Lessons

Loved by Joni Mitchell and Keith Richards alike, essential to slide players, here’s how you can explore chords in open D

By Richard Barrett published 23 August 25

These 5 shapes showcase the range of acoustic sounds and textures this open tuning grants access to

Joe Bonamassa invites you to join him on blues shuffle – don’t worry, he’ll show you the notes

By Joe Bonamassa published 16 August 25

Set your phone on silent, your brain on shuffle. JoBo has a blues lesson coming in hot

Decoding the magic of Carlos Santana’s supernatural soloing style

By Richard Barrett published 29 July 25

Stay cosmic with this lesson in how Carlos Santana took the blues as practiced by B.B. King and Peter Green, plus the new radical rock styles of the '60s, and put his signature spin on them

Jared James Nichols on Albert King's electric fingerpicking

By Jared James Nichols published 18 July 25

Albert King played upside down, in a weird tuning, and influenced SRV and Hendrix alike, and he did it without a pick. So it's no surprise Nichols is a huge fan – he breaks down King's magic

Learn 5 altered chords that can create or dissolve harmonic tension

By Richard Barrett published 17 July 25

Jimmy Page often employed dissonant chords with Led Zep and you can, too. You don't even need to know the name of the chord to use them

Sue Foley shows you how to breathe new life into your 12-bar blues

By Sue Foley published 17 July 25

Foley returns with four ways you can freshen up those blues licks and assert your personality upon the material

Buddy Guy influenced Clapton, Page and Hendrix – here’s what you can learn from the blues icon

By Richard Barrett published 6 July 25

No-one plays the blues like Buddy Guy – but that doesn't stop us trying. We look at four ways the blues icon approaches his solos. Warning: it's going to get fiery

Sue Foley pays tribute to blues icons Johnny Winter and Muddy Waters with 4 essential soloing licks

By Sue Foley published 30 June 25

Sue Foley returns to help us navigate the I-IV-V changes and come up with some soloing ideas that enhance your melodic sensibility – and add a bit of fire along the way

30 beautiful acoustic guitar chords every player needs to know – and how to play them

By Richard Barrett last updated 26 June 25

Increase your musical vocabulary and expand your compositional horizons, in each and every key

11 alternate and open tunings every guitarist should know

By Jimmy Brown last updated 24 June 25

From drop D to DADGAD and beyond, these essential tunings will help you approach your guitar in a different way, and as a result, level up your playing