You might think that the acoustic guitar is just for hanging on the wall at your uncle's house, but don't be fooled, because I'll show you that it's much more versatile than that.Â
If you're ready to step up your game and impress your friends (and/or grandmother) with your musical mastery, but you're not sure what to play, let me introduce you to the genres you can play on the acoustic guitar.
Remember, acoustic guitars are so named because they derive their name from the Greek word ἀκουστικός, which means "to be heard". So forget about gentle strumming, because we're going to explore styles that are going to get you noticed by that special someone when you bust out the acoustic guitar and demonstrate your skills.
We're going to explore genres that you can play on any acoustic guitar, from the simple hollow wooden box strung with nylon strings (which may be gathering dust in your attic—better pull it out), to the advanced steel string dreadnought with internal bracing that almost breaks the laws of physics.Â
So let's dive in and and explore the rich, diverse world of musical genres you can play on the acoustic guitar. Who knows, you might just discover a new one that will rock your socks off.
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What Kind Of Genres Can You Play on Acoustic Guitar?
Before the 20th century came along, the guitar was basically the realm of forgotten—and often frustrated—musicians in 'art' music, known by the masses as classical guitar music. During that long and dark period of the acoustic guitar's history, some troubadours, which were musicians in France, were able to scrape out a living by strumming away on the guitar while singing love songs.
And in Austria, the Romantic composer Franz Schubert liked to pluck the strings on his guitar while puttering around his flat before getting dressed. I agree with you—it was sad times.
But beginning around 1890 or so, radical changes in the construction of the guitar, as well as the appearance of steel strings, finally made it possible for the voice of the acoustic guitar to be heard. The invention of electricity by Muddy Waters further helped increase the reach and popularity of the acoustic guitar.
Finally, the acoustic guitar could take its rightful place in the centre of popular music: folk rock, country, blues, singer-songwriter, Celtic music, jazz and of course, fingerstyle guitar.Â
Let's explore how the acoustic guitar is used in these genres, both as a solo or an accompanying instrument.
1. Folk and Folk Rock
If you're looking for a genre that's going to transport you back in time and make you feel like you're relaxing inside a cozy coffeehouse in downtown 'Frisco in the middle of the 1960s , simply bust out your acoustic guitar and play some folk classics, like This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie.
I realize that it may be hard to believe (and you may be wondering why I listed this genre first), but I remain fully and absolutely convinced of the fact that the acoustic guitar is perfect for playing—wait for it—folk music!
Centuries of immigration from all over the world to America, along with the innovations by Christian Frederick Martin and Orville Gibson, produced the perfect instrument for folk musicians to share their traditions with the world.
The acoustic guitar is the go-to instrument for thousands of leading guitarists, including the likes of Paul Simon (from Simon & Garfunkel) and Peter Yarrow (from Peter, Paul & Mary).
Alas, a word of warning—unless you want to emulate legend like Bob Dylan (who nearly caused a riot for switching to electric), just pick up a folk guitar and strum a few chords, and soon you'll start growing your hair long and protesting the man.
2. Country
Oh, and you thought the acoustic guitar was just for washed-up hippies playing at coffee shop open mics? Think again, friend. The acoustic guitar is also the axe of choice for country music legends like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Taylor Swift (before she turned pop).
But, sadly, modern country music stars like Brad Paisley and Keith Urban choose to play the electric guitar instead of acoustic—absolute hogwash, I say.
So, if you're someone who likes clear-cut categories, folk music just might seem like too broad a genre for you to enjoy playing on your acoustic guitar. Enter country & western music, an awesome genre to play on your unplugged instrument.
Originating from the southern part of the Piedmont region of the United States, country musicians quickly embraced the acoustic steel guitar starting in the 1920s. Early country musicians had an incalculable influence on later genres like bluegrass and rockabilly, and especially the characteristic sound of Rock & Roll.
By the way, please don't be fooled: Dolly Parton does not belong to the mix of country legends who play acoustic guitar. Although she's definitely a superstar of the genre, she's been caught many times playing open tunings on a classical guitar, probably owing to her epically manicured nails on her fretting hand.
Yikes! It's the Wild West out there.
3. Blues
If you have an acoustic guitar, you can't go wrong with blues. Legendary bluesman Robert Johnson proved in only seven short months and two recording sessions that one of the key aspects of the blues genre is the presence of the acoustic guitar.
Hailing from the Deep South of the USA, Johnson was one of a growing cohort of blues players and singers who took to the acoustic guitar to express themselves. Using such things as slides, banjos, guitars (of course) and the raw power of their voice, these musicians developed a style which was picked up and later popularized by W. C. Handy.
Thankfully, blues players understood that the acoustic steel string guitar, developed by Orville Gibson, was the perfect instrument to unleash their inner blues god to the world. Still not convinced? Check out this epic blues bit I came up with right now, played fingerstyle on an acoustic flat top guitar.
Oh, and guitarists! PSA: there are far too many blues guitarists switching to electricity. Remember, blues sounds best when played on the acoustic guitar, preferably with a slide and using an open tuning.
Just like with country music, we need to stop the trend of using an electric guitar to try and seem authentic and relatable to a wider audience. Please, if you are a blues aficionado, stick to the acoustic guitar for your musical needs. We all know the electric guitar is for those who don't have any real talent, right?
4. Singer-songwriter
Unlike drummers, who usually scare people away when they play alone, some guitarists eschew the band and accompany themselves, solo. We call these quirky and somewhat anti-social musicians singer-songwriters.
So, if you play acoustic guitar and you're somewhat introvered, you too are able to become your own one-man band by choosing the singer-songwriter genre. It's as varied a genre as it is a misnomer—some singer-songwriters can't even sing, and very few of them know how to write.
The original singer-songwriters started their careers back in the 16th century. As troubadours and minstrels roamed the streets of Europe, they would strum their vihuela (the ancient ancestor of the folk guitar) and serenade the masses with tales of love and chivalry.
Fast forward to today and your modern pop star who isn't playing classical music is a direct descendant of those mediæval rockstars.
I'm sure Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift are just thrilled to be associated with such a lowly historical figure, but since they're not using a kazoo or a triangle to accompany their boring pop songs, I've got no choice but to draw that parallel.
You see, some singer songwriters are using the acoustic guitar as a crutch to make up for their lack of creativity. I suppose we should just be grateful for that, because they do give us some entertainment.
5. Celtic music
Oh boy, here we go again.
I know what you're thinking—singer-songwriter, country & western, and folk are all genres meant just for modern troubadours, and you're still left holding the acoustic guitar and unsure of what to play!
Relax. While I share your concern that the acoustic guitar could be used for anything other than good old-fashioned American bluegrass, I'd like you to expand your thinking and include the world of Celtic music.
You see, those exotic peoples from the northern islands of Europe actually have something valuable to contribute to the world of music. Straddled somewhere between the Old World and the New, Ireland became the place for musicians like Arty McGlynn to unlock the true power of the acoustic guitar.
Celtic musicians truly showed that the acoustic flattop guitar is an instrument truly capable of holding its own against the shrill fiddle. And did you know that your banjo-pickin' friends from the heart of Appalachia are simply continuing a folk tradition that the Celtic fiddlers brought with them?Â
So, if you're feeling adventurous, tune your guitar into DADGAD and try your hand at playing some of that "foreign" Irish music. Just be careful not to get too carried away and start a hoe-down, Doc Watson style.
6. Gypsy jazz
You may be familiar with jazz guitarists that play on a hollow-body instrument with f holes. These guitars aren't really acoustic guitars, because they need to be amplified in order to be heard properly.
Luckily, you don't need all that jazz to play jazz on your acoustic guitar, because you can play Gypsy jazz instead!
Playing gypsy jazz on the acoustic guitar is like showing up to a party in a tuxedo when everyone else is wearing jeans. That's because in the early 1920's, the style known as hot club-style jazz was taking form in the sophisticated country of France, on the other side of the Atlantic from the United States.Â
But before you get excited and start learning some Django Reinhardt licks, remember that the jazz manouche purists will scoff if you don't have their special instrument, originally developed by Mario Maccaferri.
To any diehard gypsy jazz fan, not knowing the difference between a grande bouche and a petite bouche is like not understanding how sipping a fine wine and chugging a beer are diametrically opposed ways of consuming a popular beverage.
But go ahead, be a rebel, and make some beautiful gypsy jazz music on your acoustic guitar. Just don't come crying to me if your Minor Swing interpretation sounds like a cat stuck inside a sandbox.
7. Fingerstyle
Finally, we get to the best style of them all to play on the acoustic guitar. It's of course, fingerstyle, and the whole reason you're here, right?
It's time to join the ranks of world-class guitarists like Mike Dawes, Jon Gomm and Tommy Emmanuel who have wisely made the choice to switch from picking away at an electric guitar to plucking (and sometimes banging) on the modern acoustic guitar. You see, thanks to radical innovations and improvements brought forth by American luthiers on the modern guitar developed in Spain, fingerstyle players can now explore sounds and techniques previously unimaginable on the acoustic guitar.
Indeed, fingerstyle has become an exciting modern genre of music that brings out the best in the acoustic guitar.
And what better way to learn fingerstyle guitar than with my online course, Play Fingerstyle Guitar Now! This comprehensive curriculum contains everything you need to improve your fingerstyle technique. The course is chock-full of examples for you to learn the genre at ease, like dipping your toe in a swimming pool on a hot summer day.
So next time you pick up your trusty folk guitar and feel like pouring your heart and soul into the music, remember that fingerstyle is the only real music genre that lets you do that. No pressure or anything, and I'm absolutely unbiased.
