Complete Acoustic Workout

PREPARE YOURSELF TO WHIP OUT THE ACOUSTIC AT ANY OCCASION THIS SUMMER WITH OUR GUIDE TO GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR HUMBLE STEEL STRING GUITAR

- James Uings, Chris Bird. Rob Laing

Here at TG we like to ready ourselves for those inevitable al fresco jam sessions with friends, and that means dusting offour acoustic guitars. This month we want to inspire you to go unplugged as we take a look at some of the techniques and styles most associated with the acoustic guitar. Whether you’re an acoustic specialist, a singer-songwriter, an electric guitarist with an acoustic usually found in its case, or if you just like to play for fun, there’s sure to be something here to help you improve your playing. We’ll cover everything from essential chords and strumming, fingerstyle, altered tunings and we’ll show you how to get the most out of your capo too. Limber up those fingers and let’s get started.

01 ESSENTIAL ACOUSTIC CHORDS

Whether you’re writing songs or jamming with friends, you need a good choice of chords at your disposal. Try out this selection of shapes that are guaranteed to sound great on acoustic guitar…

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OPEN CHORDS

Open chords are played in ‘open position’ (the guitar’s first three frets) and are perfect for acoustic guitar. You can strum them, pick them or a mix of both. You can bash them out Frank Turner style or barely touch the strings like Kurt Cobain on Something In The Way. Whatever you decide to do, the natural resonance of open strings has a full sound that makes playing acoustic guitar a joy. Countless greats, including Noel Gallagher and Johnny Cash, have based their rhythm styles on these essential shapes. Try them out...

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BARRE CHORDS