Scott Nygaard

2 weeks 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.

2 months ago | acousticguitar.com | Maurice Tani |Kate Koenig |Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Scott Nygaard

Jimmie Rodgers’ influence spans country, blues, and early rock ’n’ roll, earning him a place in multiple halls of fame. With a career that lasted just five years before his death from tuberculosis in 1933, Rodgers left an indelible mark on American music. “Waiting for a Train” became a hit in 1929, just as the Wall Street crash ushered in the Great Depression.

Mar 4, 2025 | acousticguitar.com | Scott Nygaard |Ron Jackson |Adam Perlmutter |Mimi Fox

“When the Saints Go Marching In” has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. My father had a large jazz album collection that included Louis Armstrong tearing it up on this classic. Armstrong’s version transported me to New Orleans, making me feel as if I were marching with his band down Bourbon Street! There are as many versions of this song as there are musicians who have recorded it.

Dec 11, 2024 | acousticguitar.com | Peter Penhallow |Scott Nygaard |Adam Perlmutter |Maurice Tani

“Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down” is a standard in bluegrass circles today, but the song predates the genre. Like many classic folk songs, its origins are murky, with some verses appearing to be mashups of even older traditional folk songs. The first popular recording was made in 1925 by Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, and it sold over 100,000 copies—a huge number at the time.

Sep 18, 2024 | acousticguitar.com | Sean McGowan |Sean Mcgowan |Scott Nygaard |Gretchen Menn |Jane Miller

Browse through a guitar songbook and you’ll see the names of chords (called chord symbols) written above the staff. Sometimes those symbols are accompanied by chord diagrams, but not always. Even if you know an option or two for chord forms, there are always different ways to play them. Having choices keeps your fretting hand from jumping around too much in search of the next chord.