Acoustic Guitar Style

I began my musical carrier playing the electric guitar. It was all the rage back then and remains very popular today. I must say though that the subtle tones of the acoustic guitar can be very haunting and alluring. There are certain coloration’s that the acoustic guitar brings to the table that is beyond reproach of either the classical guitar or the electric guitar.

This was not always the case though. Years back, about the only use for the acoustic guitar was to just bang out chords and it was mainly delegated as a rhythm or back-up roll, with few exceptions.

Probably one of the primary genres that moved the acoustic guitar into the forefront was bluegrass music. Such ground-breaking artist’s as Clarence White, Doc Watson and Norman Blake showcased how much the acoustic guitar had to offer. Each with their own unique styles, developed an incredible following of young guitarists wishing to replicate that unique style and sound. This style was widely known as Flatpick guitar the the guitarists who played it were simply known as flatpickers.

Of course as the acoustic guitar gained in popularity, the rock music and folk artists introduced it as a viable lead instrument too, although for the most part it was still mainly just a rhythm instrument, with an occasional small lead break.

What Makes The Acoustic Guitar Unique?

Most artists are attracted to that deep ‘woody’ tone that they get from a great acoustic guitar. Probably the most recognized and iconic instrument that demonstrates this is the ‘pre-war’ Martin. The term refers to C.F. Martin Guitar Company’s Dreadnought-style guitars that were manufactured in the 1930′s and up to the mid-1940′s. These guitars, mostly the D-18 and D-28 versions are some of the most prized and valuable guitars that exist.

Probably one of the most notable Martins was used by Clarence White. If you have ever watched the old Andy Griffith shows, (the black and white series), you can catch Clarence playing his vintage D-28 while playing with a group of bluegrass musicians in a few of those episodes. This guitar was modified by Clarence by replacing the fretboard with a Gretsch electric guitar fretboard and he also enlarged the soundhole of this guitar. After Clarence was killed in an accident, this guitar was purchased by Tony Rice and in true Clarence White tradition, Tony carried the acoustic guitar lead torch better than anyone else could have dreamed.

Catch a performance by Tony or look at nearly every CD cover of his and you will see his D28 ‘bone’ at his side. (The bone is a nickname for the D28 because of the herringbone purfling used on that model).

The Development of Fingerstyle Guitar:

Merle Travis

The roots of this style were from the late 19th century and into the early 20th century by African-American blues guitarists. The artists of the time were trying to replicate the popular ragtime piano style of that era. They adapted the right hand thumb to replicate the left hand bass played on the piano, and the remaining three fingers functioned as the lead and rhythm. Some of the more notable artist’s of the period were Blind Blake, Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Minnie and Mississippi John Hurt. Fingerpicking was soon taken up by country and Western artists such as Sam McGee, Ike Everly (father of The Everly Brothers), Merle Travis and “Thumbs” Carllile. and soon, Chet Atkins further developed the style.

Even though Merle and Chet did not promote the use of acoustic guitars, as most of there performances were on the electric guitar, the style was adapted to the acoustic guitar by a number of artists such as Doc Watson, Marcel Dadi and Tommy Emmanuel.

While each style of guitar playing has it’s own dedicated following, there many cross-over guitarists, or guitarists that play both styles (myself being one of those). Each os these styles of playing has it’s own subtle requirements that they are looking for in their guitars. We will discuss those in another article.