Players
Stop by to read interviews and take lessons with the world's greatest acoustic players.

David Bromberg: At Home With the Blues (November 2007) Fresh on the heels of a stellar album of acoustic fingerstyle blues, David Bromberg discusses his long musical journey. With audio examples from David Bromberg.

Mary Chapin Carpenter: On Her Own Terms (November 2007) From her early country hits to her pensive new album, The Calling, Mary Chapin Carpenter cultivates her independent streak.

A Private Lesson With El McMeen (November 2007) The Celtic interpreter reveals his methods for creating variations within traditional arrangements. With audio examples from El McMeen.

Richard Thompson: Never Stop Learning (October 2007) Forty years into his career as a pathfinding guitarist and songwriter, RICHARD THOMPSON continues his ceaseless explorations, drawing on diverse musical inspirations and adding to one of the most singular catalogs in contemporary song. With audio examples from Richard Thompson.

Martin Sexton: Acoustic Soul Man (October 2007) On tour after releasing Seeds, his first studio record in seven years, MARTIN SEXTON shares the secrets of his rock- and soul-inspired songwriting and his deep-pocket guitar style.

A Private Lesson With Duck Baker (October 2007) The brilliant arranger and fingerstylist talks about the challenges of improvising as a soloist and building an effective musical vocabulary. With audio examples.

Player Spotlight: Martha Scanlan (October 2007) The Montana singer-songwriter discusses how the landscape can influence songs, gospel's accessibility, and the power of collaboration.

Cindy Cashdollar's Road Rules (October 2007) The tone-bar virtuoso and road warrior reveals her secrets for being a successful backup musician.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd: Back to the Roots (September 2007) As a young boy, guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd worked his way backward from the blues pyrotechnics of Stevie Ray Vaughan to the players who created the genre generations earlier—and became a blues-guitar phenom himself. Here he tells AG about the greats who inspired him, and what he learned from playing with them. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Rick Ruskin (September 2007) The pop fingerstylist demonstrates how he uses bass lines, percussive effects, and more to create an irresistable groove. With audio examples.

Bert Jansch: Leading the Way (August 2007) For more than 40 years, Bert Jansch has been at the forefront of steel-string virtuosity. As a founding member of Pentangle, Jansch combined traditional folk with modern jazz, and he continues to draw new audiences with his latest album, Black Swan. In this exclusive interview, he discusses his influences, the importance of the song, and several of his most identifiable guitar arrangements. With audio examples from Bert Jansch.

A Private Lesson With Steve Gillette (August 2007) The renowned guitarist and songwriter talks about the influence of Clarence White, his father's stride piano, and his own banjo playing on his hybrid style of flatpicking. With audio examples.

Los Lobos: Music Without Borders (July 2007) Individually, and as a group, the enduringly popular band Los Lobos has integrated a boundless array of musical influences into its unique sound: blues, psychedelic rock, soul, pop, folk, jazz, country, Tex-Mex, and traditional Latin folklórico. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson with Adrian Legg (July 2007) The noted fingerstylist and effects wizard talks about how to organize and utilize 'sounds and textures' to communicate in music, and his ongoing 'search for legato.' With audio examples.

Player Spotlight: Todd Snider (July 2007) Whether writing sarcastically about the commander in chief or emphatically about laid-off workers and Phil Ochs, this alt-Nashville singer-songwriter nails his themes by taking points of view other than his own.

Tony Rice: Flatpicker Extraordinaire (June 2007) For more than 30 years, TONY RICE has exemplified flatpicking genius. He has amassed a body of work of uncommon inventiveness and consistent virtuosity. In this exclusive interview, he discusses the roots of his technique and the freewheeling nature of his approach to the instrument. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Phil Keaggy (June 2007) The acclaimed fingerstylist and singer-songwriter shares his looping secrets. With audio examples.

Blues Lesson With Keb' Mo' (May 2007) Having made his name as a new-generation bluesman, then gone on to crossover success, KEB' MO' has made a career out of ignoring boundaries. In this exclusive interview he reveals his approach to composing and playing, shows how a song can 'find' its own tuning, and speaks passionately of his continuing drive to explore 'what the blues could be.' With audio examples.

Dave Alvin: The King of California (May 2007) He launched his music career playing electric guitar and writing neo-rockabilly songs for his brother to sing in the roots-rock band the Blasters. But since going solo in the late 1980s, DAVE ALVIN has become a premier Americana songwriter and singer, composing often-acoustic-based narratives that blend folk, blues, and country with distinctive style and clarity.

A Private Lesson With Frank Gambale (May 2007) The jazz-fusion master shares his secrets on sweep picking. With audio examples.

David Wilcox: Surprised by Music (April 2007) Two decades after his recording debut, DAVID WILCOX is still exploring new frontiers in songwriting and guitar playing. In this exclusive interview, he describes his adventures with alternate tunings, his ongoing search for the essence of a song, and the joys of getting 'taken in' by what comes out of your guitar. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Chris Eldridge (April 2007) The young bluegrass prodigy discusses chord voicings and rhythm-guitar techniques. With audio examples.

John Renbourn: Fingerstyle Authority (March 2007) One of the fathers of contemporary British folk music, John Renbourn has been idolized by fingerstyle guitarists for more than four decades. In this exclusive interview, he demonstrates his distinctive technique and talks about his early influences and approach to arranging tunes in many genres, ranging from classical to folk, Celtic, and jazz. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Chris Sharp (March 2007) The bluegrass phenom explains his Lester Flatt-inspired rhythm style. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Del Rey (February 2007) The boogie-woogie fingerstyle pro discusses arranging songs in different keys, and gives a great fretting-hand workout. With audio examples.

Pepe Romero: Heart of a Master (January 2007) After nearly half a century as one of the world's most celebrated classical guitarists—both as a member of the Romeros and as a soloist—Pepe Romero reflects on his Spanish heritage, how to build technique, the correct understanding of time, the meditative approach to the instrument, and the emotional center that is the foundation of his virtuosity. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Marc Atkinson (January 2007) The Canadian Gypsy-jazz ace describes how to create solos by using guidetones. With audio examples.

Taj Mahal: Mojo Master (December 2006) After four decades of expressing universal human emotions though the blues and a cornucopia of other genres, Taj Mahal is still fusing musical traditions, delighting audiences all around the world, and 'happy to be just like I am.' In this exclusive interview, he discusses his early influences, his lifelong musical loves, and the enduring power and relevance of the blues. With audio examples.

Private Lesson With Woody Mann (December 2006) The eclectic fingerstyle-blues maven talks about separating bass lines from melodies and how to create melodies from chords. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With John Stowell (November 2006) The jazz chord master talks about chord-melody arranging, accompanying others, and how he creates lush, pianistic-sounding chords. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Michael Chpadelaine (October 2006) The master of both nylon- and steel-string guitar talks about how he develops ideas as a composing tool. With audio examples.

Merle Haggard: Pickin' for a Fight (September 2006) With more than five decades of singing under his belt and thousands of miles of hard road behind him, Merle Haggard is still writing songs with a vengeance. On his latest album, Chicago Wind, he turns his unblinking eye toward his favorite themes, including love of family, freedom, and country—plus his anger about the war.

A Private Lesson With Orville Johnson (September 2006) The popular roots multi-instrumentalist shows how to dampen the strings by alternating fretting-hand fingers, and shares advice on accompanying vocalists and creating second guitar parts. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Vicki Genfan (August 2006) The queen of alternate tunings talks about her new album and gives tips on accompanying songs and getting started with two-handed tapping. With audio examples.

Andy Summers: Chord Alchemist (July 2006) Andy Summers changed the sound of rock when he added his jazz-inflected chord palette to the Police in the late 1970s and early '80s. In this exclusive lesson, Summers explains his approach to composition, demonstrates his unique chord voicings, and suggests techniques for solo phrasing and effective accompaniment. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With John Knowles (July 2006) The veteran Nashville guitarist shows how to use the circle of fifths to reharmonize—and make new—a familiar old tune like 'Red River Valley.' With audio examples.

Ben Harper: Both Barrels Blasting (June 2006) Ben Harper's command of roundneck and lap-steel guitars—not to mention singing, piano, bass, drums, vibraphone, and production—makes him perhaps the premier roots-rock Renaissance man of Generation X. Here he talks about how he avoids writer's block, how he got the vintage sonic vibe on his latest album, Both Sides of the Gun, and why he feels like a classical musician trapped in a guitarist's body.

Bryan Sutton: Hanging With Heroes (June 2006) Bryan Sutton's new album, a round-robin with the world's greatest bluegrass guitarists, provides the flatpicking master a perfect opportunity to regale us with insights about rhythm, the influence of players around you, and the importance of relaxation to the clarity of your tone and precision of your playing. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Ed Gerhard (June 2006) The acclaimed fingerstylist tells how he expresses emotion in a song, how to create movement in an arrangement, and where tone comes from. With audio examples.

Chris Smither: Blues Bard (May 2006) His soulful songs have been covered by Bonnie Raitt and Diana Krall, among others, but Chris Smither is also one of the most respected roots performers on the folk circuit, delivering his well-crafted compositions with a groove-oriented fingerpicking style rooted in the playing of Mississippi John Hurt and Lightnin' Hopkins. Here he demonstrates some of the techniques that make his performances so dynamic. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Peter Mulvey (May 2006) The rhythmic fingerstyle songwriter gives tips on playing grooves and writing songs, and shares notes about his influences. With audio examples.

Tim O'Brien: Trad Trailblazer (April 2006) Whether playing bluegrass standards, Irish fiddle tunes, eclectic original songs, or 'House of the Rising Sun,' Tim O'Brien brings his own distinctive voice to the music. The wide-ranging multi-instrumentalist shares his keys to finding a personal sound and explains how playing fiddle and mandolin sharpens his guitar skills.

A Private Lesson With Benjamin Verdery (April 2006) The iconoclastic classical guitarist gives tips on taking your time to play a phrase, articulating independent lines, and avoiding string squeaks. With audio examples.

La Femme Guitara (March 2006) Patty Larkin turns the spotlight on women guitarists with La Guitara, a wide-ranging collection of captivating performances by female instrumentalists. Read the interview with Larkin and tour mates Kaki King, Muriel Anderson, and Mimi Fox.

A Private Lesson With Andrew Hardin (March 2006) Tom Russell's longtime lead guitarist demonstrates some of his hot, country-rock lead lines, full of multiple slurs and ringing scale tones. With audio examples.

Mississippi John Hurt: Candy Man (February 2006) Mississippi John Hurt's quiet demeanor, memorable songs, and sweet fingerpicking charmed and mesmerized '60s folk revival audiences, and his playing has been an influence on folk/blues players ever since. Learn some of the elements that contributed to his unique yet natural-sounding style. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Pete Huttlinger (February 2006) Learn some cool pop fingerstyle grooves and get helpful practice tips from this former John Denver sideman and up-and-coming soloist. With audio examples.

John Hammond: A Life in the Blues (January 2006) Blues guitarist John Hammond keeps his music fresh by writing songs and covering contemporary songwriters like Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. But he still finds inspiration in the music he learned from blues legends like Blind Willie McTell and Son House. In this exclusive lesson, he illustrates some of his favorite slide licks, many of which were inspired by blues greats like Robert Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, and Lightnin' Hopkins. With audio examples.

A Private Lesson With Jim Hurst (January 2006) Learn the two-time International Bluegrass Music Association Guitarist of the Year's hybrid fingerpicking approach to Bill Monroe's fiddle tune 'Wheel Hoss.' With audio examples.

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