Latest about Lessons
“It works every time… although you'll ruin your pick”: How to end a slow blues solo, by Joe Bonamassa
Drawing upon B.B. King's seminal Live at the Regal, JoBo offers pointers for "high-note activity" and the emotional build-up before deferring to Jeff Beck for the coupe de grace
How Queensrÿche's Michael Wilton and Chris DeGarmo became two of metal's most cerebral riff-masters
Queensrÿche's high-concept metal still feels cult even though the Washington band are bona-fide platinum-selling stars. DeGarmo and Wilton's approach can be applied across all metal subgenres, too
Can’t figure out why your improvised solos don’t feel right? Here’s how to fix them
It's not uncommon for competent players to become unmoored from rhythmic reality when vamping in a solo, but it's crucial to keep the beat at all times, and there are some practical ways you can do that
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…
![Three funk guitar maestros [l-r]: Hamish Stuart of Average White Band crouches down to play his Telecaster; Nile Rodgers of Chic gives the audience some love; and Claydes Charles Smith of Kool and the King holds it down with sunglasses on in an archive B/W live shot.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JiG8AhR8Xa2U8sYe6rBRm7-840-80.jpg.webp)
The glitterball guitar heroes of ’70s funk were masters of rhythm guitar – and their techniques will make you a better player
Unpacking the techniques pioneered by the likes of Nile Rodgers, Hamish Stuart and Claydes Charles Smith
How you can use arpeggios to imply dominant 9th chords in your solos (it's easier than it sounds!)
Understanding the chord shape and the theory behind it is easier than you might think, and it offers another strategy for navigating the fretboard on the fly
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
When the band formed, they could barely play their instruments – then their guitarist bought a delay pedal and changed the sound of electric guitar forever
The Edge bought a delay just to fill out the sound out in U2 – it ended up all but defining them. But there's a trick to how to use it in tandem with your playing and make it sound huge
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