No. 355 November/ December 2025
Special Focus: Health and Wellness
Playing guitar is as much a physical and mental endeavor as it is a musical one. In an excerpt from his acclaimed new book, The Holistic Guitarist: A Complete Guide to Musical Well-Being, guitarist and educator Sean McGowan explores different ways to promote a healthy and positive musical mindset.
In the features department, cover artist Lucy Dacus talks about her love of open tunings, stripped-back textures, and connecting with others; Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers catches up with the masterful mandolinist, guitarist, and songwriter Sierra Hull; and Trey Hensley testifies to the musical power of simplicity and melody, and reveals how he feels about stepping into a new chapter as a solo artist.
Lessons include an introduction to dropped-D tuning with Mary Flower; a Weekly Workout showing how to use chromatic connections to add color and momentum to your playing from Berklee professor Jane Miller; how to make your solos sing with hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides; plus, thoughtful tips for supporting others musically from guitarist Charlie Rauh.
Songs to Play: James Taylor’s classic “You’ve Got a Friend”; a campfire arrangement of the beloved railroad tune “Wabash Cannonball’; “Spitfire,” Sierra Hull’s powerful homage to her grandmother; and “Etude No. 1” by Matteo Carcassi, a challenging exercise for flatpickers of all levels.
Elsewhere, luthier Richard Hoover reflects on 50 years at Santa Cruz Guitar Company; Emile Menasché test drives the Taylor Gold Label 814e Koa SB, AG’s gear expert Martin Keith demystifies fretboard radius; E.E. Bradman reviews Nathan Salsburg’s spacious new record; and more!
