Latest articles by Andy G Jones
Add some Texas blues sizzle to your lead playing with this lesson in Billy Gibbons' sweet soloing style
This lesson is the ZZ Top content you need to stay cool while bringing the heat. It will develop your sense of pacing and blues phrasing, and give you a chance to let some pinch harmonics fly off the fingerboard
A touch that has never been rivalled – how Jeff Beck forever reshaped the way guitarists think about ‘feel’
From faux slide lines and whammy bar manipulation to fingerstyle phraseology and harmonics, learn the key tricks of Jeff Beck’s incredible lead playing
Why Toto guitarist Steve Lukather is one of rock’s greatest players
Lukather's style is a case study in rhythmic variation, chromaticism and on-point phrasing that references the familiar but takes you someplace else
John Lee Hooker enlisted his talents and Woodstock made him a guitar legend – nobody builds a blues solo like Carlos Santana
Ever since his Woodstock performance in '69, Santana has been one of the world's biggest guitar talents, with a melodic sensibility few can match. We go deep into his lead style
How Peter Green changed the course of British blues-rock guitar playing
Peter Green was one of the all-time greats, and influenced everyone from Gary Moore to Joe Bonamassa and Kirk Hammett. This soloing masterclass unpacks his peerless phrasing, rhythmic approach and string bending
Mike Zito is a blues-rock maestro with a classic rock sensibility – and learning his skills will add a timeless quality to your leads
Co-founder of the Royal Southern Brotherhood, Mike Zito is a player's player, guaranteed to hit the bullseye with note choice and phrasing. This tab and video lesson takes you deep into his style
Learn the signature soloing style of Gretsch-toting rockabilly legend and Stray Cat Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer mixes jazz, swing and rock 'n' roll for a sound that's all his own. This lesson unpacks his soloing style so you crazy cats won't stray on the fingerboard
Why Bob Dylan and Tom Waits guitarist Duke Robillard is American blues guitar royalty
This lesson in Robillard's improvisational lead guitar style showcases his ability to incorporate melody in solos, and blend blues with jazz
A master of pickslanting, economy picking and pentatonic flurries, Eric Johnson is one of the smoothest soloists on the planet – and his techniques will really make your solos pop
Take a leaf out of the Texan Strat master's book and improve your picking technique, melodic sensibility and position shifting now with this lesson in Johnson's lead guitar style
Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram is a modern master of blues guitar – and learning the Mississippi phenom’s soloing style will make you a better player
Any player nicknamed Kingfish is bound to know their scales, but it's how this young maestro uses them in his solos that's key. We look at his immaculate phrasing and note choice, with video and tab to guide you
Gary Clark Jr. is responsible for some of contemporary blues’ tastiest solos – here’s what you can learn from his approach
How the Austin, TX, genre polymath's signature style can modernize your blues leads
Derek Trucks is one of the finest slide players to ever pick up an electric guitar – learn how to add his lyrical soloing style to your repertoire
Intonation is the watchword in this tab and audio lesson in the style of the Tedeschi Trucks Band's genius lead guitarist
Few players are doing more to write the future of blues guitar than Kirk Fletcher – banish clichés with his tasty soloing style
Kirk Fletcher is destroying clichés one lick at a time, and this tab and audio lesson takes an in-depth look at his style
He’s considered one of the top blues guitarists in the world, but nobody plays pentatonics like Eric Gales – learn his tastiest licks
Get to grips with the extraordinary, topsy-turvy playing style of one of the greats of modern blues-rock guitar – the player who Joe Bonamassa and many more have called the greatest
John Mayer is one of the most lyrical soloists playing today – learn his tricks to crafting memorable leads
Mayer is a player who wears his influences well but always brings his own twist – we take look at how he applies this to his solos, and how you can, too
His liquid jazz-blues playing style made him one of the most sought-after session guitarists of all time – learn the secrets behind Larry Carlton’s most memorable solos
Famed for his work with Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell and Michael Jackson, Carlton is a true guitar legend who can switch codes between jazz, blues and pop then back again like there was nothing to it – and now you can learn how to do it, too
Introduce jazz chops into your blues solos with this lesson in Robben Ford's masterful style
Have yourself a Ford fiesta of jazzy blues guitar with this lesson in the Dumble rumbler's solo approaches
5 T-Bone Walker licks every blues guitarist needs to know
A trailblazer of blues guitar, a born entertainer, T-Bone Walker has influenced generations of players. Here, we look at how he added a jazzy flair to his solos for maximum effect
How to solo using compound time – the secret behind some of Frank Zappa and Robben Ford's most out-there leads
Open up some all-new possibilities for your lead strategies with these fresh rhythmic soloing approaches
Seven-note groupings can add some serious spice to your solos – just ask Steve Vai
Looking to add the unexpected to your improv? Septuplets might be the answer, challenging the audience and yourself
How to create fluid streams of notes like Eric Johnson by combining economy picking with legato pentatonics
Let's talk about sextuplets, baby... and all the good things they can do for your lead phrasing when combined with a Johnson-esque picking strategy
Get your alternate-picking lines swinging with these triplet and sextuplet solo ideas
Humanize your lead playing with some rhythmic variety with this lesson inspired by the virtuoso solos of Mr Paul Gilbert
6 ways to use an EBow on electric guitar
If you've never thought about getting an EBow, this lesson on legato with the infinite-sustain device might just change your mind
