Articles by: John Wheatcroft

Guitar World

John is Head of Guitar at BIMM London and a visiting lecturer for the University of West London (London College of Music) and Chester University. He's performed with artists including Billy Cobham (Miles Davis), John Williams, Frank Gambale (Chick Corea) and Carl Verheyen (Supertramp), and toured the world with John Jorgenson and Carl Palmer.

Articles by: John Wheatcroft

With credits spanning Miles Davis to John Mayer, John Scofield is one of jazz guitar’s most idiosyncratic players – and his mind-bending solo phrasing is a must-learn

By John Wheatcroft published 17 September 23

A John Scofield lesson is a lesson in melodic choices. In this tab and audio lesson, we dive into his genre-spanning style to hone your jazz chops

Pat Metheny is a true master of guitar, and every player can learn from his awe-inspiring fusion approach – expand your chops with these key concepts

By John Wheatcroft published 18 August 23

We put Metheny's blues motifs, subversion of genre, his use of slurs and slides, unisons, and the targeting of crucial chord tones under the microscope – tabs and audio included

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

Add fire to your pentatonic phrasing with this lesson in Jimi Hendrix's soloing approaches

By John Wheatcroft published 22 March 23

We might never reach Hendrix levels of god-like genius on the guitar, but how he phrased his leads is a lesson to us all. Here, we look at four examples that will expand your blues vocabulary

Make your blues swing with this guide to Honky Tonk hero Billy Butler’s techniques

By John Wheatcroft published 22 February 23

A hero to the great Danny Gatton, Billy Butler was a trailblazing player, and this lesson into his jazzy blues style will underpin your technique and improvisational sensibility

Joel Hoekstra video masterclass: learn eight-finger tapping with the legendary Whitesnake guitarist

By John Wheatcroft published 3 February 23

This lesson is a veritable boot camp for two-handed tapping and will bring you up to speed for those occasions when it is time to let it rip

Take your playing from blues to jazz and back with this lesson in the great George Benson’s style

By John Wheatcroft published 25 January 23

Explore George Benson's bluesier side with these blues-jazz phrases and double-stop chord voicings, and learn how to combine them in a way that's rhythmically captivating

Guitar wisdom you can learn from Berklee professor and John Mayer mentor Tomo Fujita

By John Wheatcroft published 28 October 22

Using the jazz melodic minor scale as a launch pad, this lesson unpacks some of Professor Fujita's signature approaches to melding blues with jazz, and finding new avenues for musical exploration

Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucia

Show-stopping techniques you can learn from Paco de Lucia, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin

By John Wheatcroft published 22 September 22

This lesson takes a deep dive into the styles of the virtuoso trio responsible for one of the greatest fusion albums ever made

Learn the blues styles of 10 iconic Gibson ES-335 guitarists

By John Wheatcroft published 3 June 22

Lessons in the style of Otis Rush, Larry Carlton, Warren Haynes and more players who helped make the ES-335 the most successful semi-hollow electric guitar of all time

5 game-changing guitar approaches you can learn from Allan Holdsworth

By John Wheatcroft published 2 June 22

He's been heralded by the likes of Steve Vai as the greatest guitarist who ever lived – here's how you can incorporate the fusion master's innovative approach to the instrument in your own playing

10 scales from around the world that will broaden your playing horizons

By John Wheatcroft published 14 March 22

Expand your harmonic and melodic potential with scales from across the globe, and learn how to integrate them in your playing

Go from jazz to Jimi with this guide to the 7#9 Hendrix chord

By John Wheatcroft published 17 February 22

Ever wondered how players like Jimi Hendrix and Grant Green blur the distinction between major and minor with such bluesy ease? Let us show you how it's done...

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