Latest articles by Richard Barrett
Rewire your lead playing with four soloing ideas inspired by contemporary blues maestros
Expand upon traditional blues approaches with this lesson in the style of Joe Bonamassa and Eric Johnson
Why rhythm is as important as the notes you play in a blues guitar solo
Inspired by Eric Gales, Joe Walsh, Earth, Wind & Fire and Motown, this blues lesson puts the rhythm first
How to introduce “murder mystery” guitar chords to your playing – without getting your fingers in a twist
Altered chords should not scare anyone. Here are five shapes to explore when looking for a chord with some dramatic dissonance
Embellishing guitar chords is the best way to liven up your rhythm work – learn 5 Eric Johnson-inspired chord voicings
Because sometimes you need a chord with a little more harmonic intrigue, we take a look at the theory behind embellished chords and how they can be used in everyday playing
How to blend rhythm and lead blues guitar like John Mayer and Stevie Ray Vaughan
Listen to SRV, Mayer and Jimi Hendrix and you'll hear players who are masters of mixing rhythm and lead – an invaluable skill for anyone in a jam. We look at four ideas for upping the ante in your blues rhythm game
Confused about altered and extended guitar chords? Here’s the theory behind them – and how they can supercharge your songwriting
Players such as Jimi Hendrix had extensive altered and extended chord vocabularies to draw upon
His playing had an intensity and drama that even Eric Clapton admired – and it all started with classical guitar: Paul Kossoff was a rare genius
It was Clapton's work with John Mayall that electrified the Free guitarist's imagination. Then it was Marshall stacks, a Les Paul and a wicked vibrato…
How to understand the meaning behind guitar chord names – and why it matters
The Who's Pete Townshend made very effective use of suspended chords in tracks such as Pinball Wizard – and when you know the difference between your add9 and you sus4 maybe you can, too
5 ideas for how you can revoice guitar chords, and enhance your progressions
By using various voicings of the same chord, you can expand your fretboard knowledge and spice up your chord progressions
Upgrade your blues chops now with this lesson in how to play slide guitar in standard tuning
Looking for an entry into slide playing but don't want to retune your guitar and give it a setup? This tab and audio lesson in plain ol' EADGBE will help you develop your slide vocabulary
Learn how polychords and slash chords hold the key to musical exploration, just as scales do
Knowing the difference between slash chords and polychords can give you a much greater understanding of harmony
Get more out of one of guitar’s most important shapes with 5 chords that demystify the dominant 7th
They are so commonplace that we take the theory behind them for granted. Here are five 7th chords, the theory underpinning them, and some ideas for modifying them
5 dissonant guitar chords that hold unexpected delights
We're always talking about harmonious chord pairings, but these discordant shapes will bring tension and surprise to your playing
5 shapes to try using 6/9 chords – a voicing loved by the likes of Brian Setzer and a perfect closer
What are 6/9 chords? Well, it might sound complicated but they simply have the 6th and 9th of the parent scale, and their stacking of 4ths gives them a sound like no other
How Jeff Beck made his whammy bar sound like a slide – his soloing secrets revealed
Nobody could bend notes like Beck – he took a glissando approach to blues-rock guitar, using the whammy bar when others might have used a slide
From heartbreaking vibrato to fire-breathing leads, Gary Moore was one of the blues’ most versatile guitarists
This Gary Moore lesson teaches you two sides to the late blues icon’s playing
“Lots of thought has gone into this”: Boss Katana Artist Gen 3 review
The flagship amp from Boss’s latest iteration of the Katana series boasts some impressive-sounding features, for use from sofa to stage
How to use CAGED shapes in conjunction with pentatonic scales
Breaking these well-known chord shapes down into single notes or triads creates a road map for experimentation, improvisation and an escape route from cliched licks
“Can genuinely hold its own in any genre”: Mesa/Boogie Mark VII 1x12 Combo review
How can Mesa/Boogie possibly have improved on the Mark V so much that it skipped the Mark VI? Join us as we plug in and find out
5 easy ways to make open chords more interesting
Players such as David Bowie and Joni Mitchell have deployed alternate voicings to great effect in their songwriting, and they can be a powerful songwriting tool to have under your belt
5 weird chord shapes that will add mystery, suspense and drama to your songwriting
Aspiring film soundtrack artists, apply within, because with high drama, sometimes you need something more exotic than an open G...
Learn David Gilmour’s epic soloing style and take your blues playing to the Dark Side of the Moon
Here are four tabbed out examples of how Gilmour’s approach changed the way we play the blues, and it’ll whip your phrasing and feel into shape
Jazz guitar theory 101: 5 ways you can use tritone substitutions to jazz up your chord progressions
Tritone substitutions are jazz theory 101 – and you don't need a degree from Berklee to put them into practice
