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Tips On Buying An Acoustic Guitar
If you plan to purchase an acoustic guitar any time soon you’ll want to take the tips on this page into consideration! There are hundreds of brands, makes, and models out there and it’s good idea to have a clue as to what you’re looking for. Budget Know how much you have to spend. This…
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Open D Tuning
Open D tuning, also called ‘Brady Clark Tuning’ is an open tuning for the acoustic or electric guitar. The open string notes in this tuning are D-A-D-F#-A-D (from low E to high E). It uses the three notes that form the triad of a D major chord: D, the root note A, the perfect fifth…
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The World Of Acoustic Guitars by Kathy Unruh
The steel-stringed acoustic guitar is usually credited with being developed by C.F. Martin and Company sometime during the 1830s. Although other “gut-stringed” acoustics were around at that time, it was the Martin Company that introduced the idea of cross-bracing underneath the soundboard which enabled the guitar to support the heavier steel strings. Because there are…
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How To Repair Cracks In Your Acoustic Guitar
If you own an acoustic guitar long enough, chances are good that you’ll have to deal with the repair of a crack in the wood. Knowing how to evaluate the seriousness of a crack will allow you to determine whether to call a repair person immediately or whether it might be OK to leave it…
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10 Ways To Break Free Of Your Guitar Playing Rut!
A rut is a fixed, usually boring routine. As guitar players, we sometimes find ourselves in what can only be called a guitar-playing rut. This is when we get to the point that we feel that we’re just going over the same thing time and time again. In other words: not growing as a musician.…
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Eddie Van Halen (January 26, 1955-October 6, 2020)
NEW YORK (AP) — Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso whose blinding speed, control, and innovation propelled his band Van Halen into one of hard rock’s biggest groups, fueled the unmistakable fiery solo in Michael Jackson’s hit “Beat It” and became elevated to the status of a rock god, has died. He was 65. A…
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Paco de Lucia
No guitarist has done more to popularize modern flamenco guitar than Paco de Lucia has. A child prodigy, the gifted Spaniard mastered traditional flamenco techniques by his mid-teens and went on to incorporate elements of jazz, salsa and bossa nova into flamenco’s deep roots. His work with jazz greats John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, and…
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Writing Songs With G, C, and D Chords
There are already a zillion songs that use the G, C, and D chords. Many of them use these chords exclusively. The biggest reason, when it comes to the guitar, is that they are common open chords that are easy to play. Perfect for songwriting. Who really wants to write a song in C# on…
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What the Ell? How to Write Your First Song
A young Lindsay Ell in performance armed with a Fender rig and ready to take the first step. My first song was terrible. I wrote it when I was 10 years old and it was called “That Place in My Heart.” I know, super sappy. It was about my parents, but to my credit what…
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Download the Latest Issue of ’Martin – The Journal of Acoustic Guitars’ for Free
New issue includes features on the new D-28 and HD-28 guitars, Mark Knopfler, and much more. New issue includes features on the new D-28 and HD-28 guitars, Mark Knopfler, and much more. Martin Guitar has unveiled the latest issue of their Journal of Acoustic Guitars, and you can view it for free right here! Martin…