Guitar Techniques

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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

Steven Wilson performing live

“There are people out there with extraordinary technical ability, but you listen to their tone and you’re like, ‘Have you got ears or not?’”: Steven Wilson explains why he’s “constantly disappointed” by modern guitarists’ tones

By Matt Owen published

The Porcupine Tree maestro says “a lot of the modern generation of guitar players” aren’t paying attention to tone – and the results are “boring”

Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix 1970 performance of Machine Gun at the Fillmore East

One of the greatest guitar performances of all time: new colorized footage of Jimi Hendrix’s extended 1970 performance of Machine Gun at the Fillmore East emerges

By Matt Parker published

“Jimi plugged into something cinematic, like a movie coming from his guitar”

Glenn Hughes and Gary Moore (pictured in 1985)

“I played with Satriani, Bonamassa, Iommi and Blackmore… but Gary Moore was the best”: Glenn Hughes has performed with some of the greatest guitarists of all time, but he reckons the late, great blues-rocker surpasses them all

By Matt Parker published

The rock frontman and bassist admits they were close, but says Moore was “unbelievable”

Tom Verlaine

Tom Verlaine influenced generations of alt-rock guitar greats – find out why they worshipped his playing with this lesson in his idiosyncratic style

By Martin Cooper published

The recently departed Tom Verlaine was one of the most important of the alt-rock and new wave players who brought an expansive and musically audacious approach to punk

Greg Koch

“I’m basically a blues-rock guitar player that got wise to some other stuff”: Greg Koch is one of guitar's great showmen – and his licks are phenomenal

By John Wheatcroft published

Strap yourself in, it's time for our lesson in the art of Greg Koch – the funny guy with a staggering command of a huge range of styles

Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix

“Santana, right? I love your choice of notes”: Carlos Santana recalls the time he met Jimi Hendrix

By Matt Owen published

The PRS signature artist was certainly no stranger to praise as an emerging musician, but his meeting with Hendrix proved to be particularly influential

(from left) Snowy White, Michael Landau, Lee Ritenour and Tim Renwick perform onstage

The guitarists who recorded with Pink Floyd (whose names aren't David Gilmour, Syd Barrett or Roger Waters)

By Jackson Maxwell published

A number of session kings – and a one-time member of Thin Lizzy – all made six-string contributions to the band's catalog

Eddie Van Halen

Two-hand tapping is one of the most versatile guitar techniques you can learn – here are 5 ways to make it work for you

By Simon Barnard published

Tapping lit up the guitar world with Eddie Van Halen, but in this lesson, inspired by EVH, Joe Satriani, Nuno Bettencourt and more, you'll find all kinds of ways to add this legato superpower to your game