Guitar Songs, Tabs & Lessons

America

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A Horse with No Name - Guitar Lesson

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Band Overview

America is a folk-rock trio formed in 1970 in London by Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley, and Dan Peek, three sons of U.S. Air Force personnel stationed in England. They broke through in 1972 with the iconic "A Horse with No Name" and went on to become one of the most successful acoustic-driven acts of the 1970s. Their sound sits at the intersection of folk, soft rock, and California pop, and while they are not a "guitar hero" band in the traditional sense, their catalog is an absolute goldmine for acoustic guitarists looking to develop fingerpicking, open chord voicings, and rhythmic strumming dynamics. From a guitar perspective, America's music revolves around layered acoustic guitars. Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley both played acoustic prominently, often tuning to open or alternate tunings to create those distinctive, shimmering chord textures. Their songs frequently use simple two-chord or three-chord progressions, but the beauty is in how those chords are voiced and how the two guitars interlock. Learning America songs teaches you how to make simple harmony sound full and compelling, a skill that transfers to any genre. The overall difficulty level for America's catalog ranges from beginner to intermediate. Songs like "A Horse with No Name" use just two chord shapes and a basic strumming pattern, making them perfect entry points for new players. More advanced tracks incorporate fingerpicking patterns, unusual chord extensions, and subtle rhythmic shifts that will challenge intermediate players. If you are a guitarist who wants to build a strong acoustic foundation, develop your ear for how two guitars complement each other, and learn songs that audiences instantly recognize, America is an essential artist to study. Key guitar players are Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley, who both contributed lead and rhythm parts. In their later studio work, session guitarists including Lee Ritenour and Dean Parks added electric textures, but the core identity of the band always comes back to those warm, ringing acoustic guitars.

What Makes America Essential for Guitar Players

America's signature sound relies on layered acoustic guitar parts with open chord voicings. Learning to play two interlocking acoustic parts simultaneously (or with a partner) will dramatically improve your rhythm playing and sense of harmonic space.
Alternate tunings are a key element of America's guitar approach. Dewey Bunnell often used open tunings and unusual capo placements to get richer, more resonant chord tones that standard tuning simply cannot produce.
Their strumming patterns are deceptively nuanced. Songs may use only two or three chords, but the dynamics, accents, and rhythmic subdivisions within the strumming hand make all the difference between sounding amateur and sounding like the record.
Fingerpicking appears throughout their catalog, typically in a hybrid style that mixes picked bass notes with strummed upper strings. This technique is a great gateway to Travis picking and other fingerstyle fundamentals.
America's music is an excellent study in minimalism and restraint. Rather than flashy solos, the guitar work focuses on tone, timing, and arrangement. Learning their songs will teach you that what you choose NOT to play is just as important as what you do.

Did You Know?

"A Horse with No Name" uses only two chord shapes (Em and D6/9) throughout the entire song, making it one of the easiest hit songs in history to learn on guitar. It is often one of the first songs new guitarists master.

Dewey Bunnell's guitar part on "A Horse with No Name" was partially inspired by Neil Young's acoustic style, and the resemblance was so strong that Young himself reportedly joked he was flattered by it.

Producer George Martin, famous for his work with The Beatles, produced several America albums in the mid-1970s. His influence brought more elaborate arrangements and studio techniques, adding orchestral layers around the acoustic guitar core.

Gerry Beckley is a noted 12-string acoustic guitar enthusiast. Many of America's lush, chorus-like guitar tones on recordings come from the natural doubling effect of a 12-string rather than studio processing.

America recorded their debut album largely live in the studio with minimal overdubs, capturing the natural interaction between their acoustic guitars. This raw approach is why those early recordings sound so organic and immediate.

Despite being categorized as a "soft rock" band, America's early work has a distinctly British folk influence, owing to the fact that Bunnell, Beckley, and Peek all grew up in England and were heavily influenced by artists like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Session guitar legend Lee Ritenour played electric guitar on several America tracks during their later career, adding jazz-influenced chord voicings and clean-toned fills that expanded their sonic palette beyond pure acoustic folk.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

America 1971

The self-titled debut is the essential starting point. "A Horse with No Name" teaches you how two simple chords can carry an entire song with the right strumming dynamics. Other tracks like "Sandman" and "Riverside" introduce slightly more complex chord progressions and fingerpicking patterns that are perfect for building your acoustic foundation.

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Homecoming 1972

This album features "Ventura Highway," one of the best acoustic guitar songs of the 1970s. The main riff uses a flowing fingerpicking pattern with hammer-ons that is an excellent exercise for right-hand and left-hand coordination. The album overall showcases more adventurous chord voicings and layered acoustic arrangements.

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Hearts 1975

Produced by George Martin, this album blends America's acoustic core with more polished production and occasional electric guitar work. "Sister Golden Hair" features a memorable acoustic intro riff and electric lead fills that make it a great song for guitarists transitioning between acoustic and electric playing. The arrangements here are more complex and rewarding to break down.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

America's sound is built on steel-string acoustic guitars. Gerry Beckley is closely associated with Martin acoustics, particularly dreadnought models, and has also been known to use 12-string guitars for that signature shimmering tone. Dewey Bunnell has played various steel-string acoustics over the years, including Guild and Ovation models. For electric passages on later albums, session players used Fender Stratocasters and Gibson ES-335 style guitars.

Amp

For their acoustic-driven sound, amplification was typically handled through the PA system or direct input in the studio, keeping the natural tone of the acoustic guitars as clean and uncolored as possible. When electric guitar appears on albums like Hearts, the session players generally used clean to slightly warm Fender amps (Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb) to maintain that smooth, transparent tone that never overwhelms the acoustic foundation.

Pickups

Since the core sound is acoustic, pickups are less of a defining factor for America's classic tone. Their acoustic guitars were primarily miked with high-quality studio condensers in the studio. For live performance, Beckley and Bunnell have used under-saddle piezo pickups and magnetic soundhole pickups in their acoustics. The electric guitar parts on studio albums typically used single-coil Fender pickups or moderate-output humbuckers for warm, clean articulation.

Effects & Chain

America's guitar tone is famously clean and unprocessed. The acoustic guitars go essentially straight to the board or microphone with no effects. Occasional studio reverb and light chorus were added during mixing, but these are production choices rather than pedal-based effects. If you are recreating their sound at home, all you really need is a good acoustic guitar and perhaps a touch of room reverb. The tone comes entirely from the instrument, the player's touch, and thoughtful chord voicings.

Recommended Gear

Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Session guitarists used Stratocasters on America's electric passages to deliver bright, articulate single-coil tones that complement rather than compete with the band's acoustic foundation. The guitar's transparent voice keeps electric parts supporting the signature folk-rock harmony arrangements.

Guitar

Gibson ES-335

The ES-335's warm, semi-hollow character provided session players with a smooth, moderate output that blends seamlessly into America's acoustic-driven arrangements without introducing excessive sustain or aggression. This guitar maintains the clean, melodic aesthetic central to their studio sound.

Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

Gerry Beckley and session players favored the Twin Reverb's pristine, spacious clean channel to amplify acoustic and electric guitars while preserving natural tone and articulation. The amp's built-in reverb added subtle ambience during studio work without coloring the essential acoustic character.

Amp

Fender Deluxe Reverb

The Deluxe Reverb's warm, slightly compressed clean tone provided a scaled-down alternative that maintained transparency for America's electric guitar layers while staying true to the band's unprocessed, direct aesthetic. Its gentle reverb effect complemented studio recording sessions without dominating the mix.

How to Practice America on GuitarZone

Every America song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice A Horse with No Name - Guitar Lesson