Many guitar players like myself are familiar with Dan Crary from when he used to write his column in Guitar Player magazine in the seventies. At that time Guitar Player mag was one of the best educational resources for players, there was not a lot of material easily available like there is these days.  Today we have an abundance of info for guitar players ranging from brilliany and inspiring to ‘what the?’

Dan Crary has a flawless flatpicking technique and he has inspired millions of players across the globe.  This tune is called Sally Goodin (Gooden, Good’n)

For other brilliant guitar, check out Tony Rice

Over the last few years a number of acoustic guitar players who play open tuned guitar, one of my favourites who are continuing the michael Hedges tradition, is Antoine Dufour.  He seems to be one of the most musical players who do this style.  He manages to place the sound and music first and does not get lost in guitar acrobatics.  The tune is called Mother

For more Antoine go to Antoine Dufour Youtube

Here’s a Youtube of the great Brazilian guitar player called Joao Gilberto, famous from the sixties for his work with Astrid Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim (also named Tom Jobim).  This the classic song Girl from Ipanema, a tune that has been ruined by many , but when played well it is a masterpiece. Like any tune, it’s what you do with it that counts.  This recording was made 40 years after the original.

For more beautiful guitar, check out Paco De Lucia

Here is a very nice video of Ana Vidovic, the great young classical guitar player. Pierre Bensusan the DADGAD player based in France introduced to her music some months back.  I thought it would be nice to post about a video played in a more disciplined style for a change.  The tune is Asturias by Albanez.   It was performed at the New York guitar festival in 2006.

Here is an Harmonics lesson by the wonderful guitar player Badi Assad

This Acoustic Classical Guitar video caught my eye, it is played on a guitar which was built in Paris in 1930.  John Doan is playing a piece by Fernando Sor.  It also made me laugh a little watching John play, he starts out on the middle instrument and through out quite casually plays on both the upper and lower instruments. The piece is not overly complex but requires a little bit of a rethink.

For information about this type of Harp guitar go to Harpolyre

To hear a contemporaryHarp Guitar Player check out this Youtube of Don Alder Harp Guitar Video

Many of us have heard two guitar players playing Dueling Banjos; I thought it was quite interesting to see this youtube Acoustic Guitar Video of Edgar Cruz playing a solo version on nylon string guitar.  It’s just under two and a half minutes long.  I feel that it might inspire some other solo guitar players to work out their own versions of the old classic tune.

You might also like to hear Tommy Emmanuel play Classical Gas

Click the following link to hear Tommy Emmanuel Classical Gas

Antoine Dufour is one of the new breed of Acoustic Guitar players who play percussively by using techniques such as hammer ons, Guitar Harmonics and open tunings to take his music outside the traditional way of playing.  The difference between Antoine and many of the other players who are attempting this style is on his recordings he focuses on music  and not just flamboyancy.  Michael Hedges, the great (late) American guitar player was one of the founding players in this style on his recordings in the 1980’s.  And these days there are is also Andy McKee and Don Ross who pla in a similar vain.

This tune is called Spiritual Groove.

To hear another Antoine Dufour song, check out Catching the Light

Acoustic Guitar Players, singers, bands musicians.  Read the fine print in your recording contracts.  Here’s an example of the guy Damien Leith who won Australian Idol a year or so ago, not realizing what he was getting himself into or basically or getting.  Click the link to read the News Article Damien Leith contract It happens time and time again with musicians thinking they are getting somewhere by signing contracts, only to find out out that what is going to happen is not what they dreamed it was.

Damien Leith

Damien is not your standard pop dancing puppet, he has a very nice voice and plays good solid acoustic guitar.

Every now and then I think it’s important to introduce visitors to this site to acoustic guitar players that they are probably not aware of. Recently I got an email from a player  by the name of Jimmy Robinson who said to check out what he was doing, so I did, and I loved his playing.  His choice of notes and chords on guitar is quite extraordinary,  and  also what surprised also was the texture of his voice, how nicely it sat against his guitar.   In some of his other material I was hearing snippets of Robbie Basho, there’s a little Hedges in there two and mabe some Bruce Cockburn and at the same time a uniqueness. Jimmy is from New Orleans.   I’m grateful for the email and more than happy to share his music with you.

Here’s Jimmy’s website, check him out Jimmy Robinson Site

Doc Watson is a player who has inspired many acoustic guitar players, and the tune Deep River Blues is one that is part of many acoustic guitarists repertoire.  It’s a great song to build on.  Here’s a Youtube of Doc Watson playing and singing his original version, it’s two and a half minutes of classic Doc complete with guitar break.  It’s one of those songs that when you can play it, it plays automatically.

Here’s another Doc Watson Youtube Video called Black Mountain Rag

This weeks post is a twelve bar Blues in G, it’s reasonably simple and can be played at various tempos.  I have posted it in the past but have now made it available to a broader audience by re-uploading it so it can be accessed more easily, also I have changed the formatting a litlle so it sits nicer on the page.  There are a couple of twists in it,  one at he end of bar 8 so it can move chromatically to the D note in bar 9.  Also at bar 10 it stays on the D chord instead of dropping to the C chord and in the final bar, be ready to play the last four notes or you’ll miss them.

You could do this in a Rockabilly, Country Rock,  Bluegrass or slow Blues style.  It is just a foundation riff to build on.

For other useful guitar educational material, check out my other site The Guitars Net

Peter Finger is a magnificent acoustic guitar player who I reckon deserves much broader recognition. There are a stack of guitar players out there who are rated very highly and often they are only half the player of guys like Peter. Peter is a European based Guitar Player and if you haven’t heard him maybe it’s time to check him out.  The tune is called Vive La Vie.  This tune reminds me a little of one Pierre Bensusan’s tunes.

Here is another video of Peter Finger at the Guitars dot Net site

It was 1971 when I first heard Crosby Stills and Nash sing Helplessly Hoping.  This youtube video was recorded in the early 90’s.  Crosby Stills and Nash, set the benchmark for all other acoustic guitar bands with vocal harmonies to be measured by.

To hear another Crosby Stills   Nash on Youtube, go to Wasted on the Way

Don Ross and Andy McKee on Youtube Video.   Both these players play extraordiary guitar, to have them together is a treat.  The tune is called Ebon Coast.

For more Andy MCkee, go to Andy McKee

You may be familiar with the great Michael Hedges who recorded on the Windham label in the 1980’s.  William Akkerman, co-founder of this label introduced us to some extraordinary musicians apart from Hedges, there was keyboard George Winston, Robbie Basho, Darol Anger and among others, Alex De Grassi.   I feel that too many people who weren’t listening properly were in a hurry to throw some of the material into the New Age category, something that to many musicians often means 45 minutes of Cmaj7 to Fmaj7 with a synth in he background.    Alex De Grassi’s recordings are now legendary and albums such as Turning: Turning Back and Slow Circle set the benchmark for quality in opened tuned guitar playing.

This recording is of Alex De Grassi recorded i a Hotel Room, just the guitar.  Watch how he develops.

To hear more great Acoustic Guitar check this out some of the following Antoine Dufour, Don Ross and Howlin’ Wolf