Acoustic guitars are beautifully crafted and cherished instruments, suitable for musicians of all levels. They’re portable, you don’t need any amps or cables, and you can play a versatile array of genres through their intimate and warm woody tones. Mastering the instrument requires the player to possess finger strength, dexterity, precision, and a wide array of fingerpicking and strumming techniques: skills that are not easy to refine without years of repetition and training. As the saying goes, ‘practice makes perfect’, but the benefits are plenty as few instruments are as rewarding to play as an acoustic guitar.
If you're eager to progress from beginner to advanced, the following guide provides 7 advanced acoustic guitar techniques complemented by a collection of motivational videos to enhance your guitar-playing journey!
1. Alternate Guitar Tunings
Let’s start with the basics! Guitar tuning refers to the specific pitch at which the strings of a guitar are tuned to ensure each note is accurate and the instrument sounds harmonious. E-A-D-G-B-E is the most widely used tuning for a six-string acoustic guitar, however, once beginners are tuned and able to play rudimentary scales, they often find themselves repeating the same melodies and riffs. While standard tuning is the most common tuning style, at some point you’ll need to learn the distinct tonal qualities of alternate tunings if you want to advance and be able to play multiple sounds and styles. Alternate tunings offer a wide array of possibilities, but if you're feeling stuck now is the perfect time to explore and experiment. In the following video, guitar expert Tony Polecastro demonstrates five alternate tunings for acoustic guitar.
2. Fingerstyle
Fingerstyle may not immediately sound like an advanced acoustic guitar technique. However, while acoustic guitar players often use a combination of a guitar pick and fingers, directly plucking the strings with fingertips, fingernails, or a pick attached to the fingers is a highly versatile skill. Because each finger works independently, by using your thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers, you not only have greater control over individual notes, but can play bass, melody, and rhythm elements simultaneously and control the volume and tone to create more expressive and complex arrangements. However, to adopt an advanced fingerstyle technique you’re going to need to significantly improve your finger dexterity and the efficiency of your fretting hand. Thankfully, YouTuber LickNRiff is here to help by demonstrating five advanced fingerstyle rhythm patterns and riffs.
3. Strumming Patterns
The very first time you pick up an acoustic guitar you’re likely to check to see if it's in tune before strumming some chords. The most basic strumming motions that guitarists use are downstrokes (from top string to bottom string) and upstrokes (from bottom string to top string) signified by a basic set of symbols, letters, or arrows indicating the direction of your hand movements. Employing more advanced strumming patterns, alongside various accents and techniques to further emphasize texture and dynamics can completely transform a simple chord progression and significantly enhance your tonal palette and overall musicality. In the following video, Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music demonstrates five advanced strumming patterns that are essential for playing a variety of generic styles.
4. Hammer-Ons, Pull-Offs, and Trills
Designed to add expression to your playing, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and trills are the names of advanced acoustic guitar techniques used to create smooth, rapid transitions between notes. A “hammer on” is when the player uses one finger (usually your first) to play a note on the guitar over an open string, and a “pull off” is when you use one finger (usually your last) to play a note by pulling it away from a string. A “trill”, meanwhile, is a decorative addition that involves quickly alternating between two adjacent notes, typically using hammer-ons and pull-offs in quick succession. Using a combination of these techniques is pretty much essential for any acoustic guitarist looking to add fluidity and expressiveness to their playing, yet beginners often struggle to perform them. Let’s watch Steve Stine from GuitarZoom demonstrate how using proper form can make, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and trills easier to play.
5. Artificial Harmonics
Looking to add a layer of sophistication and nuance to your guitar playing? Artificial Harmonics (aka false harmonics) is a technique used to produce high-pitched, bell-like harmonic tones by lightly touching the string at a nodal point while plucking. The reason this harmonic terminology is called ‘artificial’ is because you’re adding an additional level of precise control to produce a harmonic sound, as opposed to relying on the natural nodes of an open guitar string. Apart from being a versatile tool that will advance your finger dexterity, control, and precision, incorporating artificial harmonics into your practice routine will encourage you to add new layers of depth and complexity to your practice or compositions. In the following video, classical guitarist and YouTuber Brandon Acker demonstrates you how to play this valuable and beautiful-sounding bell-like technique.
6. Bends
Guitar string bending is a commonly used technique used to add expressiveness and emotion to guitar solos and melodies that involves changing the pitch of a note by pushing or pulling the string sideways across the fretboard. A hallmark of Blues legend B.B. King and renowned guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, bends are a fundamental technique in blues and rock music, but while they are often associated with electric guitar players they can be equally effectively when applied to acoustic guitar. There are various guitar string bending techniques, including the full bend, half bend, bend and release, and pre-bend, but with dedicated practice and commitment, mastering smooth and controlled bends can greatly enhance your playing. Here’s music teacher Karl Golden sharing some golden tips on how to perform bends on an acoustic guitar.
7. Double-Stops
If you’re looking to add harmony and richness to your acoustic guitar melodies, look no further than the double-stop guitar playing technique. With this exercise, instead of playing single notes or full chords, two notes are played simultaneously - typically on adjacent strings. Double stops are often used to create or perform memorable hooks, motifs, solos, and fills, but there’s another advantage to this technique. Due to the fact that you’re pressing down two strings with one motion, it reduces the need for constant individual finger adjustments, thus alleviating hand fatigue. That’s not to say that double-stops are easy to pull off; you’ll have to work hard to get in tune and transition smoothly between notes. In this lesson, blues ace Pete Madsen from Acoustic Guitar magazine shows you how to spice up your playing through the implementation of double-stops.
Transform your acoustic guitar practice with Moises
Now that you’re ready to take your acoustic guitar playing to a more advanced level, we’d like to introduce you to our AI Audio Separation technology. The Moises app allows you to isolate different instruments from a song, including acoustic guitar, for enhanced practice, fun, and creative experimentation.
Learning becomes so much easier when you’re able to gain a deeper understanding of elements that are often difficult to discern in a full mix. Isolating the acoustic guitar part from your tracks will allow you to shed light on chord progressions and strumming techniques, and enhance your understanding of rhythm and harmony. This separation tool enables you to become the star guitarist of your favourite songs, learn to become a better player, and even create your own custom backing tracks.
But that’s not all. Moises’ Real-Time Chord Detection feature allows you to detect and display acoustic guitar chords instantly and accurately so you don’t have to spend hours trying to figure them out by ear. The app offers three levels of chord detection—Easy, Medium, and Advanced, allowing you to practice based on your skill level and create new arrangements more easily.
These features are designed to help you learn, practice, and perform acoustic guitar playing with greater ease and precision. With Moises as your partner, you’ll have renewed motivation to pick up your acoustic guitar, have fun, and start getting creative!
