Heart Wood

Not every player takes a close interest in acoustic guitars and that’s a shame but in some ways it’s understandable. Sitting alone with an acoustic guitar can feel almost intimidating at times. There’s no amp to make you mighty, no pedals to flatter you. It’s just you and the music. Yet that’s exactly why every player should return to acoustic from time to time. Playing acoustic offers a truly direct connection to music that becomes richer and more enjoyable the more you focus on it. If you haven’t picked up an acoustic for a while, another benefit of going unplugged more often is that it will likely reconnect you with the act of music-making for others, as opposed to noodling for your own amusement – as fun as that is. People don’t usually gather round someone playing lead guitar at a barbecue, after all.

The good news is that Dylan and three chords will work as well or better than complex, technical playing when it comes to entertaining people. Humans are just built to connect to stories and songs easily and the acoustic is king for that kind of playing. It helps, of course, if you really click with a particular guitar – and that’s why we’ve included an 11-page acoustic buyer’s guide with this issue (see page 56). Along with the insights into tone and luthiery elsewhere in the mag (page 48 onwards), we hope the info will help you lay your hands on your ideal unplugged partner that bit more easily – and the lessons on fingerstyle acoustic essentials (page 76) and the hallmark acoustic techniques of Messrs Clapton and Page (page 68) should give you plenty to get stuck into when you do. Enjoy the issue.