Guitar Techniques

Latest

Epiphone Marty Schwartz ES-335

“People forget that great rhythm guitar will help make your solo sound better”: YouTube guitar guru Marty Schwartz on the biggest mistakes aspiring guitarists make – and how to fix them

By Amit Sharma published

The star of online guitar teaching on why you should never underestimate the importance of good rhythm guitar, and the best songs to improve your guitar playing fast

Matteo Mancuso playing a Yamaha Revstar in the Guitarist studio

“I didn’t invent this technique. Like Eddie Van Halen said he never invented tapping, I see it in a similar way”: Matteo Mancuso walks you through the secrets of his breathtaking style, which saw Steve Vai hail him as “the evolution of guitar”

By Matt Owen published

The young Italian virtuoso has taken the guitar world by storm this year, having been tipped for greatness by Al Di Meola, Joe Bonamassa and Tosin Abasi. He breaks down the ins and outs of his mesmerizing style

Tommy Bolin plays his legendary Gibson Les Paul at Columbia rehearsal studios in Los Angeles, California in November 1975

“That long-haired hippie’s got the word ‘f**k’ on his guitar!” Tommy Bolin’s 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard has one of the most checkered histories of any ’Burst – watch the late guitar hero play it live on TV with his pre-Deep Purple band, Zephyr

By Jackson Maxwell published

With an American flag pickguard and a made-for-a-Tele Bigsby tremolo, this guitar – which now belongs to Joe Bonamassa, via a straight-from-the-movies cash transaction with its mysterious former owner – is far from your average ’Burst

Josh Smith

“I want to pass on the blues vocabulary that stood the test of many tough audiences”: Modern blues master Josh Smith teaches you the secrets to better solos

By Josh Smith published

In this modern blues masterclass, Josh Smith introduces nine essential solo approaches that will help you find your own sound and voice

Sammy Hagar and Billy Corgan on stage in Hammond, Indiana

“To me, he really is an alternative guitar player”: Watch Billy Corgan pay tribute to his hero Eddie Van Halen by joining Sammy Hagar for a knockout cover of Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love

By Matt Owen published

Swapping his Reverend signature guitar for Sammy Hagar's Gibson Les Paul, the Smashing Pumpkins frontman tipped his cap to EVH with a flawless rhythm performance

Closeup of hands playing guitar

Bored with pentatonics? This lesson in superimpositions will make you think again

By Richard Barrett published

Get more out of the guitarist’s favorite scale and make it sound fresh again by learning how the notes relate to each other and their underlying chords

Yngwie Malmsteen plays electric guitar in front a Marshall amp stack

“I never wanted to be a violinist. I wanted to play electric guitar with smoke bombs and flash pots and Marshall stacks”: Yngwie Malmsteen says he is definitely not a frustrated classical player

By Matt Parker published

The virtuoso takes issue with the misconception that he wanted to be anything other than a smoking shred guitarist

Kacey Musgraves

She's a Grammy winner who's been writing songs since she was 8, but Kacey Musgraves also has a fingerstyle approach that will give your acoustic playing a real identity

By Stuart Ryan published

Whether using a small-bodied acoustic or a J-45, Musgraves' playing has an abundance of melodic content that supports her vocals

George Benson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Yngwie Malmsteen

The Rolling Stone 250 greatest guitarists list gets a lot of things right – but some of its exclusions are just plain wrong

By Matt Parker published

The publication should be commended for pushing the conversation forward, but not at the expense of some of the guitar world’s indisputable game-changers

Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Slash perform Paradise City onstage with Guns N' Roses in Seattle

“Two of rock’s elite guitar soloists go lick for lick”: Watch Slash and Mike McCready trade leads on Paradise City as the Pearl Jam guitarist joins Guns N’ Roses onstage

By Matt Parker published

McCready dropped in on the LA legend’s Seattle show for a barn-storming cameo

Eric Gales

He’s considered one of the top blues guitarists in the world, but nobody plays pentatonics like Eric Gales – learn his tastiest licks

By Andy G Jones published

Get to grips with the extraordinary, topsy-turvy playing style of one of the greats of modern blues-rock guitar – the player who Joe Bonamassa and many more have called the greatest

Kirk Fletcher playing guitar

"Stick to the pick!" Kirk Fletcher's blues masterclass

By Kirk Fletcher published

A classic lesson in contemporary blues guitar from Kirk Fletcher himself: includes video, tab and audio

Matteo Mancuso

“I don’t think I will ever come close to the magic of the original, but I tried my best!”: Marvel at Matteo Mancuso’s unique technique as he absolutely nails Steve Vai’s legendary Crossroads showcase Eugene’s Trick Bag

By Matt Owen published

The Joe Bonamassa and Al Di Meola-backed virtuoso gave the Crossroads track a mind-melting makeover as he announced he will be teaching at Steve Vai's forthcoming guitar academy

Joe Bonamassa

The blues jam session is a rite of passage for every guitarist – here are 5 ways to improve your blues guitar solos

By Chris Bird published

Hone your phrasing and learn how to express your musical self

Musician playing acoustic guitar and learning from online lesson on computer

“The opportunities that AI presents for guitar education are immense”: Why one of the world’s top guitar tutors is embracing AI – even if he’s out of a job

By Justin Sandercoe published

Justin Sandercoe, aka JustinGuitar, explains his vision of AI-powered virtual tutors – and why the technology is an opportunity rather than a threat

Alex Skolnick and Yngwie Malmsteen

“Everybody was going crazy about Yngwie Malmsteen... Joe Satriani told me, ‘That’s fine, but don’t get too into him’”: Alex Skolnick explains why he was warned off sounding like the neoclassical maestro

By Matt Parker published

The Testament guitarist says he learned more than just techniques from his A-list teacher

Dimebag Darrell

Dimebag Darrell was a shredder like no other – learn the solo licks that made him a metal legend

By Charlie Griffiths published

Take your metal playing to a new level with this lesson on the uncompromising style of the late, great Pantera icon

Joe Bonamassa

What does the Varitone control on a Gibson guitar do? Let Joe Bonamassa show you in this lesson from the blues maestro

By Joe Bonamassa published

Joe Bonamassa invites you to get up close and personal with a super-rare 1959 Gibson ES-335 equipped with Varitone circuit – and learn some licks along the way

Sophie Lloyd

“Let me know if you like it or you think I ruined it!” Dire Straits’ Sultans of Swing becomes Sultans of Shred as Sophie Lloyd gives the guitar anthem a high-gain makeover

By Matt Owen published

Mark Knopfler's sultry single-coil runs get given a generous injection of searing shred tones in Lloyd's latest cover

Jack Black and Roman Morello performing Mr Crowley

Tom Morello says his 12-year-old son “can shred circles” around him – watch Roman Morello tackle Ozzy Osbourne’s Mr. Crowley… with Jack Black on vocals

By Matt Parker published

The clip of Roman’s performance at his grandmother’s 100th birthday has gained the approval of Randy Rhoads’ sister