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1 week ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Isa Burke |Michael Wright |Mark Small |Adam Perlmutter
On its seventh studio album, Rituals, North Carolina duo Watchhouse—Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz—explores themes of home, presence, time, and the patterns we come to depend on. Co-produced by Marlin and Ryan Gustafson of the Dead Tongues, the album gently expands the band’s sonic palette. It introduces new textures and approaches while holding onto their signature warmth and lyrical clarity.
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2 weeks ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Maurice Tani |Mary Flower |Adam Perlmutter |Judy Minot
“Oh, the Dreadful Wind and Rain” is a traditional folk ballad with roots tracing back to the mid-17th century. Like many songs passed down orally for generations before the era of recording, it has appeared under various titles, with small shifts in melody and lyrics. But the core story has remained—and it’s a dark one.
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2 weeks ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Emile Menasche |Adam Perlmutter |Richard Bienstock
With online education now deeply woven into the fabric of music learning, today’s guitar students have access to instruction that was once available primarily through conservatory programs or specialized workshops. But for all the polished tutorials and algorithm-friendly content circulating online, something essential often goes missing: the human touch. That’s what makes the new Acoustic Guitar Teaching Artists series, hosted on Patreon, worth a closer look.
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3 weeks ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Emile Menasche |Teja Gerken |David McPherson |Adam Perlmutter
Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, who passed away in 2023, left a legacy of great songs—and a remarkable collection of instruments. Among them, one stood apart: his Gibson B-45-12. Late last fall, this 12-string guitar was the top-selling item in a Heritage Auctions estate sale, going for $350,000 to a group of Canadian collectors. Over a career spanning more than 60 years, Lightfoot amassed dozens of fine acoustic guitars.
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3 weeks ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Joey Lusterman |Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Adam Perlmutter |Dale Miller
In April 2025, we debuted the Acoustic Guitar Teaching Artist series, a program designed to help you grow as a guitarist. Our cohort of instructors—Isa Burke, Lisa Liu, Sean McGowan, Mamie Minch, and Thu Tran—is committed to helping you discover new musical and creative territory throughout the year, offering one new video lesson each week, plus virtual concerts, roundtable discussions, and more. You can unlock access for just $5 a month.
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3 weeks ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Mac Randall |Natalia Zukerman |Karen Peterson |Adam Perlmutter
Valerie June’s soundscapes stretch from Memphis soil to cosmic skies. Her voice is a mix of earth and ether, channeling gospel, blues, and folk traditions into something unmistakably her own. “I’m basically an ambassador for joy,” she says, and it’s hard to argue otherwise. June’s latest album, Owls, Omens, and Oracles (Concord), offers a mix of love, sweetness, and light.
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4 weeks ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Kate Koenig |Adam Perlmutter
One of the great deep cuts from Simon and Garfunkel’s 1970 masterpiece, Bridge Over Troubled Water, “So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” taps into the sultry rhythms and jazz harmonies of bossa nova, with a lovely nylon-string guitar part by Paul Simon. When I interviewed Simon for this magazine in 1993, he noted that he must have started listening to Brazilian composer Antônio Carlos Jobim around the time he wrote the song.
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1 month ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Emile Menasche |Adam Perlmutter |Kate Koenig
Ernie Ball may be best known for its electric strings—especially the Slinky series, an industry stalwart for decades—but the company also has an impressive lineup of acoustic offerings. The latest is the Earthwood Bell Bronze set ($12.99), developed in collaboration with singer-songwriter John Mayer, a player as fluent on acoustic as he is on electric. Made with a proprietary alloy exclusive to Ernie Ball, these strings offer a distinct tonal character.
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1 month ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Adam Perlmutter |Scott Nygaard
To the uninitiated, guitar soloing can be both alluring and a little daunting—it seems to require a whole different kind of knowledge and facility on the fretboard than playing rhythm does. While it’s true that solos can be fast and complex, they certainly don’t have to be. You can build great, musically satisfying solos from very simple elements, just as you can create great songs from just a few chords.
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1 month ago | 
acousticguitar.com | Greg Ruby |Adam Perlmutter |Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Paul Mehling
The joy I felt strumming my first open G chord was liberating. My fingers fell into place, and the sound was big, bold, and powerful. At 12, I was convinced I could play guitar quickly and easily. Soon, I was switching between open chords, leaving behind the formality of seven years of piano lessons—I was a guitarist! Who needed written music or note names?
