Learn the greatest licks from over 100 years of trailblazing blues guitarists, from Robert Johnson to B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Eric Gales and more By Richard Barrett published 10 April 24 These 15 must-learn licks take you from blues guitar's acoustic beginnings to its electric present day
You don’t need to bury your head in books to decipher the secrets of the fretboard – you can learn the CAGED guitar system in just 10 minutes By Molly Miller published 5 April 24 If the CAGED system is your roadmap to fretboard freedom, then this lesson is a GPS-guided tour – and it will blow your mind how easy it is
Jazz and blues are closer than you might think – with just a few tweaks, you can turn simple blues licks into sophisticated jazz phrases By Cecil Alexander published 26 March 24 Cecil Alexander shows you how to take the blues scale and make it jazz
How to master CAGED guitar chords and unlock the fretboard By Chris Bird published 1 March 24 The CAGED guitar system is a speedy route to fretboard mastery – and you'll learn some cool new chords along the way
Triads are integral to gospel, neo-soul and jazz guitar – in fact, they're essential for any style of guitar playing. Expand your repertoire now with these effortlessly cool licks By Sam Blakelock published 29 February 24 Pickup Music founder Sam Blakelock drops by to reveal how triads can elevate your gospel game, and broaden your horizons when playing jazz, R&B and neo-soul
Guitar solos feeling uninspired? Learn how you can breathe new life into your licks and make sure your solos always sound like they’re going somewhere By Total Guitar editors published 23 February 24 Turn your attention to the more musical side of lead guitar with four ways to develop a solo
Are you taking an honest look at your technique before you practice? By working on the fundamentals, you’ll get much more out of your routine By Chris Bird published 20 February 24 Your technique will improve tenfold if you know which areas of your playing need most attention. Follow our checklist to see where you can get better
How to improvise on guitar: 5 easy ways to improve your solos By Total Guitar editors published 19 February 24 Making it up as you go along is harder than it looks. Here's how you can improve at improv and quick, with five examples and three ideas of where you can take your improvisation from there
Ditching the pick adds a whole new set of colors to your guitar palette – and these 10 fingerstyle jazz licks will class up your playing (even if you’re not a jazz guitarist) By Arianna Powell published 15 January 24 Pickup Music’s Arianna Powell shares a wealth of tasty jazz ideas that will work in any genre
The doublestop is a neo-soul guitar staple – learn how it can add harmonies to your solos and spice up your chord transitions By Niklas Myhre published 10 January 24 Neo-soul is one of the hottest guitar trends of the moment – and in this lesson, Pickup Music's Niklas Myhre gives you a primer on one of its essential approaches
Jimi Hendrix smashed the barriers between lead and rhythm guitar with his revolutionary chord work. Learn how the most influential guitarist of them all worked his voodoo style with this essential chord lesson By Total Guitar editors published 5 January 24 Learn about the often overlooked rhythmic foundations of the guitar icon’s world-changing playing
“String skipping can mimic sweep picking and cover a lot of ground”: Learn how to make your shred solos sound a whole lot more evil with this exclusive Josh Middleton video lesson By Josh Middleton published 28 November 23 The Sylosis virtuoso teaches you five approaches to improve your metal guitar solos – and make them that bit more sinister
Gigging guitarists spend the majority of time playing rhythm, not lead – so here are 21 ways to improve your rhythm guitar chops By Jon Bishop published 22 November 23 Chords, picking, strumming, riffs, single-note accompaniments, timing: you can never practice rhythm playing enough, and this boot camp will hone your skills in all sorts of styles
Welcome to Sophie Lloyd's melodic rock soloing masterclass – essential techniques to take your lead playing to the next level By Charlie Griffiths published 14 November 23 The British shredder shares an exclusive video lesson in her signature soloing style – and it'll take you from pentatonics to melodic tapping and beyond
"The diminished scale seems to loom large in my legend…" A blues masterclass from Robben Ford By Adrian Clark published 10 November 23 Video lesson: “For the most part, people just know three chords and the pentatonic scale. That is a cul-de-sac!" Let Robben Ford be your guide to the way out…
You don’t have to choose between rhythm and lead – ‘lead rhythm guitar’ has it all, and funk master Cory Wong is a master of the craft By Charlie Griffiths published 31 October 23 In this exclusive lesson, the Strat maestro shows you how to blur the line between the two disciplines and inject lead hooks into your rhythm playing
"When you practice the skills enough, one day, just like magic, the skills turn into music": Tommy Emmanuel's thumbpicking masterclass By Tommy Emmanuel published 25 October 23 Video lesson: Tommy Emmanuel takes us through the basics of how to use a thumbpick so you can play your own version of Elizabeth Cotten’s Freight Train
"Stick to the pick!" Kirk Fletcher's blues masterclass By Kirk Fletcher published 13 October 23 A classic lesson in contemporary blues guitar from Kirk Fletcher himself: includes video, tab and audio
The blues jam session is a rite of passage for every guitarist – here are 5 ways to improve your blues guitar solos By Chris Bird published 11 October 23 Hone your phrasing and learn how to express your musical self
15 icons of electric guitar tone – and how they can inspire your playing By Jon Bishop published 28 September 23 Go behind the players with some of the most legendary guitar sounds in history – and learn how you can steal their style and make it yours