Martin Acoustic Electric

The acoustic guitar is a popular instrument amongst all age groups and is a very rewarding instrument to learn to play even though you do not get to fool around with cool electric guitar sounds. So let us take a look at the techniques you will learn as an acoustic guitar player and some legendary guitarists whose work will need to become familiar with in order to hang out with other acoustic guitar players.

You can think of acoustic guitar technique in two ways: you can be a strummer or a picker. A strummer plays by dragging your thumb, index finger or plectrum across the guitar strings. You can find a multitude of strumming patterns on the internet. Start with the simplest you can find. Some strumming patterns simply show the names of the chords you are supposed to be strumming, and others show that you include only selected strings. The strings that are not included can be damped with the little finger of the left hand or the heel of the right hand.

You can pick using a plectrum – this technique is called flatpicking – or use your fingers. If you decide on fingerpicking you might want to use picks which fit on the thumb and tips of your fingers. Steel strings are hard on the fingernails so you might need fingerpicks to stop your nails being torn to shreds. Nylon strings do not demand the use of picks but after you have had some experience playing guitar you can make the decision based on the kind of sound you want.

A simple start to fingerpicking is to finger an E minor chord and place your fingers on the strings you intend to play. Do not try and do any picking, just decide which strings are the ones you are playing in this chord and place your right hand fingers in a plucking “stance” ready to play. So for the E minor chord you could place your thumb on the sixth string and your first finger on the third string, you second finger on the second string and your first finger on the first string. Now pluck each string by pressing down with the thumb and pulling up with the fingers.

If you want to see what you can do if you foster your devotion to the acoustic guitar, Leo Kottke is a good start. He is an innovative fingerstyle acoustic guitarist who is strongly influenced by folk music, jazz and blues. Another great is Tommy Emmanuel, an Australian acoustic and electric guitarist known for his energetic fingerpicking style. He has developed his own style based on the “travis picking” style of playing he heard played on records by Chet Atkins.

“Travis picking” is a style of finger picking which involves playing bass with the thumb, and melody with the first two or three fingers simultaneously. This picking style was developed by Merle Travis, an American country and western singer and songwriter who composed one of the early fifties hit songs, “Sixteen Tons”. While we are talking about travis picking, you have probably heard of Chet Atkins. He was an influential Nashville guitarist and producer of records for many famous recording artists. He played mostly electric guitar and his picking technique was inspired mostly by Merle Travis with musical influences from Django Reinhardt and Les Paul.

For the acoustic guitar player who elects to stay with  the plectrumn, “Doc” Watson is an American bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music singer and guitar player. He is revered by other guitar players for his astonishing flatpicking style although he does do fingerpicking.

The acoustic guitar repertoire of today owes alot to the folk revival of the sixties. Here are some names from that era whose work you should catch up with:

John Renbourn the English guitarist and songwriter is best known for his work with fellow guitar player, Bert Jansch and his career  with the English folk group Pentangle. Renbourn’s musical interests include early music, folk, classical music and blues.

Bert Jansch is a Scottish folk musician whose influences include English guitarist Davy Graham. His music has influenced Jimmy Page, Ian Anderson, Donovan and Neil Young.

John Martyn is an English guitarist who also sings and writes songs. He has made twenty studio albums and worked with famous musician like Eric Clapton, David Gilmour and Phil Collins. He has invented his own sound featuring an acoustic guitar played through a fuzzbox, phase-shifter and Echoplex.

Davy Graham is a guitarist who featured heavily in the English folk scene in the nineteen sixties. Many acoustic guitar players like Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Martin Carthy and Jimmy Page. His acoustic instrumental piece, Anji was recorded by Paul Simon on an early Simon And Garfunkel album.

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Martin DC-16GTE Acoustic-Electric Guitar Standard $1649 Martin DC-16GTE Acoustic-Electric Guitar Standard

Martin DXME Acoustic-Electric Guitar $599 With the Martin DXME Acoustic-Electric Guitar, HPL body construction, Martin’s patented neck mortise, and A-frame X-bracing pattern give you the legendary Martin tone. The DXME features Fishman electronics with easily accessible controls and authentic acoustic sound reproduction.

Martin Grand J12-40E Special Acoustic-Electric Guitar Standard $3899 Martin’s largest-bodied 12-string acoustic-electric features an ideal electronics package.

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Martin LX1E Little Martin Acoustic-Electric Guitar $359 The Martin LX1E Little Martin Acoustic-Electric Guitar is a small travel and student guitar with a solid Sitka spruce soundboard atop the modified 0-14 body to guarantee tight, rich tone. The Fishman Ion-T electronics let you electrify that sound for performance flexibilty. Solid morado fretboard and bridge, 23″ scale, Stratabond modified low-oval neck, and Martin’s patented mortise/tenon neck joint. Gotoh nickel tuners.

Martin DCX1E Acoustic-Electric Guitar $699 The DCX1E Mahogany Acoustic-Electric Guitar gives you the full, sweet sound of a Martin acoustic with a cutaway for ease of playing. Fishman Presys Plus electronics make it stage and studio friendly, and its price won’t break your back. Solid spruce top with A-frame X-bracing, HPL sides and back, inlaid Boltaron rosette, black Micarta fretboard. Limited lifetime warranty.

Martin HD-28VE Acoustic-Electric Guitar $3199 The HD-28VE Acoustic-Electric Guitar is an update of one of the sweetest-sounding guitars in the Martin stable. It has all the same features as the original with the Fishman Ellipse Blend amplification system ingeniously mounted inside the soundhole to maintain the classic HD-28 lines while delivering electric amplification functions. The flexible soundhole-mount condenser mini-microphone has volume, blend, and phase controls for maximum tone-shaping flexibility.The solid Sitka spruce top, solid Indian rosewood body, modified V-shape mahogany neck, herringbone trim, and prewar forward-shifted bracing produce the treasured tone and playability that made the original a classic. Part of Martin’s Vintage Series, the HD-28VE Acoustic-Electric features ivoroid binding, HD zigzag purfling, ebony fretboard, vintage-style open tuners, and ebony bridge with long saddle.

Martin OMC-16OGTE Acoustic-Electric Guitar $1649 The Martin OMC-16OGTE is an acoustic-electric guitar that features a solid Sitka spruce top and solid ovangkol sides. The back boasts solid ovangkol wings with a solid East Indian rosewood wedge for a superb blend of tonewoods. This Martin guitar also features 5/16″ hybrid scalloped “X” bracing for enhanced projection, control, and tonal clarity. The guitar’s onboard Roland AP-1 preamp provides a superb plugged-in experience. The preamp uses Roland’s Composite Object Sound Modeling technology to produce three body-specific tone variations. The preamp has a programmable 7-band EQ, anti-feedback control, digital chromatic tuner, digital reverb, and LCD display.

Martin DC-16OGTE Acoustic-Electric Guitar $1649 The Martin DC-16OGTE is an acoustic-electric guitar that features a solid Sitka spruce top and solid ovangkol sides. The back boasts solid ovangkol wings with a solid East Indian rosewood wedge for a superb blend of tonewoods. This Martin guitar also features 5/16″ hybrid scalloped “X” bracing for enhanced projection, control, and tonal clarity. The guitar’s onboard Roland AP-1 preamp affords you a superb plugged-in experience. The guitar’s preamp uses Roland’s Composite Object Sound Modeling technology to produce 3 body-specific tone variations. The preamp has a programmable 7-band EQ, anti-feedback control, digital chromatic tuner, digital reverb, and LCD display.

Martin OMC16GTE Acoustic-Electric Guitar $1649 The small-bodied Martin 00C16DBGTE Acoustic-Electric Guitar boasts a Venetian cutaway on its deep grand concert body. The OMC16GTE guitar’s shape allows for great player comfort while its extra depth contributes presence, projection and power to the tone. The soundboard is polished to a high gloss while the genuine mahogany back and sides are finished with a soft satin luster. Appointments include a bold herringbone rosette, black Micarta® fingerboard and bridge, black Boltaron top and back bindings, chrome enclosed tuning machines and Style 28 bridge pins.The OMC16GTE guitar’s Roland AP-1 onboard electronics system features 3 model-specific “Composite Object Sound Modeling” (COSM) tone variations and includes programmable 7-band EQ, anti-feedback control, digital chromatic tuner, digital reverb and an LCD display. The result is that the Martin OMC16GTE delivers beautiful natural acoustic tone plugged-in or unplugged.

Martin DC-16GTE Acoustic-Electric Guitar $1649 The dreadnought-size Martin DC-16DGTE Acoustic-Electric Guitar boasts a Venetian cutaway with a satisfyingly deep body. The DC-16GTE guitar’s shape means great player comfort and the extra depth contributes presence, projection, and power to the guitar’s tone. The DC-16DGTE guitar’s solid Sitka spruce soundboard is polished to a high gloss while the genuine mahogany back and sides are finished to a soft satin luster. Martin appointments include a bold herringbone rosette, black Micarta® fingerboard and bridge, black Boltaron top and back bindings, chrome-enclosed tuning machines and Style 28 bridge pins.The Martin DC-16GTE guitar’s Roland AP-1 onboard electronics system offers 3 model-specific “Composite Object Sound Modeling” (COSM) tone variations and includes programmable 7-band EQ, anti-feedback control, digital chromatic tuner, digital reverb, and an LCD display. The result is beautiful natural acoustic tone whether the Martin DC-16GTE guitar is plugged or unplugged.

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