Guitar Techniques

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Mark Tremonti

Creed and Alter Bridge veteran Mark Tremonti has put together one of rock's most impressive catalogs of crowd-pleasing riffs and solos. Learn his muscular metal guitar style

By Charlie Griffiths published

Alternate picking, legato, sweep picking... we're throwing the kitchen sink at this one for an intense workshop in the Alter Bridge shred captain's six-string approach

Fender Play deal

Get better faster for only $3.13 per month with Fender Play’s biggest ever discount

By Chris Barnes published

Learning or improving has never been cheaper thanks to this time-limited 75% off promotion from Fender Play

John Mayer performs with Pino Palladino as part of the John Mayer Trio at the Jazz Foundation of America's 15th Annual 'A Great Night in Harlem' Gala Concert at the Apollo Theater in New York City on October 27, 2016.

If you're playing in a blues trio, you have an awful lot of freedom with your guitar parts – here's how to make the most of being the only guitar player in the band

By Richard Barrett published

These major-sounding blues ideas are ideal for those situations where you've only got the drummer and bass player for company

Ron Bumblefoot Thal performs in a stormtrooper mask

“The iconic solo was about to come up and it's like, ‘Oh god. This is not gonna work out well’”: Bumblefoot says he received death threats after fumbling the Welcome to the Jungle solo – while he was stuck in a stormtrooper helmet

By Matt Parker published

The guitarist ranks the onstage mishap with Guns N’ Roses as his ultimate Spinal Tap moment

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan virtually defined the art of the Texas shuffle – learn the playing style that shaped the sound of blues to come

By Jamie Humphries published

The late, great Stratocaster master’s techniques will add some Texas heat to your blues playing, guaranteed

Power Rangers and Eddie Van Halen

“Eddie Van Halen handed me a guitar and said, ‘I had to learn that damn riff for Wolfie. Show me how you played it!’” Power Rangers composer Ron Wasserman discusses how he “fooled the master” in his performance of the iconic theme

By Matt Parker published

The man behind the X-Men and Power Rangers soundtracks says EVH asked him for pointers on the track he wrote in just two-and-a-half hours

Neural DSP Quad Cortex

“The ‘tone stars’ of tomorrow are going to be the ones who can do the most creative programming”: Why digital modeling and AI will be more important than big-name players in shaping the future of guitar tone

By Justin Sandercoe published

Justin Sandercoe is an old-school tube lover, but he's exploring both sides of the tone universe, analog and digital – and he's excited about whatever tonal evolution comes our way

Michael Lemmo

“The last person to really play it like that was Ed”: Eddie Van Halen personally gifted this guitar to Jason Becker in 1996. Now Norm’s demo whiz Michael Lemmo puts the #69 Peavey Wolfgang through its paces in a killer EVH-style demo

By Matt Parker published

The guitar is headed to auction later this month and was brought down to Norman’s Rare Guitars for a preview

Tim Henson, Manuel Gardner Fernandes and Scott LePage

“3 God-tier guitarists on one track”: Tim Henson, Scott LePage and Manuel Gardner Fernandes make late plays for solos of the year on fretboard-melting new collab

By Matt Owen published

Featuring members of Polyphia and Unprocessed, Die on the Cross of the Martyr unites three of today's finest progressive virtuosos – and the result is “the ultimate guitar nerd’s wet dream”

Paco de Lucia

Known for his superhuman technique, Paco de Lucía is one of the all-time guitar greats – learn how to add his Nuevo flamenco flavor to your playing

By Declan Zapala published

Uncover the explosive possibilities in your fingers with this crash course in flamenco guitar playing

J Mascis and Warren Haynes perform live

Warren Haynes lends his epic solo chops to Dinosaur Jr. as he jams Neil Young and the Cure with J Mascis

By Jonathan Horsley published

The Gov’t Mule frontman became the latest high-profile guest on Dinosaur Jr.’s tour celebrating 30 years of Where You Been, when he joined them at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in New York

Eddie Van Halen and Joe Satriani

“He just could not be contained. That was what was so beautiful... If you’ve been tasked with the job of imitating him, it’s like, ‘Well, which moment?’” Joe Satriani says the biggest challenge in covering Eddie Van Halen is pinning him down

By Matt Parker published

The virtuoso has been sharing his thoughts on how to tackle covering one of the world's greatest guitarists – and how to find the sweet spot in EVH's rigs

Neal Schon

With an anthemic, ultra-melodic approach, Neal Schon helped define the sound of ‘80s rock – upgrade your chops with a deep-dive into the Journey virtuoso’s legendary rhythm and lead styles

By Martin Cooper published

Don't stop believin', but do start practicing on this video and tab lesson that unpacks Schon's tuneful, radio-friendly approach to rhythm and lead guitar

Wolfgang Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstein guitar

“It felt like a really special moment to celebrate by using the Frankenstein. It was like having my dad right there with me”: Wolfgang Van Halen on how it felt to use Eddie’s OG Frankie and Marshall rig to record one of Mammoth WVH’s standout solos

By Matt Owen published

Found on the latest Mammoth WVH record, the lead effort on Take a Bow was recorded using one of the most iconic gear combos in music history

John Wheatcroft

With over 700 recorded versions in the last 45 years alone, Silent Night is one of the world's most popular Christmas carols – learn a spellbinding solo jazz guitar arrangement inspired by Larry Carlton and Django Reinhardt

By John Wheatcroft published

Get to grips with a Christmas classic that will improve your chord-melody chops and impress your family

Slash

“The guitar riff is dying out”: New survey suggests the ‘majority’ of music fans believe the riff is on its way out

By Matt Owen published

A new research piece has concluded the humble riff may be on its deathbed – and identified Prince's Purple Rain as the second greatest riff of all time

Andy Summers

Reach further on the fretboard and expand your playing possibilities with these guitar finger stretching exercises

By Simon Barnard published

Reduce pain and increase your vocabulary of chords and techniques with this Andy Summers and Allan Holdsworth-inspired lesson – just be sure to warm up first

Jimmy Vaughan

Jimmie Vaughan may be Stevie Ray’s older brother, but he paved his own way to blues guitar stardom – learn his red-hot brand of Texas blues that left even Clapton in awe

By Phil Short published

Jimmie Vaughan is a bona-fide blues great, whose techniques are compulsory learning for any guitarist. This tab and audio lesson takes you into his style, and how you can spice up your pentatonic lines with Dorian flavor

Neil Young performs live at Hyde Park in London on July 12, 2019

Neil Young showcases his savage overdriven tones and channels Hendrix in the most menacing solo rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner you’ve ever heard

By Jackson Maxwell published

Wielding his legendary 1953 Gibson Les Paul, Old Black, Young put his own spin on the US national anthem, nodding to a certain Woodstock performance along the way

Marty Friedman and Ozzy Osbourne

“Being in a band is so much more than the playing. Actually, the playing is down on the list”: Before Megadeth, Marty Friedman says he auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne – but “failed miserably”

By Matt Owen published

Shortly before he became Megadeth's lead guitar player, Friedman took part in an ill-fated Osbourne audition – here's why it didn't work out, according to the man himself