Learn the licks of speed metal messiah Joe Stump By Charlie Griffiths published 21 April 23 A Berklee prof with neoclassical chops to burn, Joe Stump of Alcatrazz is a bona-fide shred legend, and these five examples will whip your metal guitar chops into shape in no time
Deep Purple almost lost the legendary Smoke on the Water riff because of armed police storming their studio By Matt Owen published 13 March 23 Despite having a self-imposed 10pm noise curfew while recording in Montreux's Pavilion, the band continued playing until four in the morning – and the resulting “racket” riled up some unhappy locals
Ritchie Blackmore based Smoke on the Water on a classical masterpiece – and the riff’s roots might surprise you By Matt Owen published 13 October 22 The Deep Purple legend divulged the origin of the riff in an interview back in 2007. But was he telling the truth?
Get to the roots of Eddie Van Halen’s groundbreaking playing with this lesson on his biggest influences By Phil Short published 27 May 22 In six immersive studies, we approach Eddie’s playing style from the perspective of the players he idolized
Bryan Adams: “My most prized guitar is a D-18 Martin acoustic that once belonged to Johnny Cash” By David Mead published 18 May 22 A rock legend checks in, and one question hangs in the air like a recently twanged E chord. What has made Bryan Adams so joyful that he titled his new album So Happy It Hurts?
Ritchie Blackmore: "It's much easier to flow across the strings on a Gibson. Fenders have more tension, so you have to fight them a little bit" By Mordechai Kleidermacher published 14 April 22 In this classic 1991 GW interview, the Deep Purple guitar hero chats about his whammy bar violence, his switch from Gibsons to Strats, and why he thinks Smoke on the Water has endured as a rock classic
Ritchie Blackmore’s hometown refuses blue plaque, but campaign finds a way By Matt Parker published 2 March 22 Blackmore’s birthplace now bears an inscription in his honor
Legendary music photographer Ross Halfin has announced a huge new Ritchie Blackmore book, limited to just 400 copies By Matt Parker published 27 September 21 Running to more than 300 pages, the book collects together hundreds of unpublished images from the guitarist’s time with Rainbow in the early 1980s
Petition launched for Ritchie Blackmore’s hometown to honor the guitarist with historic blue plaque By Matt Parker published 24 August 21 The petition seeks to pay homage to the Deep Purple and Rainbow guitar hero in his native Weston-super-Mare
How to play blues like Ritchie Blackmore By Richard Barrett published 6 August 21 This solo workout goes deep into Deep Purple MkII-era Blackmore and unpacks his electric blues style in detail
Catalinbread unleashes Ritchie Blackmore-inspired double-pedal boxset By Matt Owen published 24 June 21 These trippy-looking offerings aim to sound as good as they look by way of period-accurate appointments and like-for-like preamp and treble booster circuitry
Ritchie Blackmore wields his Fender Strat once more on bluesy Blackmore's Night instrumental, Der letzte Musketier (The Last Musketeer) By Sam Roche published 15 March 21 The Deep Purple legend offers up some tasteful electric blues lines in this cut taken from the band's new album, Nature's Light
How to play guitar like 7 Fender Strat icons By Chris Bird published 17 November 20 Master the tones and techniques of 7 legendary Stratocaster players
Steve Morse says he combined Ritchie Blackmore and Joe Satriani's playing styles for his first Deep Purple gig By Sam Roche published 5 October 20 "That's what I brought – to make the other guys feel comfortable," the shredder recalls
Ritchie Blackmore and William Shatner team up to cover B.B. King’s The Thrill is Gone By Michael Astley-Brown published 26 August 20 The track will appear on Shatner’s forthcoming star-studded album, The Blues
Watch Ritchie Blackmore and Deep Purple perform in New York in 1973 By Damian Fanelli published 14 April 20 See the band's classic Mark II lineup at the peak of their powers
Adrian Smith on Iron Maiden’s three-guitar line-up: “If you had three Yngwie Malmsteens, it would have been a fight after about five minutes” By Richard Bienstock published 24 February 20 The guitarist opens up about transforming the band into “Lynyrd Maiden”
Ritchie Blackmore, David Gilmour, Brian May and Others Play "Smoke on the Water" in 1989 By Christopher Scapelliti published 19 July 19 One of the greatest guitar hero gatherings of all time.
Listen to a New Song from Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, “The Storm” By Richard Bienstock published 17 May 19 The track was originally recorded by the guitarist for his folk-oriented project, Blackmore’s Night.
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Premiere Updated Version of "Black Sheep of the Family" By Jackson Maxwell published 26 April 19 "Black Sheep of the Family"—itself a cover of a 1970 track by Quartermass—was recorded by the original incarnation of the band for their self-titled 1975 debut album.