How to tell if you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced guitar player By Justin Sandercoe published 14 March 23 How many of us know exactly where we're at with the instrument? Renowned six-string educator Justin Sandercoe explains all
5 ways to play a blues turnaround on guitar By Jenna Scaramanga published 13 March 23 Give your solos a satisfying ending with these foolproof lead ideas
Deep Purple almost lost the legendary Smoke on the Water riff because of armed police storming their studio By Matt Owen published 13 March 23 Despite having a self-imposed 10pm noise curfew while recording in Montreux's Pavilion, the band continued playing until four in the morning – and the resulting “racket” riled up some unhappy locals
Watch John Mayer reunite with his Fender Jimi Hendrix Monterey Stratocaster for first blues trio performance in 6 years By Matt Owen published 13 March 23 It was also the first time Mayer's PRS Silver Sky received an outing during a trio gig – and the era-spanning tones on display were second-to-none
John Frusciante says this YouTuber’s mindblowing theory on the secret to his Scar Tissue sound is... dead on By Matt Parker published 10 March 23 The Red Hot Chili Peppers man says Paul Davids’ idea about his Scar Tissue tuning is absolutely right – he just didn’t know he’d done it
Get a month of Guitar Tricks online lessons for just $1 By Matt McCracken published 10 March 23 This exclusive offer for Guitar World readers gives you access to over 11,000 lessons – all for less than the cost of some new guitar picks
Al Di Meola: “Les Paul would get on his knees to get an up-close look at my hands and say, 'Do that again – I don’t understand how you just played that!'” By Matt Owen published 10 March 23 The fusion virtuoso recalled the time Les Paul offered up some especially high praise for his playing style, saying the entire experience was “almost like a dream”
The ultimate Jimmy Page guitar lesson: learn every aspect of the Led Zeppelin legend’s playing By Jon Bishop published 10 March 23 Take a deep dive into the electric and acoustic techniques of one of the most influential blues, rock and folk guitarists of all time – and learn to incorporate them in your own style
Watch session legend Paul Jackson Jr. discuss recording Beat It and Get Lucky – and reveal the amp that was “the Dumble before there was a Dumble” By Matt Parker published 10 March 23 The session guitar icon breaks down his parts on hits with Michael Jackson, Kenny Loggins, Daft Punk and The Weeknd
Steve Hackett on discovering two-hand tapping: "It's the guitar-playing equivalent of splitting the atom – it influenced more people than I could have possibly imagined" By Andrew Daly published 9 March 23 One of prog's greatest players reflects on pioneering the revolutionary soloing technique, and shares his thoughts on the Genesis reunion tour – and what the band would have sounded like had he stayed
Session guitar legend Eddie Martinez shares the studio secrets behind classic records from Run-D.M.C., Mick Jagger, Robert Palmer and David Lee Roth By Andrew Daly published 9 March 23 Martinez looks back on soundtracking some of the biggest hits of the '80s – including working with Jeff Beck on Mick Jagger's She's the Boss, breaking down musical barriers with Run-D.M.C. and playing Live Aid – and explains why he thinks guitar is yet to be properly represented in hip-hop
Watch Bonnie Raitt leave B.B. King in awe with a series of stunning slide solos at the House of Blues Chicago in 2004 By Jackson Maxwell published 8 March 23 King once said that Raitt was the “best damn slide player working today”
5 soloing lessons you can learn from Zakk Wylde By Charlie Griffiths published 8 March 23 There’s no rest for the wicked in Wylde’s world of fast alternate picking and pinched harmonics. It's time to light up the 'board in the style of Ozzy Osbourne's longstanding shredder-in-chief
Steve Vai recalls the time an A&R rep told him to ditch the pinch harmonics because they sound “like a dying whale” By Matt Owen published 8 March 23 Some unsolicited six-string advice sought to veto Vai's use of the humble harmonic squeal – though was met with a frank response from the guitarist himself
Watch Pedalpocalypse, Season 1 By Scott Rowley published 7 March 23 Every episode of "the Desert-Island-Discs but for pedals", starring Vai, Trout, Smith, Krasno, Fletcher, Grossi and McKeon, in one binge-able place
How to create fluid streams of notes like Eric Johnson by combining economy picking with legato pentatonics By Andy G Jones published 6 March 23 Let's talk about sextuplets, baby... and all the good things they can do for your lead phrasing when combined with a Johnson-esque picking strategy
Gary Rossington 1951-2023: the guitar world pays tribute By Matt Owen published 6 March 23 Joe Bonamassa, James Hetfield, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and more have paid tribute to the influential Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist, who has died aged 71
Gary Rossington recalls the making of 10 landmark Lynyrd Skynyrd tracks: “The more wild experiences you have the better songs you can write” By Alan Paul published 6 March 23 In this classic interview, the late Southern rock icon discusses Ronnie Van Zant's habit of writing lyrics in the shower, how Sweet Home Alabama started as a joke and why the band's record label begged them not to include Free Bird on their debut album
David Lindley, legendary multi-instrumentalist and slide guitar master, dies aged 78 By Michael Astley-Brown published 4 March 23 Best known for his slide work with Jackson Browne, Lindley also collaborated with the likes of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Toto and Joe Walsh
Joe Bonamassa introduces you to the playing of Pee Wee Crayton, one of the most underrated blues guitarists of the 20th century By Joe Bonamassa published 3 March 23 Armed with a Fiesta Red Strat and a dynamic style, Crayton was a powerhouse of '50s blues guitar. This lesson takes you inside Bonamassa's interpretation of the Crayton classic Win-O