Hear the new Extreme single that Nuno Bettencourt says features his favorite solo on the whole album By Matt Parker published 31 May 23 Other Side of the Rainbow is the latest single from the rock veterans’ forthcoming album, Six – and Nuno prefers its solo to Rise
Run out of ideas? Try Scott Holiday's 'mind eraser' songwriting method By Matt Owen published 31 May 23 Sometimes it's the simplest fixes that yield the greatest results
Kirk Hammett: “Maybe the age of active pickups is over” By Matt Parker published 31 May 23 The Metallica guitarist says PAFs age better and he has been swayed away from active humbuckers for lead work – and James Hetfield agrees
Double Whammy: metal guitarist Sean Long goes viral with his bonkers dual-pedal technique By Matt Parker published 31 May 23 Clips of the While She Sleeps guitarist’s experimental pitch-shifting approach have had over 2 million views. As he tells us: “It allows me to create things that sound impossible”
Architects announce departure of guitarist Josh Middleton By Matt Owen published 31 May 23 The ESP signature artist leaves the band after six years and three studio albums, and turns his attention to his other metal group, Sylosis
Watch Joe Bonamassa play Peter Green’s guitars – and explain why he’s pleased Kirk Hammett owns the Greeny Les Paul By Matt Owen published 31 May 23 Green’s 1968 Gretsch White Falcon and 1931 National Duolian Resonator received the Bonamassa seal of approval ahead of going up for auction next month
Hear the new Extreme single that Nuno Bettencourt says features his favorite solo on the whole album By Matt Parker
Run out of ideas? Try Scott Holiday's 'mind eraser' songwriting method By Matt Owen published 31 May 23 Sometimes it's the simplest fixes that yield the greatest results
Architects announce departure of guitarist Josh Middleton By Matt Owen published 31 May 23 The ESP signature artist leaves the band after six years and three studio albums, and turns his attention to his other metal group, Sylosis
Watch Joe Bonamassa play Peter Green’s guitars – and explain why he’s pleased Kirk Hammett owns the Greeny Les Paul By Matt Owen published 31 May 23 Green’s 1968 Gretsch White Falcon and 1931 National Duolian Resonator received the Bonamassa seal of approval ahead of going up for auction next month
Watch Ben Harper play Ed Helms' custom Gene Autry acoustic in spellbinding kitchen duet with Jack Johnson By Jackson Maxwell published 30 May 23 If you're in need of a fingerpicking fix, look no further
We came for Reb Beach and Steve Morse covering Crossroads. We stayed for the guitar faces By Matt Parker published 30 May 23 Beach ranked Morse alongside Jeff Beck, calling him “one of the great guitarists of our time,” after they performed this electrifying cover of Crossroads
Ibanez revives the Paul Gilbert PGM for 2023 By Jackson Maxwell published 30 May 23 The full-scale version of the virtuoso's classic signature has returned to the Ibanez lineup, and it's never looked better
Nuno Bettencourt once played through Eddie Van Halen’s rig, but said it was “a horrible nightmare” By Matt Owen published 30 May 23 “That was the biggest bitch slap of all time, when you realize, ‘Holy shit, it’s all about you. It’s all about your fingers,’” the Extreme virtuoso told Rick Beato
Bob Rock clarifies comments about Nikki Sixx’s recordings: “At no time did I ever actually think Nikki didn’t play bass on Mötley Crüe’s records” By Matt Parker published 30 May 23 The producer says Sixx was being “self-deprecating” at the time he made the reported comments to Rock
Dave Grohl appears to confirm his Epiphone signature model is a reality… by posing with one By Matt Parker published 30 May 23 The band’s latest press pic seemingly shows off Dave Grohl’s Epiphone DG-335 signature guitar
Best guitars for shredding 2023: unleash your inner guitar god with these supersonic six strings By Matt McCracken
Snowy White: "It's funny that I used a Strat for Pigs on the Wing. I was so used to my Les Paul – I was surprised I felt as comfortable as I did. I still hated it, but I got through it" By Andrew Daly published 31 May 23 The rock guitar gun for hire reveals why he was initially hesitant to play with Pink Floyd, how he divvied up parts with David Gilmour, and what it was like navigating the tension between Gilmour and Roger Waters
Flea names the one bassline that he would “go back and fix” from the Red Hot Chili Pepper's 1995 album, One Hot Minute By Scott Malandrone published 31 May 23 Flea on the making of One Hot Minute: “I thought it sounded like another stupid white boy trying to be funky!”
Duff McKagan: “I discovered my acoustic guitar as a refuge during Covid. It lessens the panic attacks” By Alison Richter published 31 May 23 The Guns N’ Roses bassist and songwriter speaks candidly about how trading the bottle for playing acoustic has helped his panic attack and mental health struggles
Best humbucker pickups 2023: buck up your guitar with mellow lows and punchy mids By Richard Blenkinsop published 30 May 23 From PAF replicas to modern day active tone monsters, our experts pick the best humbucker pickups on offer right now
How Gibson developed the mini-humbucker, its underrated ‘other’ pickup By Jamie Dickson published 30 May 23 Small size, big tone, and maybe just the sound you were looking for all along. After all these years in the shadow of the PAF, we trace the history of the unsung hero of pickups
"Bewildering technique that went way beyond any standard root/5th ideas": Listen to John Entwistle’s isolated bass on My Generation By Nick Wells published 30 May 23 “You can’t talk about classic bass playing without mentioning The Who and Live at Leeds”
Zakk Wylde picks his 5 essential Lynyrd Skynyrd tracks By Dave Ling published 30 May 23 The Black Label Society frontman and Ozzy Osbourne guitarist has assembled a playlist to convert anyone to the most legendary band in Southern rock
Samantha Fish: “I play other guitars, but I always go back to the SG because it fights me just enough. I need something to push back a little bit and she does” By David Mead published 29 May 23 The blues-rock ace on what draws her to both Gibson and Fender, why all guitar players should learn drums, and how she ended up using an elementary school PA system for her tones on her new album with Jesse Dayton, Death Wish Blues
The legend of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On is that James Jamerson was so drunk he played the bass lying down By Mike Brooks published 28 May 23 And yep, most of us can’t play those basslines standing up and completely sober
Blues guitar techniques you can learn from Telecaster master Roy Buchanan By John Wheatcroft published 31 May 23 Take a deep dive into the style of one of the best players to have ever picked up a Telecaster, in a lesson that will whip your hybrid picking chops into shape in no time
How to solo over relative major and minor chords By Andy Aledort published 29 May 23 It's one of the oldest tricks in the book, used by everyone from the Beatles to Neil Young and Pink Floyd, but playing around the major and minor tonalities can produce melodies that stick in the mind forever
Take your guitar solos to the next level with these genre-spanning tips By Richard Barrett published 26 May 23 Soloing ideas for lead guitar in rock, blues, acoustic, metal and more to make you a better player now
How to use chromatics in a blues guitar solo By Richard Barrett published 25 May 23 A working knowledge of the in-between notes can get you out of a jam when in a jam
5 easy ways to create complex sounds from simple chords By Richard Barrett published 22 May 23 Using open strings to embellish your chord work can yield magical results
5 mind-blowing techniques you can learn from Polyphia’s Tim Henson By Charlie Griffiths published 19 May 23 The G.O.A.T. of 21st-century progressive guitar, Henson has a style that combines technical brilliance with abundant imagination. This is a lesson in making the impossible possible
5 ways to improve your hybrid picking technique By Simon Barnard published 17 May 23 Make like Brad Paisley, Danny Gatton, Brent Mason et al and combine pick n' fingers to play both bass and melody, skip strings effortlessly, and add a little country sizzle to your playing
5 ways to use DADGAD tuning By Jenna Scaramanga published 12 May 23 Think DADGAD, think folk, but even Slipknot have used it, and this lesson shows you just how versatile it can be
Joe Bonamassa shares his favorite Gibson ES-335 licks in this exclusive lesson By Joe Bonamassa published 10 May 23 Learn some soloing tips from Mr Bonamassa as he takes his 1961 Gibson ES-335 up the dusty end to show you what the legendary semi-hollow can do
