Guitarist Lessons

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Brian Setzer has some fun as he wears a red neckerchief and plays a round-up orange Gretsch onstage

5 shapes to try using 6/9 chords – a voicing loved by the likes of Brian Setzer and a perfect closer

By Richard Barrett published

What are 6/9 chords? Well, it might sound complicated but they simply have the 6th and 9th of the parent scale, and their stacking of 4ths gives them a sound like no other

Jeff Beck wears mirrored aviators and plays his white Strat with the reversed neck

How Jeff Beck made his whammy bar sound like a slide – his soloing secrets revealed

By Richard Barrett published

Nobody could bend notes like Beck – he took a glissando approach to blues-rock guitar, using the whammy bar when others might have used a slide

A string-less bass guitar ready for restringing

How to restring a bass guitar: step-by-step guidance on changing your bass strings, from a professional guitar repairer

By Jack Ellis published

Here’s my go-to process for changing the strings on a bass guitar – complete with pictures

Gary Moore goes wild with a red Stratocaster

From heartbreaking vibrato to fire-breathing leads, Gary Moore was one of the blues’ most versatile guitarists

By Richard Barrett published

This Gary Moore lesson teaches you two sides to the late blues icon’s playing

Mark Knopfler wears a headband and plays a red Telecaster

How to use CAGED shapes in conjunction with pentatonic scales

By Richard Barrett published

Breaking these well-known chord shapes down into single notes or triads creates a road map for experimentation, improvisation and an escape route from cliched licks

David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust plays an acoustic with a soundhole mounted pickup

5 easy ways to make open chords more interesting

By Richard Barrett published

Players such as David Bowie and Joni Mitchell have deployed alternate voicings to great effect in their songwriting, and they can be a powerful songwriting tool to have under your belt

Guitar playing

5 weird chord shapes that will add mystery, suspense and drama to your songwriting

By Richard Barrett published

Aspiring film soundtrack artists, apply within, because with high drama, sometimes you need something more exotic than an open G...

A B/W image of David Gilmour performs with Pink Floyd in 1977, playing his Black Strat

Learn David Gilmour’s epic soloing style and take your blues playing to the Dark Side of the Moon

By Richard Barrett published

Here are four tabbed out examples of how Gilmour’s approach changed the way we play the blues, and it’ll whip your phrasing and feel into shape

Pat Martino plays his Gibson signature guitar onstage at North Sea Jazz Festival

Jazz guitar theory 101: 5 ways you can use tritone substitutions to jazz up your chord progressions

By Richard Barrett published

Tritone substitutions are jazz theory 101 – and you don't need a degree from Berklee to put them into practice

Joni Mitchell sitting cross-legged with her Martin acoustic

30 open tuning chords you need to know

By Richard Barrett published

Expand your guitar vocab with chord ideas for Double Drop D, Open G, DADGAD, Open D and Open C tunings, favorite tunings for Keith Richards, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Page and more

Andy Summers, live onstage with the Police at Reading Festival, 1979

Dissonant guitar chords: 5 voicings that will add suspense and tension to your playing

By Richard Barrett published

The Asus2(addb5) might sound mind-boggling, but it's easy to play, sounds fascinating, and is one of five voicings to add to your chord vocabulary

Joni Mitchell plays the Community Center in Berkley, CA. 1974. She is playin a Martin dreadnought

Make like Joni Mitchell and Steve Hackett and freshen up your chords with 5 alternative voicings

By Richard Barrett published

By incorporating open strings, you can give your chords more color and keep the ear interested. Here are five voicings that are certified fresh

Brian Setzer (left) jamming with Lee Rocker of Stray Cats: Setzer has a masterful repertoire of jazz-inspired rock 'n' roll chords

5 rock ’n’ roll ending chords you need to know

By Richard Barrett published

These jazz-inspired chords will class up any set. Simply add to the conclusion of your jam, et voila!

Lonnie Mack plays a Flying V live onstage in 1985

Lonnie Mack is an unsung hero in the development of the modern guitar solo – learn the blues guitar pyrotechnics that lit a fire under Stevie Ray Vaughan

By Richard Barrett published

A key influence on SRV classics such as Scuttle Buttin', Lonnie Mack's trailblazing style is worth another look

Nile Rodgers performs onstage

Banish stock phrases with these smart triad chord ideas

By Richard Barrett published

It is all too easy to fall into familiar patterns when playing, but these five triads prove that it's just as easy to break out of them and find a fresh perspective on your playing

Mark Knopfler is a dab hand at incorporating chord shapes in his lead playing

Understanding alternative chord shapes and inversions can have massive benefits for your lead playing – take a break from scales and give your solos a boost by incorporating these shapes

By Richard Barrett published

Step away from your usual scales by peppering your leads with some smart new chord shapes

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

British musician Jimmy Page, of rock group the Firm, plays guitar as he performs onstage at the Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 7, 1985.

DADGAD guitar tuning: an introduction to the (not quite) open tuning favored by Jimmy Page

By Richard Barrett published

Here are five ideas to get started with DADGAD tuning, so you can get on with the important business of writing the next Kashmir

Robben Ford masterclass

"The diminished scale seems to loom large in my legend…" A blues masterclass from Robben Ford

By Adrian Clark published

Video lesson: “For the most part, people just know three chords and the pentatonic scale. That is a cul-de-sac!" Let Robben Ford be your guide to the way out…

Portrait of Australian virtuoso guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, photographed in Bath on January 13, 2017.

"When you practice the skills enough, one day, just like magic, the skills turn into music": Tommy Emmanuel's thumbpicking masterclass

By Tommy Emmanuel published

Video lesson: Tommy Emmanuel takes us through the basics of how to use a thumbpick so you can play your own version of Elizabeth Cotten’s Freight Train