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

Guitar round table - Supersonic Blues Machine: "The blues appears very simple on first glance, but there are some real complexities to this artform"

By Amit Sharma published

ZZ Top honcho Billy F Gibbons & friends look at the roots of guitar music

Angel Vivaldi's top 5 tips for guitarists: "If you can’t write a riff or a song, you can play guitar until you are blue in the face and it will be for nothing"

By Amit Sharma published

Instrumental virtuoso talks songwriting, technique and channelling your influences

Pixies' Joey Santiago: "I was afraid people would tell me I never grew up as a guitar player... but f**k it, so what?"

By Amit Sharma published

The anarchic guitarist reflects on perfecting the art of the anti-solo and recording landmark debut Surfer Rosa with Steve Albini

Steven Wilson: "I fall in love with music more than the tools to make it"

By Amit Sharma published

Leading prog light on how gear influences his guitar playing, what he looks for in musicians and his spellbinding Royal Albert Hall show

Rabea Massaad’s top 5 tips for guitarists: "The more you listen to what you do, the better a guitar player you become"

By Amit Sharma published

Unlock your creativity with the YouTube star and Toska soundscaper’s advice

Polyphia: "We make rap music through guitars"

By Amit Sharma published

Timothy Henson and Scott LePage on their genre-splicing, mind-bending songwriting and techniques

Jeff Schroeder: "The Smashing Pumpkins guitar sound is very unique in terms of what’s required"

By Amit Sharma published

Long-time SP guitarist on honing the band's triple-axe assault with Billy Corgan and James Iha

Tom Morello: "The idea was to fight back against this world of radio with no electric guitar anymore"

By Amit Sharma published

Rage Against The Machine's sonic revolutionary reveals the guitar ideology behind star-studded solo album The Atlas Underground

Walking Papers' Jeff Angell: my guide to the best Seattle guitar albums

By Amit Sharma published

Frontman shares his grunge-era faves

Rammstein’s Paul Landers: "I’ve always been the no-amp guy! I have never really bothered with them"

By Amit Sharma published

German metal titan on his signature Tech 21 Fly Rig and tone secrets

Fantastic Negrito: "I want the guitar tone that makes it feel like you’re in a club that you may get stabbed in"

By Amit Sharma published

Grammy-winning songwriter Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz tells his incredible career, gear and recording story

Slash: "Technique can become the main aspiration, but for me, it’s more about expressing some sort of emotional content"

By Amit Sharma published

The guitar legend talks technique, relearning old classics and the future of Guns N' Roses

James Bay – The World Guitar Day interview: "I don’t want to copy. I want to find new ways to make people hear the guitar"

By Amit Sharma published

Award-winning and chart-topping British singer/songwriter James Bay explains how playing guitar changed his life...

Tom Morello: "The guitar itself, independent of any lyrics, can be politically revolutionary"

By Amit Sharma published

Rage Against The Machine legend Tom Morello explains how we can all use the guitar as a force for good…

Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka: "I think the guitar still has a lot of evolving to do"

By Amit Sharma published

If Greta Van Fleet are the new Led Zeppelin, that makes Jake Kiszka today’s answer to Jimmy Page. Here he explains how the guitar helped unleash the magic inside of him and keep demons at bay...

Testament/Dragonlord's Eric Peterson - my top 5 tips for guitarists: "I think of my right hand as the drum within my playing; it's in charge of the beat"

By Amit Sharma published

Metal titan talks warm-up secrets, rhythmic mastery and his six-string partnership with Alex Skolnick

Session ace Monte Pittman’s top 5 tips for guitarists: "Versatility is a huge thing for me. If I just did one style, I don’t know if I would have survived this long"

By Amit Sharma published

In-demand player on the merits of diversity, the key to faster speed-picking and teaching Madonna to play Pantera

Uriah Heep’s Mick Box: "I try to stay away from the scales and just go with my heart"

By Amit Sharma published

Rock stalwart reflects on his fluid guitar approach, the band's 25th album and… wah-wah shoes

Production legend Michael Beinhorn: my 12 career-defining records

By Amit Sharma published

Reflections on working with Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Marilyn Manson and much, much more...

Alex Skolnick: "Being on a track with Joe Satriani made it feel very real - time to up the game!"

By Amit Sharma published

Testament guitar ace on Metal Allegiance's star-studded second album

Code Orange: “We don’t give a s**t about what the typical structure should be; it’s about what we feel is right for our sound”

By Amit Sharma published

We speak to the Grammy-nominated hardcore band

The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord: the 10 guitar albums that blew my mind

By Amit Sharma published

Prog mage names his faves

Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal’s top tips for guitarists: “Learn things that aren’t guitar solos - learn horn parts, violin pieces or piano parts on your guitar”

By Amit Sharma published

Sons Of Apollo's six-string virtuoso talks technique

Richie Kotzen: “You should be able to solo in any key, major or minor, if you plan on playing music”

By Amit Sharma published

The guitar guru shares his thoughts on lead work, legato and what's lacking in many players

5 minutes alone - Sevendust's Clint Lowery: "Steve Vai broadened my perspective on what could be done with the guitar"

By Amit Sharma published

On teachers, touring and terrible gigs

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