Jeff Beck announces mammoth list of US tour dates, including a string of shows with Ann Wilson and ZZ Top By Matt Parker published 15 August 22 The shows follow the release of Beck’s collaborative album with Johnny Depp, 18, and kick off in Texas on September 23
Wrecking Crew guitarist Bill Pitman dies aged 102 By Matt Parker published 15 August 22 The guitarist was famed for his use of a Danelectro six-string bass and played on a number of hits, including Be My Baby and Pet Sounds
Tony Iommi explains why Geezer Butler didn’t join him and Ozzy at Commonwealth Games closing ceremony By Jonathan Horsley published 15 August 22 The Black Sabbath guitarist also reveals his reunion with Ozzy Osbourne was a last-minute deal that they had to keep secret
Watch Nita Strauss make her full live debut with Demi Lovato By Matt Parker published 15 August 22 Hurricane Nita makes landfall as part of the popstar’s punked-up backing band
Orange Amplification updates its O Bass series of single-cut, retro bass guitars By Jonathan Horsley published 15 August 22 Simplicity is the name of the game with these single-pickup basses, which arrive with an updated okoume build, a choice of Orange and Black finishes, and trio of pickguard options
From Viking metal to indie disco: here are this week's essential guitar tracks By Jonathan Horsley, Jackson Maxwell, Sam Roche published 12 August 22 Close out the week in style with exciting guitar-led tracks from Sylosis, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Amon Amarth, Revocation, Walter Trout, Pale Waves, The Black Angels and more
Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi reunite for triumphant surprise performance at 2022 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony By Sam Roche The Black Sabbath pair joined forces once more in their hometown of Birmingham, England to perform Paranoid and a trimmed version of Iron Man
Jeff Beck announces mammoth list of US tour dates, including a string of shows with Ann Wilson and ZZ Top By Matt Parker published 15 August 22 The shows follow the release of Beck’s collaborative album with Johnny Depp, 18, and kick off in Texas on September 23
Wrecking Crew guitarist Bill Pitman dies aged 102 By Matt Parker published 15 August 22 The guitarist was famed for his use of a Danelectro six-string bass and played on a number of hits, including Be My Baby and Pet Sounds
Tony Iommi explains why Geezer Butler didn’t join him and Ozzy at Commonwealth Games closing ceremony By Jonathan Horsley published 15 August 22 The Black Sabbath guitarist also reveals his reunion with Ozzy Osbourne was a last-minute deal that they had to keep secret
Watch Nita Strauss make her full live debut with Demi Lovato By Matt Parker published 15 August 22 Hurricane Nita makes landfall as part of the popstar’s punked-up backing band
Orange Amplification updates its O Bass series of single-cut, retro bass guitars By Jonathan Horsley published 15 August 22 Simplicity is the name of the game with these single-pickup basses, which arrive with an updated okoume build, a choice of Orange and Black finishes, and trio of pickguard options
From Viking metal to indie disco: here are this week's essential guitar tracks By Jonathan Horsley, Jackson Maxwell, Sam Roche published 12 August 22 Close out the week in style with exciting guitar-led tracks from Sylosis, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Amon Amarth, Revocation, Walter Trout, Pale Waves, The Black Angels and more
David Ellefson on Megadeth ouster: “You find out who your friends are… pretty f**king quick when the s**t hits the fan” By Matt Parker published 12 August 22 The former Megadeth man has been talking about his journey on the “rock and roll rocket ship”
Rage Against the Machine cancel European tour dates following frontman Zack de la Rocha’s leg injury By Matt Parker published 12 August 22 The band have shelved dates, including festival headline slots, following medical advice
DYLAN talks customizing Strats and rocking out to Guns N' Roses in latest Fender Player Plus Session By Matt Parker published 12 August 22 The UK songwriter drops in for a three-song performance and a chat about six-strings, songwriting and her rock roots
Best online guitar lessons 2022: remote learning platforms for guitar players, tested by us By Chris Corfield Develop your guitar skills from the comfort of your home, with the help of these online lessons services – options for all levels and budgets
King’s X stalwarts dUg Pinnick and Ty Tabor take you inside Three Sides of One, the prog-rock trio’s first album in 14 years By Gregory Adams published 15 August 22 Pinnick and Tabor open up on the magic that makes King's X, talk aging and songwriting, while Tabor explains why solid-state amps work so much better for his sound
Norm Stockton: “I’ve always strived to make my music something that speaks to the heart” By Bass Player Staff published 15 August 22 Few bass players have covered as much territory as the great Norm Stockton. Here, he looks back on five key releases that chart his progression as a musician
Warren DeMartini, Steve Stevens, Lita Ford and an all-star panel share their guitar highlights of the ‘80s By GuitarWorld Staff published 15 August 22 Some of the biggest names in guitar look back on the era of big solos and even bigger hair to share their favorite riffs, shredders and, yes, haircuts of the decade
Beabadoobee talks alternate tunings, “weird, strange” recording techniques, and the subconscious influence of ‘90s grunge and alt-rock By Joe Matera published 12 August 22 The self-taught Gen Z guitar hero returns with the brilliant sophomore album, Beatopia, and explains how fresh tunings spring forth fresh musical ideas
How luthiers voice an acoustic guitar top By Alex Bishop published 12 August 22 The dark art of ‘voicing’ a guitar top is part science, part art, but ultimately about adding and subtracting in all the right places
20 gear innovations from the ‘80s that changed the game for guitar players By Eric Kirkland published 11 August 22 From Super Strats to classic stompboxes and rack-mounted signal processors, the decade transformed guitar with new tech promising fresh sounds and all-new musical horizons
Jared James Nichols: “I’ll never forget the moment I first saw Zakk playing in the flesh with Ozzy – it was beyond powerful. I was mesmerized” By Richard Bienstock published 11 August 22 The Les Paul-loving, Wisconsin-bred rocker talks guitar epiphanies, tube amp dynamics, and explains how full-tilt blues power involves a neck-breaking approach to recording
John Scofield: “When you’re playing without a band, all kinds of subtleties in your playing come out, maybe good and bad… You really hear what you’re doing” By David Mead published 11 August 22 On his latest album, Solo, the jazz guitar luminary plays alone with just a looper for company, and it turned out to be a learning experience that was a lot of fun too
How Blackstar’s St. James series made tube amps lightweight without sacrificing tone By Jamie Dickson published 11 August 22 Tube amps are old hat, right? If so, Blackstar didn’t get the memo – the St. James series transforms 50 watts of classic tone into a tech-enabled tour de force
How to play the blues like B.B. King By Kirk Fletcher Kirk Fletcher pays tribute to the King of the Blues with a lesson that explores the magic of the legendary bluesman's style
How chords can literally be turned on their heads to produce interesting new harmonic effects in songwriting By Richard Barrett published 11 August 22 Using inversions – or slash chords as they are more commonly known – is a great way of experimenting with familiar chords
Joe Bonamassa shows you how to connect pentatonic boxes to find new musical ideas By Joe Bonamassa published 11 August 22 The latest lesson from the blues-rock maestro will open up new fretboard paths between familiar shapes and to help bust you out of a rut
Turn up the volume on your blues-rock soloing with this lesson in the style of Joe Bonamassa and Jimmy Page By Richard Barrett published 9 August 22 Boost the gain, dig in, and don't let perfect be the enemy of good in this lead guitar workout
How to play funk guitar – a beginner’s guide By Jenna Scaramanga published 1 August 22 Here we unpack the rudiments of funk scratching in a lesson that will help you perfect your strumming technique and improve your rhythmic sensibility
10 David Gilmour-style lead ideas you need to try By Jon Bishop published 29 July 22 From funky doublestops to wide interval bends, learn some of the Pink Floyd prog maestro’s masterful soloing techniques
How to use economy picking: a beginner's guide to an expert technique By Chris Brooks published 27 July 22 This primer on the often misunderstood picking approach is the first in a series that demystifies the process, and explains how it can take your playing to new heights
How to apply consecutive scale tones in your playing with cluster chords By Richard Barrett published 25 July 22 Five inspirational ideas to take cluster chords out of the realm of fretboard theory and into something you can put into practice
Learn 5 licks in the style of one of the fastest guitarists who ever lived, Shawn Lane By Charlie Griffiths published 25 July 22 Transposing piano for guitar, combining jazz, classical and rock, Lane was way more than just a speedster – this lesson will take you inside his imaginative phrasing and esoteric note choices
Learn Mark Knopfler’s game-changing rhythm and lead styles By Martin Cooper published 22 July 22 Phrasing and dynamics are the order of the day in this tutorial on the immaculate playing style of the Dire Straits guitar legend
