Welcome back to the Wood&Steel guitar lesson, featuring session player and guitar teacher Taylor Gamble.
This time around, Taylor takes things back to square one with a trio of essential concepts for any guitar player: strumming, picking and palm muting. New learners should practice these techniques until they become second nature, incorporating volume dynamics and the varied touch that makes a piece of music truly resonate.
Beginner: Strumming
Taylor kicks off our lesson with an introduction to strumming technique, demonstrating the basics while illustrating how subtle variations can add feeling to your sound.
Next, Taylor explains simple picking techniques before showing how mixing strumming and picking together can create beautiful melodies with basic chord shapes.
Finally, our lesson concludes with a technique utilized by guitarists from pop and R&B to country and heavy metal: palm muting. Taylor illustrates how using your strumming hand to gently mute the strings can add dynamics to your playing, especially when mixed with open strumming and picking.
Cover story: The Builder’s Edition 814ce | Cutting spruce for guitar tops | Powers Electric Guitars | D’Addario XS strings | The redesigned T5z | New American Dream models | 326ce Baritone-8 | How to use harmonics.
Cover story: New American Dream models. Plus: The 2023 Product Guide | Inside Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe | Stevie Salas & the Native American musicians who shaped rock ‘n’ roll | GS Mini Rosewood & Caramel Burst | CAGED playing techniques.
Cover story: The new Urban Ironbark 500 Series. Plus: Urban Ash LTDs | How cities manage their tree populations | Walnut-top Academy Series | R&B upstroke technique | Guitar care tools & tips | Andy Powers named President & CEO.
Cover story: New for ’22: the AD27e Flametop, two new GT models and the Grand Concert AD22e. Plus: the 2022 Taylor Guitar Guide, Andy Powers talks about the evolution of Taylor tone, and more R&B guitar lessons.
On the Cover: Discover the art of Taylor's inlay designs. Plus: the growing popularity of small-body guitars, what artists learned during the pandemic, R&B guitar lessons and updates from our environmental initiatives.
Cover story: Taylor’s transition to employee ownership. Plus: Artists adapt during COVID | How African Americans shaped American music genres | Open minor tunings | the 200 Plus Series | Exotic-top T5z models
Taylor expands the GT Series with two new models, and the American Dream Series becomes a permanent addition. Plus: Talking pandemic creativity with FINNEAS and the inaugural digital edition of the Taylor Guitar Guide.
Meet Taylor’s latest offerings: the American Dream Series and the Taylor GT. Plus: recording acoustic guitars, updated 800 models and a new Grand Symphony.
Taylor’s culture of innovation is built on a foundation of passion, problem-solving, and plucky resolve. During tough times, we know how to respond — it means looking out for others as much as ourselves.
