Guitar Techniques

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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

Josh Middleton

“String skipping can mimic sweep picking and cover a lot of ground”: Learn how to make your shred solos sound a whole lot more evil with this exclusive Josh Middleton video lesson

By Josh Middleton published

The Sylosis virtuoso teaches you five approaches to improve your metal guitar solos – and make them that bit more sinister

Eric Bibb

Your acoustic blues playing will come on leaps and bounds with new fingerpicking patterns – here are 10 you need to know

By Stuart Ryan published

Ditch the pick and dive into these fingerpicking style guitar lessons on some of blues guitar's finest fingerstylists, including Eric Bibb, Rory Gallagher and Leo Kottke

Geordie Walker

“Geordie was a true inventor of a massive sound that has influenced so damn many of us”: Killing Joke guitarist Geordie Walker has died, aged 64

By Jonathan Horsley published

Tributes pour in for the post-punk trailblazer whose influence was felt far and wide across rock and metal, with the likes of Metallica and Nirvana indebted to his vision for guitar

Online lessons deals

These discounted online guitar lessons subscription prove Black Friday is the ideal time to invest in your playing

By Chris Barnes published

Six of our recommended online learning platforms have seriously great value offers for Black Friday only

Joe Satriani performs at SiriusXM Studios in Los Angeles on November 14, 2023

“It’s one thing to listen, but when you play these songs, you go, ‘It’s no wonder Eddie had so much fun playing this’”: Tackling Van Halen, reforming G3, recording with Steve Vai – Joe Satriani is gearing up for his biggest year yet

By Andrew Daly published

He’s the godfather of shred, but over four decades into his career, Joe Satriani is busier than ever. He explains why he’s playing catch-up after avoiding Van Halen songs in the ‘80s, what his “intentionally excessive” collaborations with Vai have in store, and the biggest struggles he’s facing in covering “the greatest guitar player of all time”

Eddie Van Halen, Nuno Bettencourt and Joe Satriani

“The whole idea of being a great guitar player is nobody can do you like you… Mean Street is the perfect storm of why people don't f**k with Edward Van Halen”: Nuno Bettencourt explains why you’ve gotta give Joe Satriani “a pass”

By Matt Parker published

The Extreme guitarist explains the key to nailing EVH’s tricky intro and says its time to cut Satch some slack

Guitarist playing Stratocaster on grey background

Gigging guitarists spend the majority of time playing rhythm, not lead – so here are 21 ways to improve your rhythm guitar chops

By Jon Bishop published

Chords, picking, strumming, riffs, single-note accompaniments, timing: you can never practice rhythm playing enough, and this boot camp will hone your skills in all sorts of styles

Alex Lifeson and Adam Jones holding an Epiphone Alex Lifeson signature Les Paul

“His playing speaks to my soul like no other guitarist”: Alex Lifeson joins Adam Jones onstage to help Tool perform Jambi – before gifting his hero one of his signature Epiphone Les Pauls

By Matt Owen published

Having previously spoken about his affection for Jones' guitar playing, Lifeson joined Tool onstage to tackle the rhythmic riff rollercoaster – with some added Rush flair for good measure

Joe Satriani (left) and Eddie Van Halen

“I want to honor the sound, but I don't want to lose myself”: Joe Satriani says he’s coming to terms with the fact that he doesn't sound like Eddie Van Halen

By Matt Parker published

The guitar icon has been drafted in to take on EVH parts alongside Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony in the Best of All Worlds tour – and compares the challenge to taking on Ritchie Blackmore’s parts on tour with Deep Purple in the early-’90s

Dave Mustaine and Kiko Loureiro

“I don’t want to hinder any of the band’s plans”: Kiko Loureiro announces his departure from Megadeth after 9 years – and his successor may already be in place

By Matt Owen published

Is Teemu Mäntysaari, the young star currently filling in for Loureiro, set to take the mantle full-time? Or is a past player poised to make a sensational return?

The Best of All Worlds band – featuring Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Jason Bonham and Joe Satriani

“I royally screwed up, which hurt like a thorn in my side, but I’ll get over it”: Joe Satriani says he slipped up playing Van Halen’s Mean Street on Howard Stern – but it’s taught him a valuable lesson about EVH’s tone

By Matt Parker published

Satch nailed most of what was thrown at him on the show but says one track proved more of a challenge than the others

Josh Smith

Josh Smith shows you how to follow your musical inner voice and connect the dots in a blues guitar solo

By Josh Smith published

The blues maestro shows you how to combine chromaticism, diminished patterns and ii-V-i's – but don't be alarmed: it's easier than it sounds, and opens up the doors for radical guitar improv