
Amit Sharma
Amit has been writing for titles like Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Guitar World for over a decade and counts Richie Kotzen, Guthrie Govan and Jeff Beck among his primary influences. He's interviewed everyone from Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy to Slash and Jimmy Page, and once even traded solos with a member of Slayer on a track released internationally. As a session guitarist, he's played alongside members of Judas Priest and Uriah Heep in London ensemble Metalworks, as well as handling lead guitars for legends like Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols, The Faces) and Stu Hamm (Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, G3).
Latest articles by Amit Sharma

“When that song came out, it changed everything”: How Stone Temple Pilots created one of the great alternative rock anthems
By Amit Sharma published
Singer Scott Weiland called the track “a metaphor for a lost, obsessive relationship”

Why Cory Wong needed the signature wah pedal that could do it all
By Amit Sharma published
The funk guitar maestro explains why he needs a wah pedal, volume pedal and expression pedal in one housing – and what he would change about it if given the chance (hint: not much)

“Undoubtedly the most versatile lunchbox amp Victory has ever made”: Victory MKX review
By Amit Sharma published
The British amp specialist unveils its most advanced lunchbox amp to date

The groundbreaking hit that saved Faith No More’s career – and saved the life of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor
By Amit Sharma published
The enigmatic lyrics continually allude to “it” – while never quite articulating what “it” actually is

“An absolute steal when it comes to quality and value for money”: Harley Benton ST-Modern Carlos Asensio CGM review
By Amit Sharma published
The Guitarraviva YouTuber teams up with Harley Benton to deliver one of the most spec’d-out affordable guitars we’ve ever seen

“My advice is play the song. Can you find a part that is tailored to the music”: Cory Wong’s tips for better rhythm guitar
By Amit Sharma published
“If people like how I play the guitar – great. But I’ll only play what I feel is appropriate for the song”

How Cory Wong reimagined Ernie Ball Music Man’s iconic bass for a signature electric with “that George Benson sound”
By Amit Sharma published
With the funk guitar maestro’s signature StingRay II now available in an affordable Sterling By Music Man version, Wong checks in to talk about the making of a dual-humbucker doozy and what it gives him that the Strat can't

“It’s quite funny when people ask us what it means”: How Wet Leg's breakout hit was written in a single day
By Amit Sharma published
“We’d just hit our guitars sometimes. Actually hit them!”

“Prince told me, ‘You sound so great, man. Keep doing your thing’”: Cory Wong's encounters with The Purple One
By Amit Sharma published
“It was by far the biggest compliment I’ve ever gotten”

“I had no idea that song would become what it became": The hard-rocking Lenny Kravitz hit that’s full of surprises
By Amit Sharma published
“I’m singing ‘I am the chosen, I’m the one’, but it’s not about me – it’s about Christ”

“Avril and I thought, ‘Let’s just make up the most stupid opening line for a song’”: Avril Lavigne's “super special” hit
By Amit Sharma published
“I wrote it about my high school experience”

“I’d rather go in and just be Jaco”: The genius of Jaco Pastorius in one of the greatest jazz songs of all time
By Amit Sharma published
“One take, man! One of the greatest tunes ever”

“People who like that song aren’t actually fans of The Cure”: How Robert Smith created one of The Cure’s greatest hits
By Amit Sharma published
“I thought, why don’t I do a song about that Friday feeling?”

“It used to be, like, 25 minutes long!”: The classic Guns N’ Roses ballad inspired by Elton John
By Amit Sharma published
Rose called it “a song about not wanting to be in a state of unrequited love”

“I was the first person to actually have a Super Fuzz Big Muff”: How Courtney Love created a grunge classic
By Amit Sharma published
Hole’s song Violet came out just a week after Kurt Cobain’s suicide

“She sang it once. From a vocal standpoint, no one has that much courage”: How Alanis Morissette made You Oughta Know
By Amit Sharma published
"I thought maybe ten people would hear this song,” she said

“I would come into the studio and people didn’t want to listen to me”: Avril Lavigne’s fight to create her first big hit
By Amit Sharma published
It also kick-started the career of production team The Matrix

“ I was like, 'That’s like Elvis asking! Of course you let him do it!’”: The Depeche Mode classic loved by Johnny Cash
By Amit Sharma published
“It’s about believing in yourself. The answers are inside, if you dig deep enough”

Black Magic Woman: the legendary song that passed from Peter Green to Carlos Santana
By Amit Sharma published
"The original Fleetwood Mac used to knock me out,” Santana said

“We don’t use simulators because we’re a real band”: Why Justin Hawkins and The Darkness rock the old-fashioned way
By Amit Sharma published
And he reckons their next album could be their answer to Exile On Main St.

“It wasn’t anywhere close to being a single”: The classic track that defines John Mayer as a guitarist and a songwriter
By Amit Sharma published
“Without Pearl Jam there is no Slow Dancing In A Burning Room,” he said

“He wanted it to sound tinny, so he literally put the mic in a tin”: When The Darkness teamed up with Queen’s producer
By Amit Sharma published
They took a One Way Ticket To Hell... And Back

“If you’re fully naked on the street anywhere in America... jail:” Alanis Morissette's spiritual anthem and risky video
By Amit Sharma published
“I thought that fame and success would solve your problems"
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