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A still from Jared James Nichols' Guitar World video lesson, where he plays an Explorer with a split headstock

Jared James Nichols shows you how to build a guitar solo to a powerful climax

By Jared James Nichols published

Ditch the pick and crank the amp for this Jared James Nichols masterclass in blues solo composition

Artist Lessons
Steve Vai of SatchVai performs onstage during a concert at the Eventim Apollo on June 14, 2025 in London, England.

Great tone starts with the pick – just ask Steve Vai. Here’s how honing your picking can improve your tone for free

By Charlie Griffiths published

Unlock every pick color – from warmth and brightness to the secretive clarinet tone

Techniques
Woman plays an acoustic guitar using the Gibson lessons app

"The quality of tuition remains second to none, the user interface is slick, and the amp feature is both practical and entertaining:" Gibson: Learn To Play Guitar app review

By Simon Fellows last updated

The sophisticated Gibson tuition app sets the tone for players aspiring to dial in as much gain with as little pain as possible - with oodles of feedback always on tap

Lessons
Sue Foley is photographed against a black background and holds her beat-up Paisley Telecaster

Sue Foley shows you how to nail classic blues turnarounds – and how to come up with your own

By Sue Foley published

In Foley's final column in the series, she completes her turnarounds masterclass – an essential skill for any blues player

Artist Lessons
Joe Bonamassa with a Gibson ES-350

Joe Bonamassa on the vintage Gibson that makes a great power chord guitar

By Joe Bonamassa published

What makes the Gibson ES-350 so good for rock? Bonamassa says they are a real live wire, with “a lot of pop” and no shortage of low-end

Artist Lessons
Cory Wong plays his new gold Ernie Ball Music Man signature StingRay II and wears a striped longsleeve

Cory Wong on how to create a bigger, wider sound by layering baritone guitar parts

By Cory Wong published

Using a Fearless Flyers classic as a case study in baritone layering, the funk-master GW columnist peels away the onion to explain how these individual parts all stack up

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Artist Lessons
Open G tuning thumbnail

Explore open G tuning: a fresh perspective that reshapes your fretboard and inspired timeless blues and Americana songs

By Stuart Ryan published

Open G has been embraced by legends including Keith Richards, The Black Crowes and Led Zeppelin. Now it’s your turn to revel in its golden tones

Techniques
David Gilmour performs with a black Stratocaster as green lasers are fanned out above his head.

David Gilmour is a master of melodic bluesy phrasing – here are 3 minor blues approaches you can expand your soloing vocabulary

By Richard Barrett published

Whether you call these solo ideas minor blues or embellished pentatonic/blues scale, the effect is the same, freeing you up from established patterns to hold your audience's attention

Artist Lessons
Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze on his knees, onstage with his white Stratocaster: Tilbrook knows a thing or two about using inventive and interesting chord voicings in the band’s songs

How you can swap the notes in a chord to give it a different feel

By Richard Barrett published

A lesson in second inversions sounds like advanced physics but it's simply swapping the root note for the 5th, expanding your chord vocabulary with a minimum of fuss

Chords
Freddie King in his pomp, playing a Gibson ES-355TDC

Power-up your blues with a turnaround trick that was a specialty of the great Freddie King

By Sue Foley published

This masterclass in turnarounds explores different ways to approach an essential blues technique, so of course it finishes up with a look at how the master of turnarounds did it back in the day

Artist Lessons
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