15 icons of electric guitar tone – and how they can inspire your playing By Jon Bishop published 28 September 23 Go behind the players with some of the most legendary guitar sounds in history – and learn how you can steal their style and make it yours
The pentatonic scale is the most important scale for guitarists – and these 40 licks will take your rock and blues chops to the next level By David Gerrish published 27 September 23 When it comes to the guitar, the pentatonic is the one scale to rule them all, and despite its ubiquity, the possibilities are limitless – as our deep dive tab and video lesson demonstrates
Introducing polychords – the mind-bending guitar shapes that will take your playing into new harmonic and melodic worlds By Richard Barrett published 26 September 23 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
“Typical scale practice is downright damaging for expressive playing… That’s not how singers sing”: Paul Gilbert shows you how to make your guitar solos more vocal and expressive By Jon Bishop published 26 September 23 In this exclusive video lesson, the legendary virtuoso treats you to a masterclass on transferring vocal phrases to the guitar
The whammy bar could be the key to unlocking your voice on the guitar – learn 5 ways to make it work for you By Simon Barnard published 25 September 23 We look at the whammy bar styles of Duane Eddy, Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen, David Gilmour and Jeff Beck – and how you can incorporate them in your own playing
Red Hot Chili Peppers survived 5 guitarist swaps, and each one shook up their sound. Here’s how the band’s guitar style evolved with each personnel shift – and what you can learn from them, too By Jamie Hunt published 22 September 23 From Hillel Slovak to the second coming of John Frusciante, we trace the RHCP funk-rock sound through five guitarists
5 ways to use Mixolydian scale – the Goldilocks mode loved by the Cult, AC/DC and Eric Johnson By Jenna Scaramanga published 20 September 23 Everything from feelgood rock to funk gets better with Mixolydian, a mode used to great effect by everyone from Guns N' Roses to Kool and the Gang
Learn the vibrant guitar styles of bossa nova, tango and rumba with this lesson in South American rhythms By Jon Bishop published 18 September 23 Expand your musical vocabulary with this guide to six of the most important South American guitar styles
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
A Flying V pioneer who inspired Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page, Albert King was king of the blues – find out why with this lesson in his vocal playing style By Phil Short published 11 September 23 King was a player who could say more with less, with a vibrato that give his licks a vocal quality, and this lesson with tab and audio unpacks his style
Every guitarist wishes they were better at fingerstyle – and this lesson may make you want to ditch the pick for good By Chris Bird published 8 September 23 Whatever style of music you play, these tab workouts will improve your fingerstyle technique on both electric and acoustic guitar
Bonnie Raitt may be best known for slide, but she's an expert fingerpicker, too – and her Americana-indebted style will improve your acoustic playing By Stuart Ryan published 6 September 23 In this video and tab lesson, we unpack the acoustic fingerstyle approach of one of America's great songwriters, and give you ideas for how to embellish chords and use inversions
Michael Romeo is one of the world's elite shredders – test your soloing skills with this lesson on his devastating abilities By Charlie Griffiths published 4 September 23 Influenced by the orchestral sweep of John Williams and the neoclassical madness of Yngwie Malmsteen, the Symphony X mastermind is a formidable shred talent, and this tab and audio lesson isn't for the fainthearted
“This guitar is a real ‘blues machine’, and I really love it!” Joe Bonamassa explains why every blues player needs to try a Gibson ES-345 as he shares his favorite licks By Joe Bonamassa published 1 September 23 The Varitone control makes this semi-hollow unlike anything else in the Gibson catalog – Joe Bonamassa shows us the tones and licks that made it such a classic electric
There’s no such thing as an ‘acoustic guitar chord’ – but these 12 shapes sound amazing unplugged By Chris Bird published 30 August 23 Learn a dozen chords that will expand your musical vocabulary and enhance your songwriting – and the best bit? They’re not that difficult
John Mayer is one of the most lyrical soloists playing today – learn his tricks to crafting memorable leads By Andy G Jones published 28 August 23 Mayer is a player who wears his influences well but always brings his own twist – we take look at how he applies this to his solos, and how you can, too
Your solos and rhythm playing will benefit from learning chords across the fretboard – and major 7ths are a great place to start By Richard Barrett published 25 August 23 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
“I love anything with a killer solo you can jam out to”: Welcome to the Sophie Lloyd masterclass, where the Machine Gun Kelly guitarist and YouTube shred sensation will give your rock chops a serious workout By Sophie Lloyd published 24 August 23 In this Guitar World exclusive, Sophie Lloyd takes you behind her rhythm and lead techniques on monster single Do or Die and shares her tips on how to hone your skills
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
With blistering technique, a great ear for melody and an incredible rhythm guitar pocket, Steve Lukather is one of rock guitar’s all-time greats – upgrade your skills with his must-learn licks By Martin Cooper published 16 August 23 Lukather is a play-anything session player and the box-office guitar behind Toto, and this lesson offers two approaches for incorporating his virtuoso stylings into your playing