5 easy ways to make open chords more interesting By Richard Barrett published 26 July 24 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
“The most well-known user of this instrument was universally beloved for having one of the heaviest guitar tones of all time”: Joe Bonamassa explains why you can rule the world with one pickup By Joe Bonamassa published 25 July 24 In this video lesson inspired by Leslie West, Joe Bonamassa puts the single-pickup rock 'n' roll machine through its paces with some riffs and licks that make good use of open strings
Donovan taught John Lennon to fingerpick – here's why he's an under-appreciated acoustic guitar great By Stuart Ryan published 24 July 24 As legend tells it, he was the man who taught John Lennon to pick. And he sure could write a song. We pay tribute to the flying Scotsman of the Swinging Sixties, Donovan Phillips Leitch, with this lesson in his folk-informed style
How the guitar riff has developed since the 1950s – and what you can learn from its evolution By Simon Barnard published 21 July 24 From Chuck Berry to Dave Grohl via Johnny Marr, Jimmy Page and more, this rhythm guitar masterclass offers a decade-by-decade study in the evolution of the riff
How Al Di Meola’s peerless alternate-picking style changed the landscape of guitar playing By Charlie Griffiths published 19 July 24 The fusion master influenced a generation of players, and this lesson will show you why – and make you a cleaner, more accurate player in the process
Dimebag Darrell wrote the book on the art of shredding – but his rhythm style took metal riffing to a new level By Jamie Hunt published 17 July 24 It's time to toss some melodic motifs into the meat grinder for a high-gain rhythm assault in the style of the late Pantera firebrand and Guitar World Columnist, Dimebag Darrell
Ardeshir Farah is a nylon-string acoustic wizard who fuses Iranian and Western music – and his techniques will expand your solos’ horizons By Jon Bishop published 15 July 24 Farah is a player who will comfortably blow your mind – this lesson is for moderate/advanced players looking to up their alternate-picking game, scalar knowledge, and rhythmic subdivisions
Dan Auerbach is one of Ohio’s greatest guitar players, bringing blues roots to the mainstream with a major-league soloing and riffing style By Martin Cooper published 13 July 24 This video lesson unpacks Auerbach’s rhythm and lead approaches – and mastering it could put gold on your ceiling
How to use a voice-leading approach for guitar solos with Andy Timmons By Andy Timmons published 11 July 24 Andy Timmons shares a roadmap for soloing over chord changes and making your leads count
5 weird chord shapes that will add mystery, suspense and drama to your songwriting By Richard Barrett published 8 July 24 Aspiring film soundtrack artists, apply within, because with high drama, sometimes you need something more exotic than an open G...
The guitar greats describe a good solo as a “song within a song” – here’s how to make it happen By Andy Aledort published 8 July 24 In his final In Deep column, the great Andy Aledort teaches us how lead guitar can maintain a compelling conversation over changing chords
Improve your groove: Here are 4 licks inspired by John Scofield that are all about the strut By Arianna Powell published 4 July 24 Pickup Music's Arianna Powell drops in to work some magic around the B minor pentatonic scale, demonstrating how a little rhythmic nous can make your phrasing really pop
Joe Bonamassa blues guitar lesson: JoBo pays tribute to an unsung Les Paul legend By Joe Bonamassa published 4 July 24 The Mayor of Nerdville gives us a lesson in the blues style of Tower of Power guitarist Bruce Conte, a player whom JoBo says is one of his favorite guitarists ever
Learn Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s electrifying blues guitar soloing style with this tab and audio lesson By David Gerrish published 3 July 24 The Godmother of rock 'n' roll played in Open E but we'll make it easy for you with an audio and tab lesson in standard tuning that gets to grips with her gospel licks, double-stops and chromatic runs
Learn David Gilmour’s epic soloing style and take your blues playing to the Dark Side of the Moon By Richard Barrett published 29 June 24 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
Jazz guitar theory 101: 5 ways you can use tritone substitutions to jazz up your chord progressions By Richard Barrett published 28 June 24 Tritone substitutions are jazz theory 101 – and you don't need a degree from Berklee to put them into practice
30 open tuning chords you need to know By Richard Barrett published 24 June 24 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
Build speed and finger independence now this bootcamp for your fretting hand By Karl Kerfoot published 21 June 24 Without exercise the body devours itself... And so it goes for guitar players. Time to flex those fingers, set the metronome, and get physical with this lesson from Pickup Music
How to play Hotel California on guitar – with the Eagles’ Don Felder By Damian Fanelli published 21 June 24 The man who cowrote one of classic rock’s all-time greatest songs shows you its iconic chord progression and solo licks
Want to be a good rhythm guitarist? You need to know your 7th chords – and the CAGED system can help you find them all over the neck By Simon Barnard published 19 June 24 It's time to throw some shapes on the fretboard, navigating using the CAGED system, and deploying chord choices that makes players like John Frusciante such great rhythm players