Jenna Scaramanga
Jenna writes for Total Guitar and Guitar World, and is the former classic rock columnist for Guitar Techniques. She studied with Guthrie Govan at BIMM, and has taught guitar for 15 years. She's toured in 10 countries and played on a Top 10 album (in Sweden).
Latest articles by Jenna Scaramanga

A guide to every guitarist who's played with Thin Lizzy
By Jenna Scaramanga published
Thin Lizzy are tough enough for punks, heavy enough for metalheads, poetic enough for romantics – and their catchy riffs and licks have been played by some of the finest guitarists on earth

What's a bridge? What's a headstock? What do we mean by a 'cutaway'? All the parts of a guitar explained
By Jenna Scaramanga published
We walk you through the different parts of the main electric guitar types, from Stratocaster to Les Paul

Chappell Roan’s guitarist reveals the story behind the Grammys’ show-stopping – and last-minute – mirrorball Gibson Les Paul
By Jenna Scaramanga published
Andrea Ferrero shares the tone secrets and behind-the-scenes details of the Pink Pony Club guitar – and an already-iconic performance

“Eruption was my phone alarm – we have a love-hate relationship”: Sophie Lloyd names 10 guitarists who shaped her sound
By Jenna Scaramanga published
The Machine Gun Kelly guitarist and Kiesel signature artist reveals what she learned from which players – and the techniques she’s still working on

Sophie Lloyd on the time she met Joe Bonamassa – her childhood guitar hero
By Janelle Borg published
Lloyd looks back on the time her dad would play Joe Bonamassa records while driving her to school

Sophie Lloyd names the guitarist who overhauled her perspective on what makes a good solo
By Janelle Borg published
Lloyd may be known for her shredding playing style – but learning Comfortably Numb proved to be a revelation for her technique

Devon Eisenbarger plays with Chappell Roan and Katy Perry – but still jams covers in amusement parks
By Jenna Scaramanga published
The session pro discusses the skills needed to hold down gigs with pop icons – including playing on top of a giant mushroom with pyro shooting out of your guitar...

From Joe Strummer’s Tele to Johnny Ramone's Mosrite, here are the iconic guitars behind the sound of punk rock
By Jenna Scaramanga published
The filth, the fury, and '80s Fernandes Strat copies – these guitars, amps, and effects defined the sound of some of rock's greatest, and most rebellious, bands

The 16 most expensive guitars of all time
By Jenna Scaramanga last updated
Fenders owned by Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, Martins belonging to Kurt Cobain and David Gilmour, and one independently made axe headline the list of most profitable guitars sold at auction

Featuring a Joe Bonamassa wah and an overdrive gifted by Jeff Beck, Carmen Vandenberg’s pedalboard is a tour de force of tone
By Jenna Scaramanga published
The Bones UK and Morrissey guitarist is one of the most exacting tone connoisseurs in the game, with some quietly radical picks and some familiar favorites

Rosie Bones on her guitar chemistry with Carmen Vandenberg, Corgan co-writes – and why Bones UK doesn’t need a bassist
By Jenna Scaramanga published
Augmenting the rock with electronic elements, Bones UK are dragging it into the future, but as frontwoman Rosie explains, they have one foot in the past, with an old-school blues cat playing lead

Bones UK’s Carmen Vandenberg on going hard to make Soft – and the Jeff Beck pedal that won’t leave her ’board
By Jenna Scaramanga published
Vandenberg is making guitar sounds you’ve never heard before. In a brilliant new album from Bones UK, she’s also blues, Hendrix and her mentor Jeff Beck – all in the pursuit of authenticity…

10 licks that prove the acoustic guitar can handle anything from folk to metal
By Jon Bishop published
Become an acoustic polymath and be comfortable in any musical company with this lesson in styles spanning boygenius to Genesis

21 ways to get more from your acoustic guitar
By Jenna Scaramanga published
Acoustic guitars are arguably simpler than electrics, but there’s still a wealth of details involved in playing like a pro…

Molly Tuttle on bluegrass inclusivity and her search of speed, feel and acoustic guitar virtuosity
By Jenna Scaramanga published
One of bluegrass's most gifted guitarists, Tuttle checks in to discuss the evolution of her style, and why it pays to subvert received wisdom and practice flat-out as fast as you can go

Carmen Vandenburg recalls Jeff Beck’s ultimate tone test
By Janelle Borg published
Vandenberg discusses the invaluable lesson she learned from Beck about achieving your tone no matter what equipment you have at hand

The 20 greatest guitar cover versions (as voted for by you), ft. Hendrix, Johnny Cash, LedZep and more
By Jenna Scaramanga published
We asked, you voted, and the results are in, with a top 20 covers list featuring Guns N' Roses, Aretha Franklin, SRV and Joe Bonamassa. But who was voted number one?

Bluegrass virtuoso Molly Tuttle on the differences between metal and bluegrass shredding
By Janelle Borg published
Tuttle also shares the key technique that aspiring bluegrass guitar players need to master before they get on a stage

Here’s how to sound like Joe Perry, by our man on the inside, guitar tech Darren Hurst
By Jenna Scaramanga published
54 guitars. 8-gauge strings. A semi full of amps. Joe Perry's live rig is a changeable, often untameable beast, and Hurst has been in charge of it since 2019. With the Aerosmith juggernaut ready to pull in for good, he spills all of its secrets, from string gauge and intonation to a heck of a lot of gain stacking...

“We’ve also embraced the jangly, the twang”: Idles’ Mark Bowen and Lee Kiernan talk Tangk tones
By Jenna Scaramanga published
Tankg is a another tour de force of electric guitar provocations with Idles' dynamic duo finding wilder ways to take their sound to the edge of disaster then hold it there, just for kicks

Heart’s Nancy Wilson on their long road to the top – and that cover of Stairway to Heaven
By Jenna Scaramanga published
The band might have landed in the ’70s, but Nancy Wilson is inspiring more players than ever in 2024 – just glance at Instagram

St. Vincent on returning to real amps, stealing Josh Homme’s secret weapon – and how she overcame her fear of Strats
By Jenna Scaramanga published
St. Vincent’s new album, All Born Screaming, sees her teaming up with two Foo Fighters, using Prince’s favourite pedal and embarking on a prog odyssey. It also sees her return to real amps played real loud…

10 things every beginner guitarist needs to know
By Jenna Scaramanga last updated
Chords and scales, rhythm and lead: these core skills set you up for success in any style
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