Amit Sharma

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).

Articles by: Amit Sharma

Jordan Rudess: "To go from not practising the guitar much at all to trying an eight-string was definitely intense"

By Amit Sharma published

The Dream Theater wizard talks combining guitar and keyboard on solo album Wired For Madness

5 minutes alone - Gus G: “The biggest misconception about me is that I’m this mechanical shred machine”

By Amit Sharma published

A glimpse into the mind of a metal guitar maestro

Jonny Lang's top 5 tips for guitarists: "Think of solos like a conversation"

By Amit Sharma published

Tele-toting bluesman reveals his solo and tone secrets

Alexi Laiho’s top 5 tips for guitarists: "The metronome is a relentless tool. It won’t give you a break if your fingers start to hurt"

By Amit Sharma last updated

Children Of Bodom’s shredmaster general on the importance of practising and being open to pop

Phil Demmel: “I think Slayer saved my musical career in some way”

By Amit Sharma published

The metal axe-slinger on his new signature Jackson guitar, filling in for Gary Holt and life after Machine Head

Dave Keuning: “Learn more voicings if you want to express different emotions through your guitar”

By Amit Sharma published

The Killers’ guitarist on his chart-topping career, how to expand your chordal knowledge and his love of Metallica

Dave Mustaine: “I suck at a lot of things, like walking across a tightrope, but I definitely don’t suck at guitar!”

By Amit Sharma last updated

The Megadeth leader on his Jimi Hendrix wah experience and the thrash titans' mammoth 35th anniversary boxset

Mark Morton's top 5 tips for guitarists: “It’s not about playing as fast as you can, but assessing what kind of pulse you want a riff to have”

By Amit Sharma published

Lamb Of God guitarist talks technique, gear and influences as he stretches out on solo album Anesthetic

Rig tour: Marcus King

By Amit Sharma published

The young South Carolina blues ace invites us into his world of tone…

Donna Grantis: "It’s all about rhythmic precision and the attack on your notes - that's one of the things Prince instilled in me"

By Amit Sharma published

The Purple One's guitar player talks lessons learned, her Starship pedalboard and branching out on Diamonds & Dynamite

Yngwie Malmsteen: “There was no moment where I thought I should hold back or play slower”

By Amit Sharma published

The neoclassical shred guitar legend talks gear, speed and his no-holds-barred blues album

Matt Harris: "The Mike Shinoda gig involves big stages and singing someone else’s iconic parts… It's quite nerve-wracking!"

By Amit Sharma published

Mike Shinoda's right-hand man on tackling Linkin Park's guitar parts and Chester Bennington's formidable vocal lines

Tesla's Dave Rude: "Whenever I write a solo, I want it to be memorable and melodic, even if it’s at insane speeds"

By Amit Sharma published

The hard-rock guitarist on his signature Epiphone and working with Phil Collen on new album Shock

Geezer Butler: “Drugs never made me play better. I’d think so at the time - then when listening to it back sober, I’d have to redo everything”

By Amit Sharma published

Five decades since forming Black Sabbath, Geezer Butler reflects on a legacy like no other

Nita Strauss: “To be the first female Ibanez signature artist - that’s what I’ve dreamed of since the very beginning”

By Amit Sharma published

We talk to the trailblazing, 'board-shredding guitarist

Within Temptation: "Most guitarists need to focus on rhythm if they want to become a professional musician"

By Amit Sharma published

Ruud Jolie and Stefan Helleblad detail the gear and playing philosophy behind the Dutch symphonic metal juggernauts

Architects: “Tom is there throughout the album in ambient tracks, clean parts and more”

By Amit Sharma published

Josh Middleton and Adam Christianson talk Tom Searle's legacy, precision riffing and Holy Hell

Vivian Campbell: "For the first time in my professional career, I actually planned my solos!"

By Amit Sharma published

The Def Leppard six-stringer on Last In Line's lead-loaded return and recording Dio's Rainbow In The Dark

Cory Wong's top 5 tips for guitarists: "What separates the amateurs from the pros is how you find the perfect part for the song"

By Amit Sharma published

Vulfpeck's funk machine on the secret to slick guitar solos and why every player needs to work on their timing

Ola Englund and Sithu Aye: “You need to find your own voice and ideas... That’s what the audience clings onto”

By Amit Sharma published

We join two modern metal guitar gurus to talk social media, music and tracking

Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt: 10 live albums that blew my mind

By Amit Sharma published

Prog maestro picks faves from his expansive record collection

Zakk Wylde's 10 tips for guitarists

By Amit Sharma last updated

"If you have great technique but terrible vibrato, it ruins the whole thing"

A Perfect Circle's Billy Howerdel: the 10 guitar albums that blew my mind

By Amit Sharma published

Alt-rock trailblazer reveals the inspirations behind his masterful approach to guitar textures

Joe Satriani's career in gear: "Don’t worry about Peavey vs Marshall; worry about what sets you free"

By Amit Sharma published

Shred sage shares essential electrics, amps and pedals from 30 years of instrumental guitar mastery

Rammstein's Richard Z. Kruspe: "I can be such a geek when it comes to guitar sounds"

By Amit Sharma published

The German guitar hero dishes the dirt on the latest Emigrate album and the secrets of the Rammstein sound

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