In tune with Will Ackerman

In early summer 2022 I made a road trip to southern Vermont to visit Will Ackerman, founder of Windham Hill Records, Grammy-winning guitarist/composer, prolific producer, and owner of Imaginary Road Studios.

We spent a wonderful afternoon chatting in the studio lounge, flanked by photos of the pioneering guitarists John Fahey and Robbie Basho, checking out the recording rooms and gorgeous grounds, and talking guitar. You can read the resulting interview here and in the September/October 2022 issue of Acoustic Guitar, and take a little tour in this photo gallery.

Below, learn about the Ackerman tuning challenge, in which he invited guitarists to create music with one of his unusual tunings. More than 50 musicians from around the world submitted music, and he picked three winners.

Ackerman built Imaginery Road Studio in southern Vermont back in 1992, after selling Windham Hill Records.

Much of the lumber used to build the studio came from the surrounding forest.

A typical setup for guitar recording includes six mics. Close up, left to right: Neumann KM256, Shure KSM44 (subbing for a Neumann U67 out for repair), Neumann U67, and a second KM256. The set-back room mic (one of a pair) is an AKG C414.

In contrast to the cave-like atmosphere of many recording studios, Imaginary Road basks in natural light and windows and doors that open for fresh air.

Imaginary Road’s control room.

Many notable visitors have signed the studio doors, including Pete Seeger, Livingston Taylor, and George Winston.

A portrait of composer Erik Satie, one of Ackerman’s biggest inspirations, hangs in the studio foyer.

Ackerman’s Froggy Bottom Model K signature model, Martin 5-18, and Klein M-43, with John Fahey watching over.

Michael Hedges gave Ackerman this 1949 Martin 5-18, a terz model designed to be tuned a minor third higher than a standard guitar.

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The Ackerman Tuning Challenge

During my visit, Ackerman shared a piece called “I Had to Go There” that he recorded for his 2021 album Positano Songs. Here is his video demo.

In the course of the interview, Ackerman commented that he’d love to hear what other guitarists would do in this piece’s unusual tuning: F C Eb Ab C Eb (capo two). So we decided to create the Ackerman Tuning Challenge: inviting guitarists to create music in his tuning and post the results on YouTube with the hashtag #AckermanTuningChallenge—and have Ackerman himself pick a favorite.

By the October 1, 2022, deadline, 50 guitarists around the world took the challenge, from the U.S. to Spain, Italy, India, and Japan, posting a remarkable range of creative instrumental pieces.

After reviewing all the entries, Ackerman was inspired to pick not one but three winners: Steve Wick from Aurora, Illinois; Rachanachar from Shimla, India, in the Himalayan foothills; and Enrique Mateu, from Spain’s Canary Islands, who submitted two compositions.

Learn more about the winning entries.

Watch all the videos submitted in this playlist.