Altered tunings can provide a wealth of inspiration when it comes to composing and exploring new avenues on the guitar, forcing you to think differently about chord voicings and making possible parts that are unplayable in standard tuning. Open D – where the guitar is simply tuned to a D chord – is a fantastic, rich-sounding tuning and the perfect place to start the journey if you’ve never tried alternate tunings.

No matter what level you’re at, your playing will always benefit from a good warm-up before practice or performance sessions. We all know that warming up can be dull though, so fresh inspiration is always welcome - and that’s just what Elixir® Strings artist Scott Goldbaum delivers with this short video tutorial!

When it comes to fingerstyle guitar, the traditional alternating thumb technique is a tried and tested way of filling out the bass parts with your picking hand. It provides a rhythmic drive and can outline simple basslines, perfect for solo performances.

Unlocking the fretboard and being able to play chords all over the neck is one of the most useful skills for a guitar player to master. Having the knowledge to locate chords all over the fingerboard allows you to be really creative with rhythm parts – and it will help with your soloing as well. 

Moving fingers “inside” chord shapes while keeping others in place can be a surprising challenge that requires practice, particularly where large fretting hand stretches are involved. So finding warm-ups that allow you to drill these moves, while also sounding good, can be really useful in improving accuracy and finger flexibility.

Nashville tuning is one of the classic "best kept secrets" of studio guitarists, and can add a beautiful, shimmering high-end to acoustic or electric rhythm guitar parts. Far from being a complicated alternate tuning, Nashville tuning simply requires the use of the "thin strings" from a 12-string guitar set, tuned as normal.

Rhumba-style chord progressions are an instantly-identifiable part of the New Orleans blues sound, but they're mainly associated with piano players like Professor Longhair and Dr John. The syncopated, rolling groove is adaptable for guitar with a little work however, and will add an unusual, distinctive rhythmic tool to your arsenal.

One of the wonderful, unique things about the acoustic guitar is the extent to which it allows you to introduce a percussive edge to your playing. The bright, powerful sound of steel strings combined with a resonant body allows for real expression and tonal variety when using hammer-ons and slap techniques. Add in the use of harmonics - those beautiful, ringing fundamental tones - and you have a recipe for a really dynamic style.

Acoustic guitar legend Alex de Grassi adds expression to his melodies with slides, hammer ons and pull offs.  Watch as he shows these 3 legato phrasing techniques to create fluidity and texture. 

Develop your fingerstyle techniques with these acoustic percussive slap exercises from Maneli Jamal.

In this acoustic guitar lesson, Marc Seal teaches us common bass-style techniques like slapping and popping to coax some different sounds from your acoustic.

In this easy-to-follow percussive harmonics lesson, Maneli Jamal demonstrates how to get this full and rich sound.

Use this easy riff to improve your hybrid picking.

Maneli Jamal demonstrates how to get percussive elements out of the acoustic guitar while playing a chord progressions in 4/4.

Fingerstyle master Alex de Grassi demonstrates the use dynamics (volume variations) to highlight and contrast the interplay between the thumb and fingers; and to add color, nuance, and refinement to any guitar performance.  

Seasoned guitarist Marc Seal demonstrates how to arpeggiate (play chords one note at a time) more efficiently and accurately using a technique known as “pick leading.”

Fingerstyle master Alex de Grassi demonstrates how to get the best tone, and more volume, from your acoustic guitar using the “preloaded free stroke.”

Endorsing artist Massimo Varini gives a close-up demo of his hybrid picking and percussive slap chops. Learn how to use these percussive techniques on your acoustic guitar to create a real beat.

Endorsing artist Ben Montague explains how experiences can inspire lyrics, chords can spark melodies and how he makes choruses "as big as possible." Learn this acclaimed British solo artist's songwriting tips. 

Mike Eldred, Elixir Strings endorsing artist, has been called "The best unknown guitarist in America." Watch as he demonstrates how to play key blues guitar turnarounds. Try playing different turnarounds to add variety to your blues. 

National Fingerstyle Guitar Champion, Pete Huttlinger, demonstrates a terrific exercise to develop fret hand control. 

Los Angeles session guitarist, songwriter and teacher, Tom Strahle, talks about the importance of acoustic players knowing many grooves.  

Hudson Taylor, the Dublin folk duo, explain their jam-led approach to songwriting and reveal how they build complementary parts on two acoustic guitars. Hudson Taylor is made up of brothers Alfie and Harry.

Los Angeles session guitarist, songwriter, teacher and endorsing Elixir® Strings artist, Tom Strahle, shares what it takes to make it in the studio scene. 

Endorsing Elixir^® Strings artist Ulli Boegershausen shows how to arrange Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting For You" for acoustic guitar. 

Endorsing artist Tom Crouch breaks down the techniques behind his unique cover of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky." Tom slows the pace to show how chords combine with percussive effects to turn his acoustic into a one-man band. 

This is classic Phil Keaggy. If one capo is good, two are better. In addition to capos, he integrates looping into the demonstration. 

Elixir^® Strings caught up with George Marinelli while he was on the road with Bonnie Raitt. He talked about how he uses alternate tunings. 

Shun shares how he practices improvising, rhythms and more. 

Elixir^® Strings endorsing artist Arthur Lee Land shows, step by step, the art of looping. From percussion to banjo, watch as he builds the tracks for his song "Into the Waters." 

Eric Bibb discusses and demonstrates finger picking, good groove and guitar bass-line techniques.

Altered tunings can provide a wealth of inspiration when it comes to composing and exploring new avenues on the guitar, forcing you to think differently about chord voicings and making possible parts that are unplayable in standard tuning. Open D – where the guitar is simply tuned to a D chord – is a fantastic, rich-sounding tuning and the perfect place to start the journey if you’ve never tried alternate tunings.

No matter what level you’re at, your playing will always benefit from a good warm-up before practice or performance sessions. We all know that warming up can be dull though, so fresh inspiration is always welcome - and that’s just what Elixir® Strings artist Scott Goldbaum delivers with this short video tutorial!

When it comes to fingerstyle guitar, the traditional alternating thumb technique is a tried and tested way of filling out the bass parts with your picking hand. It provides a rhythmic drive and can outline simple basslines, perfect for solo performances.

Unlocking the fretboard and being able to play chords all over the neck is one of the most useful skills for a guitar player to master. Having the knowledge to locate chords all over the fingerboard allows you to be really creative with rhythm parts – and it will help with your soloing as well. 

Moving fingers “inside” chord shapes while keeping others in place can be a surprising challenge that requires practice, particularly where large fretting hand stretches are involved. So finding warm-ups that allow you to drill these moves, while also sounding good, can be really useful in improving accuracy and finger flexibility.

Nashville tuning is one of the classic "best kept secrets" of studio guitarists, and can add a beautiful, shimmering high-end to acoustic or electric rhythm guitar parts. Far from being a complicated alternate tuning, Nashville tuning simply requires the use of the "thin strings" from a 12-string guitar set, tuned as normal.

Rhumba-style chord progressions are an instantly-identifiable part of the New Orleans blues sound, but they're mainly associated with piano players like Professor Longhair and Dr John. The syncopated, rolling groove is adaptable for guitar with a little work however, and will add an unusual, distinctive rhythmic tool to your arsenal.

One of the wonderful, unique things about the acoustic guitar is the extent to which it allows you to introduce a percussive edge to your playing. The bright, powerful sound of steel strings combined with a resonant body allows for real expression and tonal variety when using hammer-ons and slap techniques. Add in the use of harmonics - those beautiful, ringing fundamental tones - and you have a recipe for a really dynamic style.

Acoustic guitar legend Alex de Grassi adds expression to his melodies with slides, hammer ons and pull offs.  Watch as he shows these 3 legato phrasing techniques to create fluidity and texture. 

Develop your fingerstyle techniques with these acoustic percussive slap exercises from Maneli Jamal.

In this acoustic guitar lesson, Marc Seal teaches us common bass-style techniques like slapping and popping to coax some different sounds from your acoustic.

In this easy-to-follow percussive harmonics lesson, Maneli Jamal demonstrates how to get this full and rich sound.

Use this easy riff to improve your hybrid picking.

Maneli Jamal demonstrates how to get percussive elements out of the acoustic guitar while playing a chord progressions in 4/4.

Fingerstyle master Alex de Grassi demonstrates the use dynamics (volume variations) to highlight and contrast the interplay between the thumb and fingers; and to add color, nuance, and refinement to any guitar performance.  

Seasoned guitarist Marc Seal demonstrates how to arpeggiate (play chords one note at a time) more efficiently and accurately using a technique known as “pick leading.”

Fingerstyle master Alex de Grassi demonstrates how to get the best tone, and more volume, from your acoustic guitar using the “preloaded free stroke.”

Endorsing artist Massimo Varini gives a close-up demo of his hybrid picking and percussive slap chops. Learn how to use these percussive techniques on your acoustic guitar to create a real beat.

Endorsing artist Ben Montague explains how experiences can inspire lyrics, chords can spark melodies and how he makes choruses "as big as possible." Learn this acclaimed British solo artist's songwriting tips. 

Mike Eldred, Elixir Strings endorsing artist, has been called "The best unknown guitarist in America." Watch as he demonstrates how to play key blues guitar turnarounds. Try playing different turnarounds to add variety to your blues. 

National Fingerstyle Guitar Champion, Pete Huttlinger, demonstrates a terrific exercise to develop fret hand control. 

Los Angeles session guitarist, songwriter and teacher, Tom Strahle, talks about the importance of acoustic players knowing many grooves.  

Hudson Taylor, the Dublin folk duo, explain their jam-led approach to songwriting and reveal how they build complementary parts on two acoustic guitars. Hudson Taylor is made up of brothers Alfie and Harry.

Los Angeles session guitarist, songwriter, teacher and endorsing Elixir® Strings artist, Tom Strahle, shares what it takes to make it in the studio scene. 

Endorsing Elixir^® Strings artist Ulli Boegershausen shows how to arrange Richard Marx's "Right Here Waiting For You" for acoustic guitar. 

Endorsing artist Tom Crouch breaks down the techniques behind his unique cover of Daft Punk's "Get Lucky." Tom slows the pace to show how chords combine with percussive effects to turn his acoustic into a one-man band. 

This is classic Phil Keaggy. If one capo is good, two are better. In addition to capos, he integrates looping into the demonstration. 

Elixir^® Strings caught up with George Marinelli while he was on the road with Bonnie Raitt. He talked about how he uses alternate tunings. 

Shun shares how he practices improvising, rhythms and more. 

Elixir^® Strings endorsing artist Arthur Lee Land shows, step by step, the art of looping. From percussion to banjo, watch as he builds the tracks for his song "Into the Waters." 

Eric Bibb discusses and demonstrates finger picking, good groove and guitar bass-line techniques.