Latest Features
![Cobra Kai composers Zach Robinson [left] and Leo Birenberg in the studio. Pictured in front of a bank of keyboards, Robinson plays an Ibanez RG550, while Birenberg plays woodwind.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YfxDAzMdyf8Mrf9cURm53e-840-80.jpg.webp)
How Cobra Kai’s soundtrack senseis brought Tim Henson, Tosin Abasi and Charlie Robbins to their musical dojo
As the hit Netflix martial arts show takes the story global, its soundtrack composers are doing likewise. Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson explain why it’s a good time to explore their influences – and bring some virtuoso guitarists along for the ride
Meet Lowen, the heavy trailblazers defying metal rules by playing prog-doom in Middle Eastern and North African styles
Guitarist Shem Lucas and vocalist Nina Saeidi on why 4/4 is the “corset of music”, blending 7-string metal tones with orchestral Middle Eastern polyrhythms and microtonal scales, and why it’s no problem that they started out relatively late
Played by Rick Derringer and Aerosmith, effortlessly cool, the B.C. Rich Mockingbird was the ultimate ’70s guitar
A precursor to the pointy shapes of ’80s guitar design, the Mockingbird bridges two worlds of extreme design and vintage class
For David Gilmour, Pink Floyd’s wildly ambitious the Wall tour was a blast – and a challenge
Used to experimenting and improvising onstage, Gilmour suddenly found himself juggling a multitude of new responsibilities, and, on one occasion, dodging burning drapes...
Nine Inch Nails made their name with infamously destructive live shows – this is the true story behind their epic guitar smash-a-thons
It was the tour that made Nine Inch Nails – and destroyed countless guitars. In an exclusive extract from Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival, Trent Reznor, Richard Patrick and Dave Navarro look back at their all-star guitar-smashing rituals
When Midge Ure joined Thin Lizzy on a make-or-break US tour, he had just one day’s notice and no rehearsals
The Live Aid orchestrator and Ultravox synth-pop pioneer looks back at his trial by fire with Thin Lizzy, swapping out his Yamaha electric because it wasn’t cool enough, refusing to join the Sex Pistols, and how The Edge might have changed Band Aid’s charity single
Guy Pratt on the Jazz Bass he bought from John Entwistle and how he conjured a “massive octave-pedal freakout” with Madonna
In addition to his main gig with David Gilmour, Guy Pratt has played bass on some monster hits, including Madonna’s Like a Prayer and Michael Jackson’s Earth Song
7 low-volume ways to play guitar without an amp
Keep control of your tone with these innovative ways to play guitar without an amp
Industry expert and YouTuber Adam Saunders launches new books to break down the barriers of music theory to make songwriting simple
Sponsored by Trinity College London Press
Designed to make mastering music theory easy and enjoyable, the two-book series turns complex ideas into simple, practical knowledge that can be applied to any style of playing
How Coheed and Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez started his own guitar company, Evil Instruments
The Coheed and Cambria leader doesn’t worry too much about the specs of his new Jackhammer – that’s someone else’s problem – but he knows his creation feels right, and there might be a followup model soon
