Latest articles by Chris Bird
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 371
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 371
18 ways to improve your guitar tone
Tone is one of the most hotly debated aspects of guitar playing. Read on as we look at the best ways to optimize your setup and get more from your guitar rig
Watch Brian May make a TV presenter's day with an unaccompanied Bohemian Rhapsody solo through his epic Vox AC30 rig
Iain Lee was like a kid in a candy store as the Queen guitarist demonstrated – up-close and personal – the magical, singing tone of one of his most famous solos
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 370
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 370
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 369
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 369
Brian May – the ultimate interview: the Queen legend reflects on his career highs and lows, songwriting with Freddie Mercury and 50 years of trailblazing guitar playing
In this career-spanning interview, one of the all-time greatest guitar players talks through every era of Queen's career, and charts the evolution of rock's most singular band
How to play Money for Nothing on guitar
Learn how to play Dire Straits' biggest riff – and how to nail its distinctive tone
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 368
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 368
How to play Welcome to the Jungle on guitar
Learn the legendary Guns N' Roses riff that introduced Slash to the world
Brian May on how Led Zeppelin inspired Queen: “I owe a lot to Jimmy Page”
The guitar icon said he and his bandmates looked up to Led Zeppelin from a musical and industry perspective, and labelled Page “the master of the riff”
How Brian May broke a golden guitar recording rule during the tracking of Queen's debut album
The guitarist talks disrupting conventional approaches to recording in the early '70s in a new interview with Total Guitar
How to play Back in Black on guitar
Learn one of the greatest riffs of all time from Australian rock legends AC/DC
Brian May: “The Face It Alone solo is very much in the moment. It’s me trying to be a voice next to Freddie's”
May reveals the story behind Queen’s ‘lost’ classic – and the epic guitar solo he created for it
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 365
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 365
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 364
Download and stream the audio from Total Guitar 364
Inside the new issue of Total Guitar: How To Play Blues – 20 Ways To Get Your Mojo Workin'
Also in issue 364! Interviews: Larkin Poe, The 1975, Alter Bridge, GA-20 and Alexisonfire! Reviews: Chapman ML2 Pro, Squier 40th Anniversary Jazzmaster Gold Edition, Blackstar Dept 10 Amped 1, Electro-Harmonix J Mascis Ram’s Head Big Muff. Learn songs by AC/DC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The White Stripes and Muddy Waters
10 easy guitar songs for beginners
Just getting started on guitar? These 10 songs prove that learning guitar doesn’t have to be difficult
Online guitar lessons vs face to face: which is right for you?
From cost and convenience to community and progress tracking, we weight up the pros and cons of both approaches to learning the guitar
How to alternate pick on guitar: exercises to make you play faster
Improve your lead guitar skills with a technique used by indie kids, shredders and blues hounds alike
How to play barre chords: the 4 most important shapes
Play more notes with fewer fingers, and get to grips with essential rock ’n’ roll, funk and soul shapes
10 easy and practical tips for getting a great live guitar sound
Our guide to help you create a sonic storm onstage
How to play power chords
Beginner guitar: learn rock, metal and punk riffs using just one chord shape
How to play guitar chords: the first 8 chords you need to learn
In this beginner lesson, learn your first guitar chords and the building blocks of rhythm guitar
