Guitar Folk
tagStarted 1963Peak 1965–1972Last big hit 2010
Located in 1 route
Guitar folk makes the instrument itself a primary storyteller through fingerpicking patterns, alternate tunings, ringing open strings, and a large amount of rhythmic information carried by one player. Vocals often sit lightly above the guitar rather than dominate it.
History
The style took shape as acoustic guitar technique became central to modern folk identity, combining British and American fingerstyle ideas with folk song. Bert Jansch, Nick Drake, John Fahey, Leo Kottke, José González, and the Tallest Man on Earth all demonstrate how guitar folk can be percussive, intricate, meditative, or starkly propulsive while staying unmistakably song-based.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Folk music"
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Singer-songwriters"
- Library of Congress, "Coffeehouses: Folk Music, Culture, and Counterculture"
- MasterClass, "Folk Music Artists: A Brief History of Folk Music." citeturn0search0turn1search0turn0search2turn2search0