Guitar Techniques

1 min read

One of the many areas GT loves to focus on is topics that aren’t often explored. Take the Gary Moore cover feature on page 14; Gary was rightly admired for his blues and blues-rock songs but what of his hard rock phase? His Celtic leanings? Or his fo

NPR

4 min read

On his latest multigenre album, Clark is unapologetically angry. He tells NPR's Michel Martin what inspired it: "That's what came out as a result of ... life being black in this country."

JazzTimes

1 min read

In Common III Whirlwind It’s become a treat to discover what new three-piece rhythm section guitarist Matt Stevens and saxophonist Walter Smith III have assembled for their latest quintet recording under the In Common moniker. The co-leaders possess

UNCUT

3 min read

What first attracted you to the blues? There was a guitar in the house and it belonged to my older sisters. I picked it up and it just felt natural. Blues was just something that came from my curiosity about the guitar. I wanted to play everything I

Guitar Techniques

2 min read

At only 36 years old, it’s mindblowing to think that Jonny Lang has been as successful as he has for the last 20 years. Recording his first platinum record at just 15 years old, Lie To Me set him apart from the other blues prodigies of his day. An in

Total Guitar

1 min read

For a genre so deeply and tragically entrenched in history – stretching back one and a half centuries – the blues finds itself in a defiantly rude state of health in 2020. The world is a very different place now, and still far from perfect, though tr

Guitarist

2 min read

Tutor Richard Barrett | Gear used Atkin J45T Difficulty | 15 mins per example AS ENAMOURED AS WE ARE with loud electric guitars, there is something incredibly satisfying about sitting down with an acoustic and creating a self-contained piece of mus

Guitarist

2 min read

Difficulty 10 mins per example Tutor: Richard Barrett | Gear used: Knaggs Choptank, Supro Galaxy HOWEVER MUCH WE MIGHT move with the times, there will always be an audience for epic guitar solos. Joe Bonamassa and John Mayer seem to have no tro

Guitarist

1 min read

Robben is a real master of the style we’re looking at this month, bringing a jazzy sophistication to authentic blues licks, and using a tone that is satisfyingly overdriven but never over the top. Check his playing on Rugged Road and When I Leave Her

Classic Rock

3 min read

Deep In The Blues Again If all mid-life crises generated music like this, then they might actually be welcomed. Joe’s heart is worn eloquently on his sleeve in the lyrics here, while musically it’s all sweet, up-tempo bluesy heartland rock. For an ar

Guitar World

1 min read

THE BLUES HAS been an essential part of Austin-based Jackie Venson’s repertoire since she started playing guitar almost a decade ago. She specifically embraced the sheer intensity of electric Texas-based blues. “Every time I hear a Texas blues player

Guitarist

1 min read

John Scofield is probably more known to jazz than blues, but he brings a lot of blues to his music in the form of string bends and distorted tones that would not be considered particularly jazzy! Check out his phrasing on the title track, which uses

Guitar Techniques

1 min read

Street Allure Friend of GT Allen hooks up with Steely Dan’s live guitarist for a workout on this brand new tune. Allemande Declan Zapala takes over from Bridget Mermikides with this fine piece of lute music from ‘the master’. The blues and jazz origi

Total Guitar

1 min read

Where would the blues be without Joe Bonamassa? It’s hard to say, but there’s no denying the 42-year-old virtuoso has dedicated his life to the cause, starting out as a young prodigy mentored by the likes of BB King and Danny Gatton to eventually bec

Total Guitar

2 min read

Christmas came early for blues fans back in August when it was teased that Eric Gales and Joe Bonamassa would be going head-to-head in what looked more like a boxing match than a musical collaboration. When the video finally arrived a few months late

NPR

1 min read

Daughter of blues royalty Johnny Copeland, Shemekia Copeland graces the Mountain Stage with musical grit and three Grammy nominations to back it up.

New Zealand Listener

2 min read

When Mississippi-born Son House was rediscovered in the early 1960s, he was 62, working as a cook, on the skids through alcoholism, didn’t own a guitar and hadn’t played music for years. But the renewed interest saw him touring again, with medication

Total Guitar

1 min read

“I’ve had a lot of mentors in my life. New York City and Harlem isn’t really a big blues town compared to Chicago or Texas or Memphis, so a lot of my inspiration came from listening to records. Thanks to YouTube I’ve spent countless hours watching th

Guitar Techniques

1 min read

Missed one of our recent fabulous issues? Get one now while stocks last. To celebrate Issue 300 we bring you five licks from the top guitarists in 10 different styles: 50 Licks Of The Legends! There’s a whole new lickbag for you here! Plus: learn two

Guitar Techniques

1 min read

Splash The Stash The amazing Top Gun guitarist joins GT for a one-off video masterclass to play and explain his brilliant solo. Dance Of The Miller Declan Zapala arranges and transcribes this legendary Flamenco piece to challenge and inspire you. Jaz

Guitarist

2 min read

Difficulty 15 mins per example Tutor: Richard Barrett | Gear used: Haynes Fidelity, Vox AC15 C1 THIS MONTHS’ HEADLINES leans toward a modern country style, but also takes inspiration from a 70s/Little Feat funky feel in terms of its backing trac

Guitarist

2 min read

Following last year’s debut showcase of Provogue Records’ blues rock talent featuring Eric Gales, Lance Lopez, Gary Hooey and Quinn Sullivan, the 2019 edition hits London next month and it doesn’t disappoint. Jonny Lang makes a welcome return to the

Guitar Techniques

1 min read

If you are one of our more eagled-eyed readers, you’ll see that we’ve put Jeff Beck in the spotlight twice this issue. This wasn’t unintentional as our appreciation of the sunglass wearing Strat player is immense, not just because of his placement in

Australian HiFi

3 min read

‘Great guitar hopes’ does a reductive disservice to the brilliance of Wolf Alice. They’ve bagged two No.2 albums and the 2018 Mercury Prize (for 2017’s Visions Of A Life) by being the evolutionary leap into an era where alt.rock, psychedelia, dream p

Total Guitar

1 min read

Be honest with yourself, how often do you start a solo with a stock pre-prepared lick? Let’s face it, we all do it sometimes. Well, why not make use of those familiar, well-practised licks because 90 per cent of the time there’s more mileage in them

NPR

3 min read

On her bustling third album, the former Carolina Chocolate Drops member maps her vision of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora while gently taking Anglocentricism (and capitalism) down a notch.

UNCUT

1 min read

“I discovered him on that boxset Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues , and I studied him a lot to figure out acoustic blues. This album has always stood out to me. It’s a really strong representation of what’s possible with just a voice and a guitar.”

Wanderlust

1 min read

This weekly bluegrass jam held in an 1880 country store in the small town of Granville, is like walking onto a film set: vintage 1950s posters, patchwork quilts, folks in denim dungarees walking around without a hint of irony. It starts each Saturday

Guitarist

1 min read

On this, his final studio album, BB embellishes between his soulful vocals in a way that can be related back to our featured examples. Check out I Get So Weary, How Many More Years and Backwater Blues to hear how he manages to negotiate through major

Guitar Techniques

1 min read

We start with a very slow 12-bar blues in the key of A. In terms of vocabulary, you’ll get off to a great start by hitting up the good old A Minor Pentatonic scale (A-C-DE-G) and using slides, vibrato, hammer-ons and pull-offs. This slow blues balla