Lessons - page 6

Make your blues swing with this guide to Honky Tonk hero Billy Butler’s techniques

By John Wheatcroft published 22 February 23

A hero to the great Danny Gatton, Billy Butler was a trailblazing player, and this lesson into his jazzy blues style will underpin your technique and improvisational sensibility

American soul singer and songwriter James Brown (1933-2006) performs live on stage with the J.B.'s, including guitarist Catfish Collins (1943-2010) behind, in East Ham, London in March 1971.

11 ways to invigorate your funk rhythm chops

By Steve Allsworth published 17 February 23

This James Brown-inspired workout is not just for funk – all rhythm players can learn from these techniques and approaches

4 soloing ideas you can learn from Leslie West

By Richard Barrett published 15 February 23

Scale the blues-rock mountain and balance on the edge of major and minor tonalities with this lesson in the style of one of rock's greatest players

How to weave small two-note chords around a guitar melody

By Andy Timmons published 13 February 23

Andy Timmons unpacks his chord/melody approach and explains how you can use it in your own songwriting ideas

Hone your hybrid picking with this lesson in the style of the great Danny Gatton

By Josh Smith published 10 February 23

Josh Smith is our guide in mixing flatpicking with fingerpicking for a piece that references Gatton's style along with James Brown

Joe Satriani, a master of the Lydian mode, onstage in London, circa 2012

Learn 5 Lydian chords that can add mood and atmosphere to your playing

By Richard Barrett published 9 February 23

Joe Satriani is a fan. Danny Elfman, too. And by learning these chord shapes, you can drop some Lydian magic into your songwriting for dramatic effect

Joe Bonamassa shows you how to incorporate volume swells into your solos

By Joe Bonamassa published 8 February 23

Give your lead guitar style a bowed quality à la Roy Buchanan, Walter Trout, Jeff Beck et al

How to play Money for Nothing on guitar

By Chris Bird published 7 February 23

Learn how to play Dire Straits' biggest riff – and how to nail its distinctive tone

How to combine one and two-string melodies with drones for more melodically inventive approaches

By Andy Aledort published 6 February 23

This lesson will help take your soloing outside of muscle memory and learned playing habits

Joel Hoekstra video masterclass: learn eight-finger tapping with the legendary Whitesnake guitarist

By John Wheatcroft published 3 February 23

This lesson is a veritable boot camp for two-handed tapping and will bring you up to speed for those occasions when it is time to let it rip

Duff McKagan, Axl Rose and Slash of the rock group 'Guns n' Roses' perform at the LA Street Scene on September 28, 1985 in Los Angeles, California. Slash uses a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar for the first time onstage with the band.

How to play Welcome to the Jungle on guitar

By Chris Bird published 3 February 23

Learn the legendary Guns N' Roses riff that introduced Slash to the world

Learn to play the blues like Strat master Robert Cray

By Phil Short published 1 February 23

Solo in major and minor keys with this lesson in the style of one of blues guitar's most legendary players

Learn the rhythm and soloing styles of Pearl Jam's Mike McCready

By Martin Cooper published 30 January 23

A fusion of classic rock with elements of funk, Pearl Jam's sound is unique and slippery, and this lesson in McCready's style offers a stern test of your rhythm and pentatonic phrasing

Guitar lessons you can learn from Hank B. Marvin, instrumental guitar's first superstar and master of the whammy bar

By Jon Bishop published 27 January 23

Hank Marvin's melodic sensibility and mastery of dynamics is second to none, and this lesson takes you deep into a style that influenced some of the greatest players ever

Get your alternate-picking lines swinging with these triplet and sextuplet solo ideas

By Andy G Jones published 26 January 23

Humanize your lead playing with some rhythmic variety with this lesson inspired by the virtuoso solos of Mr Paul Gilbert

Take your playing from blues to jazz and back with this lesson in the great George Benson’s style

By John Wheatcroft published 25 January 23

Explore George Benson's bluesier side with these blues-jazz phrases and double-stop chord voicings, and learn how to combine them in a way that's rhythmically captivating

How to use palm muting to add weight and tighten up your playing

By Simon Barnard published 24 January 23

No rhythm game is complete without the ability to palm-mute and thicken up your riffs. Welcome to bootcamp for your picking hand, with rhythms in the style of James Hetfield, Al Di Meola and more

Master the guitar style of 8 folk-rock legends, from John Martyn to Jimmy Page

By Stuart Ryan published 23 January 23

This lesson takes a deep dive into the '60s and '70s music that blurred the line between the acoustic and electric and spoke to a rich British folk heritage

Larry Graham performs on stage during Dave Koz & Friends At Sea 2013 on September 29, 2013 in Rome, Italy.

Larry Graham – Hair bass lesson: unlock the funk legend's slap bass secrets

By Nick Wells published 21 January 23

Jacob Umansky unravels the slap 'n' pop mastery of Sly and the Family Stone’s bass ace Larry Graham

Get to grips with eight-finger tapping with this lesson on master guitarist TJ Helmerich

By Charlie Griffiths published 20 January 23

For those who have completed Woodshedding 101 and are ready to progress to the outer limits of shred, Charlie Griffiths offers five expert licks in the style of Todd Joseph Helmerich