Guitar Techniques

Latest about Guitar 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
Mateus Asato with his signature Suhr guitar
Mateus Asato left Bruno Mars and Jessie J to begin his solo career – and now his debut single is finally here

By Phil Weller Published

Cryin’ is the first taste of Asato’s eagerly anticipated debut album

Music Releases
Dweezil Zappa performs on stage at The Magnolia on August 02, 2024 in El Cajon, California AND Jimmy Page performs onstage during the 38th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Barclays Center on November 03, 2023 in New York City
Dweezil Zappa has Eddie Van Halen, Brian May and Yngwie Malmsteen on his ambitious instrumental project – but wants to recruit more guitar greats

By Matt Owen Published

Albert Lee, Steve Morse and Steve Vai have also recorded for What The Hell Was I Thinking?, which Zappa began work on back in 1989

5 Comments
Guitarists
Xan McCurdy of Cake performs onstage during day 5 at Summerfest 2025 at Henry Maier Festival Park on June 27, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin AND Joe Satriani performs onstage during the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Festival at T-Mobile Arena on September 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Xan McCurdy of iconic alt-rockers Cake on why he quit taking lessons from Satch

By Matt Owen Published

The Satriani curriculum failed to move Cake's Xan McCurdy

27 Comments
Guitarists
Guitarist Misha Mansoor of Periphery performs at The Fillmore on January 30, 2020 in San Francisco, California
Misha Mansoor joins Tim Henson and Tosin Abasi in praising this emerging virtuoso – who’s changing the landscape of progressive guitar

By Matt Owen Published

Shred’s finest new talent can add another name to the list of guitar heroes who have singled him out for praise

Guitarists
Cory Wong plays his new gold Ernie Ball Music Man signature StingRay II and wears a striped longsleeve
How to layer guitar parts like a pro (with a little help from Cory Wong)

By Cory Wong Published

In this exclusive video and tab lesson, the funk maestro serves up a big ol' slice of rhythm layer cake that reimagines the guitar as keyboard, bass, as everything in the band

Artist Lessons
Guitarist Tim Henson of the American band Polyphia performs live on stage during a concert at the Huxleys on June 17, 2024 in Berlin, Germany
Why Tim Henson believes that “learning everything by ear” is the best thing aspiring guitarists can do

By Janelle Borg Published

The Polyphia virtuoso shares his own experience switching from the rigidity of classical music – to finding a sense of freedom learning guitar by ear

6 Comments
Guitarists
David Gilmour
Why David Gilmour never learned to play this iconic Pink Floyd guitar solo

By Phil Weller Published

Gilmour believes his audiences would prefer a “real and happening” solo instead of a carbon copy night-in, night-out

Guitarists
Photo of EAGLES and Don FELDER and Joe WALSH; L-R Don Felder and Joe Walsh performing on stage
The song that started life as an Eagles track – but ended up as the theme song for an animated film

By Matt Owen Published

Plans for a Hotel California sequel were in motion, but the track wouldn’t emerge from the Eagles archive until a few years later

Guitarists
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