Ambrose Judge, author of ‘The Art of the Acoustic Guitar’ was a talented musician, hailing from Co. Mayo but residing most of his life in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway and dedicating his time to guitar tuition and performance. 

Starting at a young age with a guitar and mouth-organ, Ambrose spent many hours practicing and perfecting his craft as a musician in his native town of Crossmolina, Co. Mayo. Inventiveness was key, where coat-hangers were used for harmonica holders and the bathroom was the best rehearsal room in the house!

Ambrose wanted to provide an alternative way to learning guitar than the traditional method of theory-based instruction that was already available. He enjoyed teaching guitar and spent many years developing a specialised method of guitar tuition. His ability to make a difficult tune easy was seen in his unique way of notating out the music and in the number of students who benefitted from his technique as a teacher. 

The basics of chords and strumming right through to the advanced use of tunings are covered in this complete guide to learning guitar. Tunes such as ‘Banish Misfortune’ and ‘King of the Fairies’ are given new life in guitar arrangements that Ambrose created.

Sadly, Ambrose passed away before being able to complete the project with a recording, as is mentioned in the book. His niece, Marie, learned guitar from this book and has recorded all of the songs and traditional tunes included. ‘The Art of the Acoustic Guitar’ is a treasure to all those who knew Ambrose and will hopefully continue his efforts to pass on the joy of playing guitar to many more.