Lessons
Latest about Lessons
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 How you can swap the notes in a chord to give it a different feelBy Richard Barrett Published 
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 Power-up your blues with a turnaround trick that was a specialty of the great Freddie KingBy Sue Foley Published 
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 Jared James Nichols explains how to use open strings and Drop D tuning to bulk-up your blues fingerstyleBy Jared James Nichols Published 
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 Learn the chord secrets of Joe Pass, Barney Kessel and Wes Montgomery with this iconic jazz progressionBy Alex Farran Published 
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 Joe Bonamassa on his love for the Gibson ES-350 – and why it's a blues powerhouseBy Joe Bonamassa Published 
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 How to master the art of tremolo picking – the indispensable picking technique heard in everything from death metal to surf rock that can power up your playingBy Dre DiMura Published 
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 How to layer guitar parts like a pro (with a little help from Cory Wong)By Cory Wong Published 
 
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Explore Lessons
Artist Lessons
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 Power-up your blues with a turnaround trick that was a specialty of the great Freddie KingBy Sue Foley Published 
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 Jared James Nichols explains how to use open strings and Drop D tuning to bulk-up your blues fingerstyleBy Jared James Nichols Published 
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 Joe Bonamassa on his love for the Gibson ES-350 – and why it's a blues powerhouseBy Joe Bonamassa Published 
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 How to layer guitar parts like a pro (with a little help from Cory Wong)By Cory Wong Published 
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 Jared James Nichols teaches you the wild drop D blues stomp he wrote with Tyler BryantBy Jared James Nichols Published 
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 Sue Foley salutes Elizabeth Cotten and her favorite female guitar pioneers in this fingerpicking blues masterclassBy Sue Foley Published 
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 Joe Bonamassa pays homage to Duane Eddy – and reminds us why the “Titan of Twang” was a great blues player, tooBy Joe Bonamassa Published 
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 “I look at guitar playing as a dance between both hands…” John Butler shares his secrets in this stunning masterclassBy John Butler Published 
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 Rhythm guitar master Cory Wong shares his secrets to perfect pick-hand timingBy Cory Wong Published 
 
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Beginner Lessons
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 How to play the B chord on guitarBy Jenna Scaramanga Last updated 
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 Beginners guitar lesson #1: How to hold the guitar, pick strings and fret your first note!By Chris Bird Published 
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 Proggy pentatonic! How to use the good ol’ pentatonic scale in cool new waysBy Guitar World Staff Published 
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 Start your or a loved one's guitar journey with 60% off Fender Play this Black FridayBy Jackson Maxwell Published 
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 5 essential strumming patterns for beginner guitar playersBy Gary Heimbauer Published 
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 Where to start with learning acoustic guitarBy James Grimshaw Published 
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 10 things every beginner guitarist needs to knowBy Jenna Scaramanga Last updated 
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 A parent's guide to buying a guitar for your childBy Daryl Robertson Published 
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 I used Fender Play for 8 weeks to learn the guitar from scratch – here’s how I got onBy Annie Robertson Published 
 
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Chords
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 How you can swap the notes in a chord to give it a different feelBy Richard Barrett Published 
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 Rush’s Alex Lifeson was a master of first inversion chords – here are 5 voicings you can use in your playing todayBy Richard Barrett Published 
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 Loved by Joni Mitchell and Keith Richards alike, essential to slide players, here’s how you can explore chords in open DBy Richard Barrett Published 
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 Learn 5 altered chords that can create or dissolve harmonic tensionBy Richard Barrett Published 
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 30 beautiful acoustic guitar chords every player needs to know – and how to play themBy Richard Barrett Last updated 
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 5 lo-fi guitar chords to add to your progressionsBy Richard Barrett Published 
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 Unlocking the power of 7th chords: expand your guitar chords beyond the basicsBy Stuart Ryan Published 
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 Don't let chord inversions bamboozle you. This lesson explains all (and 5 ways you can play a Bmaj7)By Richard Barrett Published 
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 How to introduce “murder mystery” guitar chords to your playing – without getting your fingers in a twistBy Richard Barrett Published 
 
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Guitar Setup
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 Having problems with your shiny new guitar? Try these fixes firstBy Dave Burrluck Published 
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 How to restring a ukulele in 14 easy stepsBy Jack Ellis Published 
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 How to restring a bass guitar: step-by-step guidance on changing your bass strings, from a professional guitar repairerBy Jack Ellis Published 
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 Never underestimate the impact of fretboard radius – it dramatically affects the way your guitar playsBy Huw Price Published 
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 “Try a higher string action until you get used to using it”: How to set up your guitar for slideBy Dave Burrluck Published 
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 How to choose the right guitar cable: from length and connector considerations, to whether you should build your own, here’s everything you need to knowBy Connor Godfrey Published 
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 8 ways to make your beginner acoustic guitar play and sound betterBy Matt McCracken Published 
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 How to upgrade your Jazzmaster and Jaguar: mod tips and setup tricksBy Huw Price Published 
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 How to set up your room for guitar recording successBy Ira Segall Published 
 
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Musical Tips & Advice
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 How to get the most sought-after sound in indie rock – without permanently modifying your guitarBy Mary Beth Skylis Last updated 
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 The brutal shred-fest that has quietly become one of our biggest playthrough videosBy Scott Rowley Published 
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 6 signs it's time to upgrade from your first acoustic guitarBy Ross Holder Published 
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 5 common excuses for not learning the guitar – and 5 body and mind-boosting reasons you shouldBy Ross Holder Published 
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 Can’t figure out why your improvised solos don’t feel right? Here’s how to fix themBy Justin Sandercoe Published 
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![[L-R] A composite image of Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Joel Hoekstra, Marty Friedman all taking a solo live: Bumblefoot plays his double-neck. Hoekstra has his white Les Paul Custom. Friedman wears a plaid shirt and plays his PRS signature model.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VPKUYFpK9bsjnQdzekheeb.jpg) 15 pro guitarists share their tips for memorizing musicBy Jason Sidwell Published 
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 Guitarists on Reddit are going nuts for this ingenious pick trickBy Matt Owen Published 
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 How to Get Your Music on Spotify with DistrokidBy Guitar World Staff Published 
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 Joe Satriani called on Eddie Van Halen’s techs to figure out how to make his Frankenstein playableBy Matt Owen Published 
 
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Song Lessons
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 Stop hiding behind barre chords – use smarter voicings that serve the songBy Mike Meiers Published 
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 Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones explains what people get wrong about his Black Dog riffBy John Paul Jones Published 
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 Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani share the secrets behind 3 instrumental epics in these exclusive Guitar World lessonsBy Matt Owen Published 
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 Learn the brutal, evil-sounding rhythm style of Slayer's Jeff Hanneman and Kerry KingBy Jamie Hunt Published 
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 10 easy guitar songs for beginnersBy Chris Bird Published 
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 Learn how to play a metal version of the Wellerman sea shantyBy Charlie Griffiths Published 
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 Sick Riffs: Sam Rushton teaches you the fingerpicked math-rock frenzy of Orchards’ Peggy - with full tab!By Michael Astley-Brown Published 
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 Learn to play the Tetris theme, prog-metal style - with full tab and audioBy Charlie Griffiths Published 
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 How to Play Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" Intro RiffBy Guitar World Staff Published 
 
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Techniques
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 Learn the chord secrets of Joe Pass, Barney Kessel and Wes Montgomery with this iconic jazz progressionBy Alex Farran Published 
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 How to master the art of tremolo picking – the indispensable picking technique heard in everything from death metal to surf rock that can power up your playingBy Dre DiMura Published 
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 Power up your inner shredder: Gus G shares his ultimate guitar warm-upsBy Gus G Published 
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 Eddie Van Halen used it, Jimmy Page loved it, and all of your heavy metal heroes have tried it – drop D made drop-dead simpleBy Jamie Humphries Published 
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 Guitarists always talk about down-picking, but have you worked on your up-picking lately? Here's why it could be a game-changer for your playingBy Jamie Hunt Published 
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 Metronome magic: master your picking, improve timing, and build up speed – one click at a timeBy Stuart Ryan Published 
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 When tapping's not shredding: how to play tapped harmonics like Eddie Van HalenBy Jamie Humphries Published 
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 The secret behind Marcin, Matteo and Paco? How rest note picking can improve your tone, speed and volumeBy Declan Zapala Published 
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 Can you keep up? 6 minor pentatonic licks that go FASTER!By Leon Todd Published 
 
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More about Lessons
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 Best online guitar lessons 2025: I'm a professional guitar product reviewer and these are my top picksBy Chris Schwarten Last updated 
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 Cory Wong on the most important technique you can learn from Nile RodgersBy Cory Wong Published 
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 Metronome magic: master your picking, improve timing, and build up speed – one click at a timeBy Stuart Ryan Published 
 
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