down accompaniment style behind classic songs like “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Grandma’s Hands,” and “Use Me.”
The guitar odyssey of Joni Mitchell
Learn about Mitchell’s pioneering guitar style and use of alternate tunings.
Ben Harper interview and slide lesson
How a new lap steel guitar sparked Ben Harper’s first instrumental album
Songwriting lessons of Woody Guthrie
Advice and instructions on songwriting, in the words of Woody Guthrie.
A private lesson with Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Cockburn shares the guitar parts of some of his best-known songs, plus a solo performance of “If I Had a Rocket Launcher.”
For the sake of the song: accompaniment tips and techniques
Mark Erelli, Shawn Colvin, Anaïs Mitchell, Martin Sexton, and Anthony da Costa share their approaches to creating dynamic accompaniment parts.
Next generation bluegrass
A celebration of next-generation bluegrass, including a cross-picking lesson with Molly Tuttle.
How to play like John Prine
A video lesson on John Prine’s guitar style, with examples drawn from his best-known songs.
How three guitar duos create tapestries of sound
Three guitar duos—Pharis and Jason Romero, Ryanhood, and Grant Gordy and Ross Martin—share their approaches to creating a full spectrum of sound and expression with two guitars.
Peter Mulvey on dynamic guitar arranging
Folk-rock songwriter Peter Mulvey shares his approach to guitar arranging and alternate tunings, by walking through the accompaniment parts of his song “The Knuckleball Suite.”
The elegant guitar style of Joan Baez
A video lesson on the Joan Baez’s influential guitar style, with examples drawn from her best-known songs.
How to play like John Denver
A video lesson on John Denver’s guitar style, with examples drawn from his best-known songs.
Celtic guitar lesson with John Doyle
A video lesson with the virtuoso Irish guitarist on accompanying traditional songs, and writing songs that fit with tradition.