Acoustic Guitar

Acoustic Guitar is a monthly publication that has been available in the United States since July/August 1990, produced by String Letter Publishing. This magazine provides valuable information, motivation, and guidance for acoustic guitar enthusiasts, catering to everyone from newcomers to experienced educators. Each edition features around three songs complete with notation and tablature, along with lessons, product reviews, and interviews with well-known acoustic musicians. The magazine enjoys a readership of about 54,000 and has a strong social media presence, boasting over 490,000 likes on Facebook, making it easily accessible across North America.

International

English

Magazine

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#244880

United States

#115582

Arts and Entertainment/Music

#1464

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

Great Acoustics: Jason Isbell’s 1940 Martin 0-17

4 days ago | acousticguitar.com | Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Greg Olwell |Michael Simmons |Adam Perlmutter

Jason Isbell owns some prized vintage guitars, such as a 1934 Martin 000-28 that he calls the best acoustic guitar he’s ever played. But when it came to recording his solo acoustic album Foxes in the Snow, he turned to this smaller and plainer Martin 0-17, a recent acquisition from Retrofret Vintage Guitars in Brooklyn, New York. Listed at $30, the 0-17 was nearly the bottom of the line in Martin’s 1940 catalog—only the 0-15, a very similar model with a less glossy finish, was cheaper, at $25.
Sue Foley Teaches the Guitar Stylings of Maybelle Carter and Elizabeth Cotten

1 week ago | acousticguitar.com | Adam Perlmutter |Pete Madsen |David Surette |Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

Sue Foley is both a guitarist and a scholar, and she was kind enough to create this exclusive lesson, breaking down key techniques from some of the musicians she celebrates on One Guitar Woman. In Example 1, Foley demonstrates the Carter scratch, a technique pioneered by Maybelle Carter in which the guitarist plays single-note melodies on the bass strings while adding chordal accents on the upper strings.
Jason Isbell Takes the Solo Spotlight on ‘Foxes in the Snow’

1 week ago | acousticguitar.com | Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Adam Miller |Karen Peterson

In October 2024, Jason Isbell walked into New York City’s historic Electric Lady Studios with one guitar—a Martin 0-17 from 1940—and a satchel of new songs. For most of his career Isbell has worked with bands, from his stint in the early 2000s with Drive-By Truckers to many years leading the roots-rocking 400 Unit, but his plan this time was to go completely solo and acoustic.
Cameron Knowler’s ‘CRK’ Bridges Early American Guitar Styles with a Deeply Personal Touch

2 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | E.E. Bradman |Kenny Berkowitz |Pat Moran

At the end of a long day at work, I found out on social media that the husband of a dear friend had died after a sudden stroke. Still in disbelief and struggling to convey my sympathy in a concise Facebook comment, I happened to put on Cameron Knowler’s CRK. There was something deeply comforting about the gentle acoustic bubbling underneath the opening monologue, but the words seemed to be a scattered collage, randomly reassembled.
Play Jimmie Rodgers’ Bluesy Hit “Waiting for a Train”

2 weeks 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.
L.R. Baggs Marks 50 Years of Acoustic Electronics Innovation-as Founder Lloyd Baggs Returns to His Lutherie Roots

2 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Mac Randall |E.E. Bradman |Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |Kenny Berkowitz

Sitting in the spacious living room of his home on California’s central coast, Lloyd Baggs exudes the air of an old-school craftsman. As he peers through thick-rimmed glasses from beneath a gray baseball cap, his handsomely weathered face radiates both hard-earned wisdom and good humor; a trim white goatee only adds to that impression. If you didn’t know what Baggs did for a living, you might guess he made high-end furniture or built schooners by hand.
Guitar Basics: How to Play Melody and Chords Together

3 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers |David Hamburger |Ruth H Parry |Gretchen Menn

Think of the guitar intro to the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” played by George Harrison with a capo way up at the seventh fret. That passage is instantly recognizable because it introduces the song’s melody along with the chords—using common open chord shapes. In fact, Harrison continues to play the melody through much of the song, doubling his voice while holding down the rhythm.
With ‘One Guitar Woman,’ Sue Foley Honors the Women Who Helped Shape Guitar History

3 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Mac Randall |Natalia Zukerman |Steve James |Christopher Paul Stelling

Sue Foley steps onto the stage in a bright pink suit, a well-worn guitar slung over her shoulder, and digs into a deep, driving groove. Whether she’s tearing through a Texas blues shuffle on her Telecaster or coaxing out the hushed warmth of a nylon-string guitar, her playing is rooted, rhythmic, and unmistakably hers. Over the decades, she’s built a career that’s equal parts fire and scholarship—an artist with both a deep love for the blues and a historian’s instinct for uncovering its stories.
Meet the Acoustic Guitar Teaching Artists | Isa Burke, Lisa Liu, Mamie Minch, Sean McGowan, Thu Tran

4 weeks ago | acousticguitar.com | Joey Lusterman |Adam Perlmutter

Five awesome Teaching Artists—Isa Burke, Lisa Liu, Mamie Minch, Sean McGowan, and Thu Tran—want to help you grow as a guitarist!Beginning April 1, they’ll be sharing engaging insights and invaluable guitar wisdom with you each and every week in the Acoustic Guitar Patreon community. To kick things off, we hosted a live hangout with the TAs. It was a whole lot of fun and featured songs, stories, and a window into the musical lives of these great guitarists.
5 Simple Exercises to Help Center Your Mind and Hands Before You Play Guitar

1 month ago | acousticguitar.com | Jane Miller |Adam Perlmutter |Mark Goldenberg |Louise Lee

Mindfulness meditation has been in practice since Buddha himself taught private lessons and classes. Vipassana, the Pali word for this Buddhist technique of meditation, roughly translates to clear-seeing or insight—to see something as it is. Guitarists can tap into the mental resource of mindfulness in their own practice, especially as a centering warm-up exercise. Before beginning our exercises, consider players of wind instruments for some perspective.