Acoustic Guitar Techniques: Tone is in the Hands

While acoustic-guitar masters from Andrés Segovia to Django Reinhardt are celebrated for their pick-hand prowess, they also made the most of fret-hand techniques and such effects as slurs, vibrato, and harmonics—subtle details that added great expression to their music. Whatever style you prefer—and regardless of whether you’re more of a soloist or accompanist—you should learn how to get these techniques under your fingers. Feel free to use the following examples as springboards for your own exercises, and practice everything rigorously until you find yourself using these techniques without even thinking about them.