There was a time when the guitar was more of a background instrument in a pop music ensemble. In the early part of the 20th century, pianos and saxes were more likely to stand out as the showy lead ...

Grunge music doesn’t always translate well into acoustic form. After all, the heart of the alt-rock genre is electric guitar distortion and production techniques that give the music more of an edge.

When Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora appeared at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards, they sat on chairs with acoustic guitars and performed their two biggest rock hits. Though MTV’s Unplugged series was ...