Blog

How to Improve Playing Speed: A Complete Guide for Musicians

Improving your playing speed as a guitarist can be frustrating at times, but rewarding in the end. It is a journey that combines practice, technique, and smart self-analysis. Whatever instrument you play,  becoming faster and cleaner takes commitment and the...

How to Know Your Guitar Frets Are Dying

Playing guitar should feel natural, with every note ringing clearly and smoothly. But sometimes, an unwanted buzz, muted note, or sudden loss of sustain interrupts the music. For many players, this points to one of the most frustrating problems: dying frets. These...

How to Clean an Acoustic Guitar

Cleaning your acoustic guitar helps preserve its sound and beauty for years to come. A clean, well-maintained instrument is easier to play and has a richer, more consistent tone. While consistent maintenance is important, the key to a beautiful instrument is using the...

The Science of Sound: How Does a Guitar Work?

The guitar is one of the most popular and versatile instruments in the world, found in nearly every genre of music from country and blues to rock and classical. But have you ever wondered how this six-stringed instrument actually produces sound? Whether you're a...

Why Do Guitars Lose Their Tune?

Your guitar is an intricately designed instrument that will provide the desired chords and tone when properly tuned. Unfortunately, as any musician knows all too well, there are times when even the most cherished instrument will fail to hold its tune properly. This can be the result of all sorts of issues. Here are some common reasons to consider that will cause your guitar to slip out of tune more often than it should.

Tools Needed to Build Your Own Guitar

Have you ever wondered what it takes to build your own guitar? Crafting an instrument from scratch is a blend of artistry, precision, and passion. Whether you’re a musician seeking a custom instrument or a beginner exploring the world of luthiery, the process starts...
Graduate Profile: Benny Burrows
Graduate Profile: Benny Burrows

Benny Burrows, 27, is GCA Nashville’s first international student, having grown up in the Australian city of Brisbane. He started playing guitar at age 10 and got interested in luthiery — “that dream of building that sound that’s in your head” — a couple of years...

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Tech Tip: Refretting a Guitar
Tech Tip: Refretting a Guitar

When I do a guitar neck refret job, I create this tool to confirm proper fret slot depth before installing the new frets. I bend a small piece of the fret wire into an ‘L’ shape and lightly file down the burrs on the smaller part of the ‘L.’ It’s never a pleasant...

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How to Properly Sand a guitar
How to Properly Sand a guitar

Brian Nutter is the founder of Nutter Guitars and a Guitar Craft Academy faculty member. So, you’ve spent loads of time making the perfect guitar. But before you can buff it to a high gloss, you have to level the finish with sandpaper. Your finish at this...

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Learning to Fly
Learning to Fly

Bruce Buckingham (Left) with a guitar student. If you want to build a guitar well, it helps to also know how to play a guitar well — and that’s where Bruce Buckingham comes in. All Guitar Craft Academy Nashville students take a weekly guitar performance class...

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Faculty Spotlight: Marty Lanham
Faculty Spotlight: Marty Lanham

Guitar Craft Academy instructor Marty Lanham and his wife, Charmaine Lanham, were recently honored for their dedication to Tennessee bluegrass by the Uncle Jimmy Thompson Bluegrass Festival in historic Granville, Tennessee. Marty’s history with...

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Tech Tip: Filling and Recutting the Nut Slot
Tech Tip: Filling and Recutting the Nut Slot

For this month’s tech tip, I will show you a quick way to fill and recut a nut slot in order to raise it up. A slot that is cut correctly should hold the string in place at a height that clears the first fret. Sometimes a guitar nut slot will wear down over time and...

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