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Justin Hawkins explains why technically complex bands like Sleep Token and Polyphia are generating mass appeal
The Darkness frontman and social media commentator claims that there's a new appreciation for a certain brand of virtuosity that, in eras past, might have been perceived as “showing off”
How Robert Fripp helped Steve Vai tailor his King Crimson playing on the BEAT tour with one piece of advice
After watching clips of one of the early BEAT shows, the King Crimson guitarist had some words of wisdom for his stand-in regarding an especially tricky track
Ritchie Blackmore recalls the first time he saw two-hand tapping – at a wild show in 1968
Years before Eddie Van Halen put it in the early pages of the guitar textbook, Harvey Mandel was highlighting his performances with flourishes of two-hand tapping – grabbing the attention of onlookers in the process…
Tommy Emmanuel recalls his final moments with guitar legend Les Paul
The acoustic great pays homage to Les Paul's dedication to leveling up his playing, even when he was well into his 90s
Sue Foley explains why your picking hand is the key to great guitar tone
Decent equipment helps – but, according to Foley, the picking hand is the crux of achieving a great guitar tone
Sophie Lloyd on the time she met Joe Bonamassa – her childhood guitar hero
Lloyd looks back on the time her dad would play Joe Bonamassa records while driving her to school
Jeff Beck took the Yardbirds in a new direction, but the constant Eric Clapton comparisons took years to shake
In the first stages of his career, Beck's relationship with Clapton was just as much (if not more) defined by Clapton's already-legendary reputation than it was by the man himself
Wayne Osmond, guitarist and singer of The Osmonds, dies aged 73
Osmond helped the influential family band reach success in the 1970s, performing hits such as Crazy Horse and One Bad Apple
Joe Satriani on the unique challenges of having Yngwie Malmsteen on the G3 tour
Satch has no notes for the Swedish maestro’s playing, but found other aspects of his performances a little distracting during their G3 time together
Scottish guitarist relearns how to play guitar with one arm after severe stroke
Tony Romaine spent months relearning how to walk after suffering a stroke that left him unable to move – but was determined to relearn guitar and start gigging again
Slayer's Kerry King reveals who he thinks is the most “overlooked” guitarist in metal
The metal icon also names his top five guitarists of all time
Gary Moore's son pays homage Thin Lizzy's dual guitar sound on his debut solo single
Jack Moore shares that the track was written while he was touring Europe paying tribute to his father's blues legacy
How Jason Becker and Marty Friedman made one of shred music’s most celebrated albums with a little help from their pupils
When the two virtuosos went into the studio to record under the Cacophony name, they brought a bunch of gear that had been lent to them by students
Remembering the guitarists we lost in 2024
This year, we've sadly had to say goodbye to many guitar greats from across the world of music. Here, we recognize some of those guitarists, and their contributions to the instrument
The iconic charity rock song that missed out on its star guitarist due to illness – and why it could have sounded very different
Do They Know It’s Christmas? could have ended up with more guitars had fate not intervened
“I was literally in tears”: Rex Brown on the Dimebag Darrell guitar solo he fought to keep on record
The Pantera bassist picked his favorite Dimebag guitar solo, and recalled how it brought him to tears
Why Steve Vai dropped his anti-supergroup stance to help revive some of King Crimson’s most celebrated work
BEAT has been celebrating King Crimson’s 1980s albums, with Adrian Belew and Steve Vai’s new guitar partnership at its core
Veteran session guitarist Tim Pierce on how his off-the-cuff solo ended up on a Bon Jovi classic
Pierce recalls laying down guitar parts for what was originally supposed to be just the demo of Jon Bon Jovi's debut single
