Top 25 Fingerstyle Guitar Players

I'm not sure it's possible to definitively say who are THE best 25 fingerstyle guitar players in the world. But I'm gonna try.

Here are the top 25(ish...) fingerstyle guitar players, presented in alphabetical order. I couldn't bring myself to try to rank them. In fact, I'm not sure that's even possible. But even with that disclaimer, it's very likely that you may disagree, want to add or subtract a player. If that's the case, make sure to subscribe so you can leave a comment or drop me a note!

Chet Atkins (1924–2001)

Widely known as “Mr. Guitar,” Chet Atkins was a fingerstyle pioneer who helped popularize the Travis picking technique in country and jazz guitar. His smooth, bass-and-melody style virtually defined fingerpicking for generations. Atkins influenced countless players (Tommy Emmanuel cites him as a primary inspiration) and earned 14 Grammy Awards in his prolific career. Notable track: “Windy and Warm”, a tune that showcases Atkins’ signature thumb-picked groove.

Pierre Bensusan

A French-Algerian fingerstyle guitarist famed for his evocative use of DADGAD tuning, Bensusan brings a mesmerizing world-music flair to acoustic guitar. His lush, harp-like sound and compositional depth earned him accolades (he’s won the Independent Music Award for his solo work). Many know him for emotive pieces like “So Long Michael”, a tribute written upon Michael Hedges’ passing. Bensusan’s influence is especially strong among modern players exploring altered tunings and cinematic guitar soundscapes.

Bensusan actually has a video lesson series focused on his DADGAD method, you check that out here.

Antoine Dufour

Hailing from Montreal, Antoine Dufour is a modern fingerstyle virtuoso known for his percussive playing and intricate compositions. He won the Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Championship and garnered a global following through YouTube and CandyRat Records releases. Dufour seamlessly blends melody and percussion on the guitar; he can cover pop songs (e.g., a fan-favorite cover of Coldplay’s “Talk”) as deftly as he plays originals like “These Moments”. He also provides tablatures and lessons, inspiring the next generation of fingerstyle players.

Tommy Emmanuel

An Australian acoustic guitar legend, Tommy Emmanuel is often regarded as one of the greatest living fingerstyle guitarists. His energetic performances and charismatic stage presence have brought fingerstyle into the mainstream spotlight. Emmanuel’s style builds on Chet Atkins’ thumb-picking tradition and extends it – he performs full arrangements (bass, chords, melody, percussion) simultaneously on one guitar. He’s known for tunes like “Classical Gas” (with over 12 million YouTube views) and an unforgettable Beatles medley. Tommy’s artistry and warmth have influenced players worldwide, and he continues to tour and offer masterclasses to fans and students alike.

John Fahey (1939–2001)

John Fahey was an American guitarist who virtually invented the American Primitive fingerstyle genre. Blending folk, blues, and experimental dissonances, Fahey’s 1960s recordings opened up new possibilities for solo acoustic guitar as a serious art form. His seminal album “Blind Joe Death” and composition “Sunflower River Blues” showcase his hypnotic, emotive picking and innovative open tunings. Though he eschewed fame, Fahey’s legacy looms large – he influenced generations of acoustic players (including Leo Kottke, who was a protege) and established fingerstyle guitar as a vehicle for personal, expressive storytelling.

Ed Gerhard

Ed Gerhard is an American fingerstyle guitarist renowned for his expressive tone on both steel-string acoustic and slide guitars (Dobro and Weissenborn lap steel). He has a lyrical, singing quality to his playing. Gerhard’s arrangements of folk and Americana tunes are beloved, and his original compositions (like the haunting Weissenborn piece “Homage”) can hush a room. He won a Grammy for his contributions to a slack-key guitar compilation. For those new to Gerhard, “The Handing Down” and his arrangement of “Shenandoah” are beautiful entry points into his soulful style.

If you're interested in his style, there's an Acoustic Masterclass DVD and Tab set that will walk you through his tunes.

Jon Gomm

A modern fingerstyle star from the UK, Jon Gomm gained worldwide attention with his viral song “Passionflower”. In that performance, he astonishingly combines deep tunings, one-handed harmonics, percussive hits, and even on-the-fly tuning changes – all while singing. Gomm’s approach turns the guitar into a one-man band. His music is not just technically impressive but emotionally resonant, bridging heartfelt vocals and jaw-dropping guitar work. He’s a leading figure in contemporary percussive fingerstyle and inspires many aspiring YouTube-generation guitarists.

Calum Graham

Calum Graham is a young Canadian fingerstyle guitarist who has quickly risen in the ranks of modern acoustic players. Winning competitions in his teens and even composing for events like the Olympics, Graham melds bright melodic lines with contemporary techniques. He often employs a unique “thumb upstroke” technique, especially in songs like “Tabula Rasa”, giving his playing a distinctive rhythmic bounce. At a relatively young age, he has several albums and offers Skype lessons, proving himself as both a performer and a mentor in the fingerstyle community.

Alex de Grassi

Alex de Grassi has been at the forefront of acoustic fingerstyle guitar since the late 1970s. An American artist with a background on the Windham Hill label, he became known for his highly melodic compositions and innovative techniques in the new-age fingerstyle movement. His piece “Turning: Turning Back” (from the album Turning: Turning Back) is considered a fingerstyle classic, showcasing his impeccable tone and dynamic control. De Grassi even authored a respected fingerstyle guitar method book. His legacy as a composer and teacher cements him as a true legend of the genre.

His impeccable playing has even been documented into a teaching method for fingerstyle guitar: The Alex De Grassi Fingerstyle Guitar Method. A true legend.

Michael Hedges (1953–1997)

Often acknowledged as the trailblazer of modern acoustic fingerstyle, Michael Hedges all but reinvented what could be done on the guitar. His avant-garde approach in the 1980s – using altered tunings, percussive hitting, and two-handed techniques – paved the way for thousands of later players. Albums like “Aerial Boundaries” are essential listening; the title track and pieces like “Ragamuffin” combine beautiful melodies with explosive technique. Hedges was essentially the Hendrix of acoustic guitar – many things we hear contemporary fingerstyle artists do, he did first. His untimely passing cut short an extraordinary career, but his influence is evident in nearly every young fingerstyle guitarist today.

Maneli Jamal

Maneli Jamal is an Iranian-Canadian guitarist whose eclectic style reflects a globe-trotting life. Jamal incorporates world music motifs, slap harmonics, and classical flourishes into his fingerstyle compositions. His piece “Lucid Drawl” is a great example of his range – haunting, rhythmic, and technically intricate. Beyond performing, Maneli has created lesson plans on JamPlay, helping students explore creative acoustic techniques. His music feels like storytelling without words, earning him a distinct place in the fingerstyle scene.

Jamal also has video guitar lessons, on JamPlay, Click here to check out a preview.

Eric Johnson

Primarily known as an electric guitar wizard, Eric Johnson is included here for his contributions to acoustic fingerstyle on recordings. This Grammy-winning guitarist (famous for “Cliffs of Dover”) has always sprinkled fingerstyle acoustic tunes into his albums. In fact, his 2016 album “EJ” is entirely acoustic, highlighting his deft Travis-picking and chord melody chops. Fan favorite: “Song for George”, a solo acoustic tune that shows Johnson’s warm fingerpicking style (and happens to be a tribute to Chet Atkins’ brother). While electric guitar made him a household name, Johnson’s acoustic fingerstyle work earns him an honorable mention among the greats.

Sungha Jung

A true YouTube-era prodigy, Sungha Jung is a South Korean fingerstyle guitarist who started gaining fame as a child by covering pop songs on acoustic guitar. Now in his twenties, Sungha has millions of followers and numerous albums. His arrangements of everything from The Beatles to movie themes (his take on the “Pirates of the Caribbean” theme has over 50 million views) leave audiences amazed. Jung’s playing is characterized by clean technique, musicality, and an ability to make a single guitar sound like a full band. He continues to compose and tour internationally, inspiring young players to pick up fingerstyle guitar.

Phil Keaggy

Phil Keaggy is an American guitarist whose career spans from rock to instrumental fingerstyle. Despite missing the middle finger on his picking hand, Keaggy developed a phenomenal fingerpicking technique. In the 1970s he began releasing instrumental acoustic albums that became underground classics among guitarists (e.g., “The Master and the Musician”). He often uses looping pedals and electronic effects in live shows, layering multiple guitar parts in real-time. Keaggy’s lush, melodic compositions and improvisations (check out “Legacy” or his live looping piece “Salvation Army Band”) demonstrate why he’s frequently listed among the top acoustic guitarists in magazine reader polls. He also offers an online masterclass series, sharing his decades of knowledge with students.

Kaki King

One of the few prominent female solo guitarists in the fingerstyle world, Kaki King is a trailblazer known for her innovative, percussive approach and multimedia performances. She treats the guitar fretboard like a canvas, often using altered tunings and hammer-ons/pull-offs to create harp-like cascades of notes. Kaki’s album “Glow” and the visually immersive show “The Neck Is a Bridge to the Body” pushed boundaries of how guitar music can be presented. She’s been on late-night TV and scored films (notably contributing to the “Into the Wild” soundtrack). Tracks like “Playing with Pink Noise” showcase her edgy, rhythmic style. King’s continual experimentation keeps her at the cutting edge of fingerstyle guitar.

You can actually get a video lesson series from King if you want to explore her style.

Leo Kottke

Leo Kottke is an American acoustic guitarist famed for his 12-string guitar fingerpicking and wry, humorous storytelling. Bursting onto the scene in 1969 with his album “6- and 12-String Guitar,” Kottke’s propulsive, syncopated playing on pieces like “Vaseline Machine Gun” and “Jack Fig” left listeners in awe. He has a uniquely lush sound – partially due to the ringing resonance of the 12-string and partially his deft picking hand that can create piano-like rolls of notes. Kottke’s music spans folk, blues, and experimental compositions, and he’s also known for quirky song introductions and vocals. Consistently listed among the greatest acoustic guitarists, Kottke influenced generations of fingerstyle players (many cite his records as a reason they picked up the guitar). Decades into his career, he continues to record and perform, remaining as vital and creative as ever.

Thomas Leeb

Thomas Leeb is an Austrian-born guitarist who brings a playful yet highly skilled approach to percussive fingerstyle. Now based in California, Leeb is known for turning the steel-string acoustic into a drum-kit-and-guitar in one, especially in his album “Desert Pirate.” His popular cover of “No Woman, No Cry” is a revelation – he taps and slaps the guitar to create a reggae groove while simultaneously playing the melody and chords. Leeb’s performances straddle the line between inspiration and intimidation (in a fun way). He also has a wry sense of humor, often titling his complex compositions with quirky names. As a teacher via workshops, he’s influenced many modern players to find their own voice in percussive fingerstyle.

Adrian Legg

Adrian Legg is a British guitarist known for his fingerstyle prowess blended with electronic wizardry. A true tinkerer, Legg spent years as a guitar technician and even helped design gear, which informs his playing style. He is a genre-bending composer who freely mixes folk, country, rock, and more. What sets Legg apart is his use of banjo tuners to bend notes mid-phrase and his mastery of altered tunings – he’s able to create pedal steel-like sounds on acoustic guitar. His piece “Cajun Interlude” or the beautiful “Auld Lang Syne” arrangement demonstrate his melodicism and technical skill. Often praised by other guitar greats, Legg was Guitar Player Magazine’s “Guitarist of the Decade” in the 1990s. He remains a cult favorite in fingerstyle circles.

Andy McKee

Andy McKee became one of the most famous fingerstyle guitarists in the world thanks to YouTube. His video for “Drifting” (with its joyous two-handed tapping melody) went viral in the mid-2000s, introducing countless people to modern fingerstyle. An American artist on the CandyRat label, McKee combines heartfelt original compositions with virtuosic technique; songs like “Rylynn” and his cover of Toto’s “Africa” show his range from percussive to lyrical. His friendly, humble persona and consistent excellence have put him at the top of many “favorite fingerstyle” lists. He continues to tour globally and often appears at guitar festivals, inspiring audiences with both his music and his approachable teaching style.

Igor Presnyakov

Igor Presnyakov is a Russian-born, Netherlands-based guitarist who also found fame via YouTube in the late 2000s. Classically trained, Igor applies a fingerstyle approach to a wide array of cover songs, from rock and pop to metal, often incorporating a backbeat by tapping the guitar body. He has a distinctive folksy flair – imagine a traveling bard playing modern hits. His acoustic covers of songs like Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” or Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine” have garnered tens of millions of views. Though he spent years playing in relative obscurity, the internet allowed Presnyakov’s talent to reach a massive audience, and he released several albums of both covers and originals. He’s a great example of how fingerstyle can adapt any genre into something fresh.

Adam Rafferty

Adam Rafferty is an American fingerstyle guitarist known for his funky, groovy arrangements and an active presence as an educator. He seamlessly blends jazz, funk, and pop influences in solo guitar format. Rafferty became popular for his funkified solo guitar covers of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson tunes (complete with beatboxing along with his playing). His rendition of “Superstition” or his playful take on “Billie Jean” show how he keeps a tight groove while delivering the melody – often snapping his fingers or thumping the guitar for a beat. Adam also runs an online fingerstyle guitar school and regularly blogs and vlogs guitar lessons, emphasizing the importance of rhythm and feel in fingerpicking. His upbeat personality and clear teaching have endeared him to a large community of students.

Jerry Reed (1937–2008)

Jerry Reed was a country guitar legend and a true fingerstyle innovator in the Nashville sound. Also known for his singing and acting, guitarists revere him for his complex picking tunes. Reed’s style blended country, rockabilly, and jazz influences, and he pioneered a lot of unique right-hand techniques (some even call his style “Claw-style” picking). His most famous guitar pieces include “The Claw” and “Jerry’s Breakdown,” and he could also play sensitively as in his instrumental version of “Georgia on My Mind”. Notably, Reed wrote the song “Baby’s Coming Home” that inspired Chet Atkins’ thumb-picking, and in turn Chet collaborated with him. Many later fingerstyle players study Reed’s compositions for their ingenuity. Beyond the guitar community, Jerry Reed is perhaps best known for his role in the film Smokey and the Bandit and the hit song “East Bound and Down,” but in guitar circles, he’s firmly regarded as one of the greats.

Don Ross

Don Ross is a Canadian fingerstyle titan and the only person to win the U.S. National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship twice. His playing is characterized by a deep sense of groove and a high level of technicality, all while maintaining musicality. Don Ross blends genres from Celtic to funk; his compositions like “Michael, Michael, Michael” and “Thrill of the Chase” showcase bubbly rhythms and cascading melodies. He was among the early wave of players on CandyRat Records and has been cited as a major influence by many younger guitarists. Ross also teaches masterclasses and has an online lesson series, emphasizing fundamentals like Travis picking (indeed, he often directs beginners to learn Merle Travis’ style as a foundation). For an entry point into his music, listen to his soulful cover of “Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)” – you’ll hear why he’s considered a modern fingerstyle master.

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero are a fiery acoustic guitar duo from Mexico who rocketed to fame with their passionate, rhythmic style. While not “fingerstyle” in the traditional solo-guitar sense (they are a two-person act), their music is entirely played on acoustic guitars with no picks – Gabriela provides percussive rhythmic accompaniment with astonishing rasgueado flourishes, while Rodrigo plays rapid melodic leads. Their genre is a fusion of flamenco, rock, and metal influences. They gained wide recognition after busking in Ireland and releasing hits like their acoustic take on “Orion” by Metallica (a mind-blowing cover for many metal and guitar fans). With multiple #1 albums on the world music charts and even performances at the White House, Rodrigo y Gabriela have brought virtuoso guitar instrumentals to a huge global audience. They deserve mention for expanding the reach of fingerstyle-ish guitar to rock festival crowds.

Martin Taylor

Martin Taylor is a British jazz guitarist known for his smooth fingerstyle chord-melody playing. He primarily plays on archtop guitars, but his approach is very much fingerstyle – he can carry bass, chords, and melody effortlessly to create a full jazz band sound by himself. Taylor played with jazz legend Stéphane Grappelli and later focused on solo and small ensemble work, often blending in fingerstyle techniques on acoustic and electric alike. He was appointed MBE for his contributions to music. If you want to hear virtuoso fingerstyle jazz, check out “I Got Rhythm” or his duet album with Tommy Emmanuel. Martin Taylor also offers an interactive video lesson series on ArtistWorks, teaching jazz fingerstyle to students worldwide. His refinement and decades of experience make his playing a masterclass in taste and technique.

Merle Travis (1917–1983)

Merle Travis is a Country Music Hall of Famer best known for developing “Travis picking”, the thumb-and-index finger picking style that became the cornerstone of country and folk fingerstyle guitar. In this technique, the thumb alternates bass notes while fingers pick melody notes, creating that classic rolling sound. Travis popularized it in songs like “Cannonball Rag” (watch footage of him playing it – it’s just thumb and one finger, yet sounds like two guitars). Beyond instrumentals, he wrote country standards such as “Sixteen Tons.” Merle Travis was a huge influence on Chet Atkins (Atkins named his daughter Merle in Travis’ honor), and by extension on virtually every fingerstyle player that followed. He is quite literally the namesake of an entire guitar technique, earning him a spot among the all-time greats.

Doc Watson (1923–2012)

An American icon of acoustic guitar, Doc Watson was a flatpicking legend who also had superb fingerpicking skills in folk and blues styles. Though Watson is often celebrated for his lightning-fast flatpicked fiddle tunes, he played a mean fingerstyle country-blues, learning from predecessors like Merle Travis but adding his own Appalachian flair. He lost his eyesight as a child, but that never hindered his musical vision. Doc’s repertoire included old-time songs, bluegrass, blues, and gospel. He won multiple Grammys and brought traditional American guitar music to worldwide audiences through his warm performances and recordings. For a taste of his fingerpicking, listen to “Deep River Blues” or “Windy and Warm” (yes, the same tune Chet Atkins popularized – Doc’s take is equally brilliant). Watson’s influence on acoustic musicians is immeasurable; festivals and awards are named in his honor, and his engaging storytelling through song remains a gold standard.

🎸 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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