Richard Barrett

Polychords are a neat way to expand your musical vocabulary and can be used in your rhythm and lead playing, as the great Larry Carlton has demonstrated time and time again

The major 7th chord is a favorite among guitarists of all stripes, including Nile Rodgers – here are 5 ways to take the shape to the next level, and your overall playing along with it, too

This lesson draws from the playing of B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and John Mayer in its off-grid timing and unexpected blues trademarks

Here are five chords with names to test the brain and a sound that's kind to the ear. Add them to your chord vocabulary now

Soloing ideas for lead guitar in rock, blues, acoustic, metal and more to make you a better player now

A working knowledge of the in-between notes can get you out of a jam when in a jam

Using open strings to embellish your chord work can yield magical results

We all think of the blues solo in terms of which notes sit atop which chords, but reversing that proposition – and building chords into the solo itself – generates some tasty new phrasing ideas

Open minds with open tunings can bring new shades to the blues, and in this acoustic piece inspired by Molly Tuttle and Jimmy Page, we bring bluegrass, blues and folk to the party

These chords have an orchestral quality that radiates a certain silver screen soundtrack magic

Scale the blues-rock mountain and balance on the edge of major and minor tonalities with this lesson in the style of one of rock's greatest players

Joe Satriani is a fan. Danny Elfman, too. And by learning these chord shapes, you can drop some Lydian magic into your songwriting for dramatic effect

Thou shalt Joe Pass with this lesson in gradual transitions between chords, which allow you to move around the fretboard for new musical ideas

Welcome to vibrato bootcamp, where we'll be looking at how B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, Peter Green and Paul Kossoff shook those strings

Got a wicked clean tone but don't know what to play? Step right this way...

It's time to dig out the flattop and learn the blues with this exercise that combines elements of Eric Clapton, Robert Johnson, and Skip James

With Led Zeppelin, Page drew from all quarters of the musical landscape, but his exhilarating style was rooted in the blues

This lesson takes electric blues back to the start, when electricity found its way to the guitar and players such as John Lee Hooker and Hubert Sumlin changed the world

The music theory math is easy in this lesson, but can be devastatingly effective

Using inversions – or slash chords as they are more commonly known – is a great way of experimenting with familiar chords

Boost the gain, dig in, and don't let perfect be the enemy of good in this lead guitar workout

Five inspirational ideas to take cluster chords out of the realm of fretboard theory and into something you can put into practice

Gales’ genre-mashing guitar style is rooted in the blues but takes exhilarating detours through his expansive musical vocabulary. This primer establishes the mood with some jazz chord melodies before tackling his lightning quick picking

Few players go weak at the knees at the thought of a C major, but with a couple of different voicings it gives us a world of interesting and versatile sounds to work with

Take the route less traveled when it comes to chord voicings, and add new shapes to shake up your songwriting