Latest articles by Stuart Ryan
How to play the Holly and the Ivy on acoustic guitar
A Christmas cracker popularized by Steeleye Span, his traditional song dates back to the 19th century – and will entertain the family as only an acoustic waltz in 3/4 can
Waylon Jennings was an outlaw country pioneer – and his clever open chord modifications were at the heart of his rhythmic acoustic strumming style
Jennings was country's original bad boy and lived a life less ordinary. His style might be simple but deceptively so, with strums complemented by embellishments that all served the song
Your acoustic blues playing will come on leaps and bounds with new fingerpicking patterns – here are 10 you need to know
Ditch the pick and dive into these fingerpicking style guitar lessons on some of blues guitar's finest fingerstylists, including Eric Bibb, Rory Gallagher and Leo Kottke
Country icon Dolly Parton has written over 3,000 songs, but her trademark ‘thumb and flick’ playing style is essential learning for acoustic players
Develop your alternating bassline picking and bluegrass soloing techniques with this country rhythm workout
She's a Grammy winner who's been writing songs since she was 8, but Kacey Musgraves also has a fingerstyle approach that will give your acoustic playing a real identity
Whether using a small-bodied acoustic or a J-45, Musgraves' playing has an abundance of melodic content that supports her vocals
Bonnie Raitt may be best known for slide, but she's an expert fingerpicker, too – and her Americana-indebted style will improve your acoustic playing
In this video and tab lesson, we unpack the acoustic fingerstyle approach of one of America's great songwriters, and give you ideas for how to embellish chords and use inversions
Learn Jason Isbell’s heartfelt acoustic fingerpicking style
The four-time Grammy winner and guitarist’s guitarist is one of the most gifted fingerstylists around, and this study exercise is as good an excuse to ditch the pick as you’ll get all day...
Improve your fingerpicking with this lesson in Chris Stapleton’s intricate acoustic style
Following a spellbinding national anthem performance at the Super Bowl – and the release of his stunning signature Epiphone Frontier – we look at a Stapleton-inspired fingerpicking exercise with a few surprises thrown in
Exploring Brad Paisley’s awe-inspiring acoustic country playing
Let's dive headlong into the acoustic style of a Nashville superstar who’s better known for ripping out scary electric licks. Spoilers: he's just as spectacular unplugged
