String Theory | Guitar World

Ernie Ball String Theory ft. Stephen Carpenter of Deftones

Deftones’ Stephen Carpenter explains why he’s always preferred being a rhythm guitarist rather than a lead player

By Michael Astley-Brown published 3 March 22

The eight-string-toting riff machine also revealed what made Anthrax his favorite thrash-metal band and why he considers himself Deftones’ “odd man out” in a new episode of Ernie Ball's String Theory

How creating chains of dotted-eighth syncopations can revolutionize your rhythm playing

By Jimmy Brown published 15 January 21

It's time to go against the grain with some tricky rhythmic phrasing

Shake up your rhythm playing with shifting 16th-note accents

By Jimmy Brown published 14 December 20

This “rhythm-within-a-rhythm” approach can add dynamism to your playing

Improve your rhythm playing with this guide to 16th notes, the roots of chug

By Jimmy Brown published 9 October 20

Count in the next stage in your rhythm guitar evolution

How to borrow chords from a parallel minor key and lend your songs a bittersweet edge

By Jimmy Brown published 16 April 20

Learn a songwriting trick used by everyone from Eric Clapton to The Beatles

Close-up of guitarist playing a minor chord on a Gibson SG

Give your major-key compositions a moment of darkness by employing the 'four minor' chord

By Jimmy Brown last updated 29 January 20

How borrowing chords from parallel minor keys can refresh your songwriting

Man playing Gibson ES-335 electric guitar

Change the mood and spice up your tunes with parallel major and minor keys

By Jimmy Brown published 3 January 20

Impart a touch of sadness or melancholy to an otherwise happy and predictable-sounding progression

Close-up of hand playing chord on electric guitar neck

Make your compositions soar using augmented climb progressions

By Jimmy Brown published 22 November 19

How to inject a sense of drama into your songwriting

How using the augmented chord in a minor drop progression can change your songs

By Jimmy Brown published 10 October 19

Paul McCartney, David Gilmour, George Harrison, Tom Petty and many more have done this in their music, so why shouldn't you?

This compositional trick has been used to great effect by Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, The Eagles, Queen and many more

By Jimmy Brown published 30 September 19

Learn how to walk down scales with contrary motion

Master some useful melodic tactics for a minor jazz-blues progression

By Jimmy Brown published 27 August 19

In this lesson, learn some cool, musically effective things to play over a rather dark, intriguing set of chord changes

What do Stone Temple Pilots, Phish, Led Zeppelin and the Beatles have in common? This progression

By Jimmy Brown published 19 August 19

Diving into the "major chromatic drop"

Inject some drama into your compositions with the sweetly painful augmented chord

By Jimmy Brown published 15 August 19

Learn how to use this somewhat painful- yet sweet-sounding chord to dramatic effect

The Ultimate Transition Chord, Part 3: Old-School, Jazzy Dim7 Resolutions

By Jimmy Brown published 2 August 19

Learn how to employ this restless yet alluring chord as a musical attention grabber.

How to Play the Dreamy Arpeggios in Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”

By Jimmy Brown published 15 July 19

Learn this neat, May and Gilmour-influenced guitar arrangement of “Moonlight Sonata.”

The Ultimate Transition Chord, Part 2: Major and Bluesy dim7 Resolutions

By Jimmy Brown published 18 June 19

Learn some interesting applications of this harmonic enigma, and a few ways to get more musical mileage out of it.

Colorful Jazz-Blues Chord Substitutions

By Jimmy Brown published 12 June 19

Some commonly used variations that adventurous musicians will often interject into their playing.

Adding Tension to the Minor Jazz-Blues Progression

By Jimmy Brown published 3 June 19

Learn some cool variations of this progression that feature added chord changes and spicier harmony and voice-leading.

Shredding with the Minor-Drop Progression

By Jimmy Brown published 28 May 19

Using movable and transposable four-note arpeggios to create fun and exciting runs.

Meet the Major Diatonic Drop, a Progression Used by Ozzy Osbourne, Glen Campbell and John Lennon

By Jimmy Brown published 15 May 19

Learn about the major diatonic drop, and how you can use it to great effect in your own songwriting.