Techniques

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Black and white shots of James Hetfield, Mark Tremonti and Misha Mansoor of Periphery against a red background
Drop C tuning: how to get to grips with the earth-shaking tuning used by Metallica and Periphery

By Jamie Humphries Published

Metal’s finest have forged some of their heaviest riffs in Drop C – now you can too

Techniques
American singer, songwriter and guitarist B.B. King (1925-2015) plays a Gibson ES-355 guitar live on stage during a performance at the Kool Jazz Festival in the United States in July 1976.
People ask me: “How do I get out of the pentatonic rut?” This is what I tell them

By Alex Farran Published

10 things we learned from B.B. King, Peter Green, Stevie Ray Vaughan and more that will improve your soloing

Techniques
GWM609 Eric Gales Lesson
Eric Gales shows you 7 ways to get across the fretboard that unlock his secret to improv

By Eric Gales Published

The blues-rock maestro explains how position shifts can shape melodic ideas in his latest lesson column

Techniques
A still from Richard Barrett's video lesson on bluegrass folk blues.
Don’t be intimidated by acoustic bluegrass – this lesson is the perfect primer (just watch out for the F6/9!)

By Richard Barrett Published

Bluegrass folk blues can take many forms, incorporating influences from both sides of the Atlantic, but it all comes down to two hands and the acoustic guitar

Techniques
Musical guest Angine de Poitrine performs on Monday, September 14, 2026
“The most common mistake is thinking it’s an out-of-tune guitar”: What people get wrong about microtonal music

By Amit Sharma Published

You might think Angine de Poitrine are pioneering a new form of composition. They’re actually popularizing a very ancient approach to creativity

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Techniques
Man playing Epiphone Les Paul Studio
"There's no replacement for picking up a guitar and feeling those strings": How to get your fingers fretboard ready by building your calluses the right way

By Daryl Robertson Published

How to get your fingers fretboard ready by building your calluses the right way

Techniques
Angus Young of AC/DC pointing
If you learn one thing from Angus Young it should be this…

By Leon Todd Published

For those about to solo, you’ll be thunderstruck with the AC/DC guitar legend’s whole lotta use of open strings

Techniques
Stevie Ray Vaughan plays his number one Strat live
How rhythm and lead techniques can combine for the ultimate blues solo – especially in a trio

By Richard Barrett Published

This lesson presents an improvised blues solo as a launchpad for your own improv

Techniques
Decoding the notes between the notes – the ultimate guide to microtonal guitar

By Matt McCracken Published

Ready for a math and history lesson? We break down microtonal music’s mind-bending tones for the modern guitar player

Techniques
Sofia Victoria with her handmade guitar
Feel is more important than accuracy. Just ask Kim Thayil, Alex Lifeson and Jimmy Page

By Sofia Victoria Published

Sofia Victoria on how imperfect vibrato, wrong notes and open string noise can add substantial character to conventional soloing

Techniques
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