Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 9 hours ago
Handmade virtual Instruments for human-made music
somervillesounds.com
I've been playing acoustic guitar for 30 years, and I made a list of everything I could think of that I wish someone had told me earlier. Some of this is for beginners. Some is for producers who record guitar but don't play. And some of it might even be useful for advanced players.
Most of this advice is free. A few things will cost a little money. None of it is required.
Topics covered:
00:00 - Intro
00:25 - The right hand (the one nobody teaches)
02:15 - Fretting notes properly
03:35 - How you hold the pick
05:45 - Picks I actually use
07:30 - Strumming without accents
09:15 - Capos (and whether they're cheating)
11:30 - Open tunings and DADGAD
13:45 - The guitar shapes the player
16:20 - Strings (coated vs uncoated, dead vs new)
18:30 - Fingernails
20:15 - Practicing with a click track
21:45 - Nashville tuning and other weird stuff
22:30 - Pickups for live playing
23:15 - The low end problem
24:00 - Humidity and taking care of your guitar
24:45 - How a guitar feels in your hands
Guitars in this video:
Froggy Bottom M Series
Martin HD-28
1950s Gibson LG-2 conversion
Taylor 410 (my first guitar, from 1997)
Mic: Neumann KM84 at the 12th fret. I made a separate video about recording acoustic guitar that goes deeper into mic placement, so check that out if you want specifics.
What did I leave out? What did I get wrong? Drop it in the comments.
Jon
Handmade virtual Instruments for human-made music
somervillesounds.com
I've been playing acoustic guitar for 30 years, and I made a list of everything I could think of that I wish someone had told me earlier. Some of this is for beginners. Some is for producers who record guitar but don't play. And some of it might even be useful for advanced players.
Most of this advice is free. A few things will cost a little money. None of it is required.
Topics covered:
00:00 - Intro
00:25 - The right hand (the one nobody teaches)
02:15 - Fretting notes properly
03:35 - How you hold the pick
05:45 - Picks I actually use
07:30 - Strumming without accents
09:15 - Capos (and whether they're cheating)
11:30 - Open tunings and DADGAD
13:45 - The guitar shapes the player
16:20 - Strings (coated vs uncoated, dead vs new)
18:30 - Fingernails
20:15 - Practicing with a click track
21:45 - Nashville tuning and other weird stuff
22:30 - Pickups for live playing
23:15 - The low end problem
24:00 - Humidity and taking care of your guitar
24:45 - How a guitar feels in your hands
Guitars in this video:
Froggy Bottom M Series
Martin HD-28
1950s Gibson LG-2 conversion
Taylor 410 (my first guitar, from 1997)
Mic: Neumann KM84 at the 12th fret. I made a separate video about recording acoustic guitar that goes deeper into mic placement, so check that out if you want specifics.
What did I leave out? What did I get wrong? Drop it in the comments.
Jon
