Latest about Techniques
How fret-hand muting can clean up your picking technique – especially with gain
Texan maestro David Grissom shows us how we can tidy up our hybrid picking and help accentuate syncopated rhythms in our playing
Trying to craft a memorable solo? Revisit hooks from a song’s melody
David Grissom grabs his PRS, gets in front of the camera and shows us how his solos don’t let any melody go to waste
Cook up your own “musical gumbo” with this lesson in how to use bluegrass alternate picking in rock
In Andy Wood's tribute to the Dixie Dregs' Steve Morse, there is plenty of insight into how bluegrass and rock can be great fretboard bedfellows
The “train beat” is a staple of country and blues music – and learning to play over it will hone your hybrid picking and timing
Jim Oblon's debut Guitar World column is all about country-fried rhythm guitar, but it's a lesson for any player who wants to understand pocket and groove
How to play surf music on guitar: 3 techniques that will make your playing sound authentic
This introduction to surf guitar will teach you the basics of the style popularized by Dick Dale, The Surfaris and The Ventures
How string skipping can present your playing with new melodic possibilities that were previously out of reach
String skipping can introduce fresh arpeggios and wide interval phrases to your playing. Look no further than Sweet Child O' Mine for an example of its musical effectiveness
“It’s like you’re hearing a song within a song”: How to turn a guitar solo into a mini composition
Ibanez signature artist Andy Timmons shows you how writing a solo is like writing a song, and why you should apply the same dynamics
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
