There’s something magical about solo guitar music.In Greek Mythology, It was Hermes who crafted the first plucked string instrument. This “lyre” proved so entrancing that it helped him settle a dispute with his brother Apollo, who would go on to master its secrets. The guitar has many ancient antece …

The Sound of Guitars is Hard to DescribeOften, the words we use reflect our subjective preferences. Whether a particular guitar sounds “boxy”, “thin”, “earthy”, or “woody” usually boils down to a matter of opinion. That said, there is a certain thematic continuity in our diction. It would be unusual …

Ideally, practicing guitar should feel like a combination of playtime and meditation. Focusing too hard on one’s perceived goals can end in frustration and discouragement. Although everyone learns and refines their abilities differently, I have uncovered some approaches to the instrument that w …

All About Eastman GuitarsEastman Guitars are an incredible value and will challenge most handcrafted acoustic guitar builders. Eastman guitars are not “Made in China,” they are proudly hand-crafted in Beijing. In our increasingly global economy, this is an important distinction to make. Founded in …

At some point, most guitarists will tire of major and minor scales and start looking for something more “exotic”. After exploring the “church” modes, which can be committed to memory using the mnemonic, “I Don’t Play Loud Marshalls Any Longer” (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydi …

The roots of the blues run wide and deep, but there was something special in the soil along the Sunflower River a tributary of the Yazoo that runs through Clarksdale, Mississippi. The Sunflower River School, as I’ve dubbed it, included such luminous figures as Charley Patton,&nbs …