Techniques

Latest about Techniques

Man playing bass guitar and sitting in living room at home
Bass chords: shapes that work on bass guitar – and go beyond the power chord

By Nick Wells Published

Learning how to play chords on the bass is an absolute must if you want to develop your musicianship

Techniques
Jeff Beck performing live on stage during the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards at The Roundhouse on November 9, 2011 in London
How to use guitar volume swells like guitar legends Eddie Van Halen, Allan Holdsworth and Larry Carlton

By Jamie Humphries Published

Volume down, pick, volume up... violining offers loads of potential as this lesson proves

Techniques
American songwriter, guitarist, lead vocalist and founding member of Metallica James Hetfield performs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Pavillion in Chicago, IL on April 5, 1986.
Want to play Master of Puppets the right way? Here's how to get faster at downpicking so you can chug like James Hetfield

By Jamie Hunt Published

Downpicking is a fundamental and powerful pick stroke, and one of the mainstay techniques in metal and punk

Techniques
TGR345 How to bend strings
Learning how to bend strings correctly is one of the quickest ways to make your playing sound better

By Stuart Ryan Published

String bending is a core technique for lead playing. Here's how to take it from beginner to pro

Techniques
capo at 7th fret
This easy chord trick appears on classic songs by the Beatles, the Eagles, Paul Simon and Passenger

By Stuart Ryan Published

Why the 7th fret is the magic position for your guitar capo

Techniques
Marcin Patrzalek
Marcin's percussive fingerstyle is dropping jaws. The warm-ups that fuel his virtuosity are guaranteed to boost your own playing

By Jon Bishop Published

Acoustic phenom Marcin Patrzałek shows you his favorite warm-up exercises

Techniques
Spanish musician Paco de Lucia (born Francisco Sanchez Gomez, 1947 - 2014) plays guitar during the World Music Institute 'Flamenco Festival New York 2004' concert at the Beacon Theater, New York, New York, February 27, 2004
Rasgueado is a game-changing flamenco strumming technique – and it will give your picking hand a huge turbo boost

By Declan Zapala Published

Learn the strumming style that will give your playing bravado, fire and passion

Techniques
James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett performing live onstage, playing Gibson Flying V guitars
The gallop is the most important metal rhythm of them all – learn the breakneck guitar technique behind Metallica, Slayer and Iron Maiden classics

By Jamie Humphries Published

This rhythm found fame in heavy metal, but it's been used in all genres for decades – making it a must-learn for every guitarist

Techniques
Joe Bonamassa plays a Gibson Les Paul Standard at the Grammys. He wears a dark suit, dark shirt and shade.s
Rewire your lead playing with four soloing ideas inspired by contemporary blues maestros

By Richard Barrett Published

Expand upon traditional blues approaches with this lesson in the style of Joe Bonamassa and Eric Johnson

Techniques
palm muting
How to palm mute on guitar – and take it from beginner to pro

By Jamie Humphries Published

First used by ’50s legends Chet Atkins and Les Paul, it is rock, metal and punk that have made palm muting so popular today

Techniques
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