Post archive
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.
Explore the five-string partial capo
An intro video lesson on using a five-string partial capo to create open-tuning-like sounds while remaining in standard tuning.
“Wish You Were Here” in DADGAD tuning
A new alternate-tuning guitar arrangement of the Pink Floyd classic “Wish You Were Here.”
How to make the most of playing with two guitars
A video lesson on how to develop varied and dynamic arrangements with two guitars.
Build speed by using smart fingerings
A video lesson on how choosing efficient fingerings can help you make your playing faster and more fluid.
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.”
Tips for sharing music on Zoom
How to share music on Zoom—whether you’re teaching or taking a private lesson, joining a group class, collaborating with another musician, or just playing a song for a friend.
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.
New American Beauties album
A 50th anniversary tribute to the Grateful Dead’s American Beauty and Workingman’s Dead albums.
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.