Tuition archive

November 2024

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21 articles

November 29
- He's one of the most technically proficient of all prog rock guitarists, and his guitar parts would take several lifetimes to fully comprehend. Dare you enter the court of the Crimson King, Robert Fripp?
November 28
- “Perfect for campfire songs or late-night singalongs”: If you play acoustic guitar, you need to learn how to strum – here are 5 essential strumming patterns for beginner players
November 27
- “Sometimes it’s not what you play, it’s how you play it”: Palm-muting is the secret to good funk guitar – here’s how you can use it to funkify chords, double-stops and single notes
November 26
- “I played the tapped section on the demo almost as a joke, but my engineer said, ‘That has to be on the record!’” Tapping on a country album? Don't knock it ’til you’ve tried it, says Andy Wood
November 25
- “He was able to make each note sound so big. When I formed my first trio the first place my mind would go was the sound of Leslie West’s guitar”: Jared James Nichols explains why Mountain man Leslie West was the “king of heavy”
November 22
- Blues-rock legend Michael Landau has made harmonic changes his calling card – and this lesson in his sophisticated soloing style demonstrates how you can, too
November 21
- A master of making major key licks sound moody, Mark Knopfler is one of guitar’s true alchemists – take your melodic phrasing to new heights with this lesson in the Dire Straits icon’s soloing style
November 19
- Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force changed the game with its jaw-dropping display of mechanical mastery, classical themes, and reckless, extended soloing – celebrate 40 years of his essential debut with this neo-classical shred masterclass
November 18
- “I’m playing a nice old Gibson ES-335 through Lowell George’s Dumble amplifier…” Joe Bonamassa brings out the holy grail gear to explain how to get into a slow blues jam – and, crucially, how you can get out of it
November 15
- A working knowledge of adventurous chord alternatives is a crucial yet underrated skill. Here are 5 ideas for how you can revoice guitar chords, and enhance your progressions
November 13
- “His style draws from the best of the best of jazz guitar through the ages”: This in-depth tutorial inspired by the great Bruce Forman will expand your lick vocabulary and harmonic understanding, and boost your improv skills
November 12
- “My solos are more like rolling scales than the call-and-response of blues riffs... I used to analyze the progression. If I didn’t like what was available, I’d play as weird as possible”: How Randy Rhoads reinvented classical guitar for metal
November 11
- “It isn’t unrealistic to try with your usual setup, provided you’re not using eights with a 1mm action”: Upgrade your blues chops now with this lesson in how to play slide guitar in standard tuning
- “I thought Billy was the coolest guitarist I’d ever heard, and that opinion hasn’t changed in 50 years”: Add some Texas blues sizzle to your lead playing with this lesson in Billy Gibbons' sweet soloing style
November 9
- Dave Keuning’s uncanny ability to craft huge songs like Mr. Brightside from simple melodies is at the heart of the Killers’ blockbuster sound – here’s how you can use his rhythm approach and hook-filled lead style
November 8
- Players like Larry Carlton use chords as a launching pad for improvisation, and you can, too. Learn how polychords and slash chords hold the key to musical exploration, just as scales do
- “An unapologetic approach to thrash rhythmic precision”: Weaponize your picking hand with this lesson in the bruising thrash-stomp riffing style of Anthrax rhythm kingpin Scott Ian
November 6
- It worked for the Beatles on Yesterday and it can work for you, too – here’s how to use the melodic minor scale to add intrigue to your songwriting and glide over minor chord progressions
November 5
- “McLaughlin’s ferocious picking and mastery of the fretboard raised the bar for what could be achieved on the guitar”: Learn the trailblazing style of John McLaughlin, one of the true pioneers of jazz-rock fusion
November 4
- Think punk is just power chords and rubbish technique? Think again – here are 10 lessons you can learn from the last 50 years of punk
November 1
- “The idea of the ‘rhythm’ side and the ‘lead’ side as distinctly separate entities has become somewhat blurred”: Mateus Asato is a modern master of combined rhythm and lead playing – he shares his poetic soloing secrets