Articles by: Total Guitar

First gig booked? Refresh yourself on the dos and don'ts of playing shows

By Total Guitar published 25 June 21

Back To Live: Refresh yourself on the essentials before hitting the stage again

Guitarists! Ace your soundcheck with our pre-gig checklist

By Total Guitar published 24 June 21

Back To Live: essential dos, don'ts and pre-show tips

Packing to play a show? Make sure you check this essential gig kit list first

By Total Guitar published 24 June 21

Back To Live: Don't forget your toothbrush, or your tuner...

Transform your guitar solos by breaking out of the stock pentatonic scale shape

By Total Guitar published 23 June 21

We show you how to cover more of the fretboard

Classic interview: James Hetfield – "I’m able to show Lars some drum stuff and he’s able to show me riff stuff"

By Total Guitar, Nick Cracknell published 21 June 21

The Metallica legend talks rhythm, riffs and whether alternate picking is a cop-out back in 2009

Play smoother guitar solos with these two legato exercises

By Total Guitar published 21 June 21

A handful of slippery legato lines will help hone your technique and bring new phrasing options to your solos

Classic interview: Jack White – “I’m drawn to the idea that the guitar is a tool that can be manipulated and treated with either respect or disgrace“

By Total Guitar last updated 27 July 21

In this in-depth chat from 2007, White talks about the recording of the White Stripes' Icky Thump, hails Nashville for keeping it real and explains why music is not fun

Learn 3 blues guitar turnarounds to enhance your playing

By Total Guitar published 31 May 21

Simple and timeless changeovers to try

16 great guitar chords with open strings

By Total Guitar last updated 27 May 21

Add some shimmer to your rhythm playing with open-string variations on simple chords

Learn Marty Friedman's spider powerchord shape

By Total Guitar published 26 May 21

Play faster and cleaner changes

Guitar lesson: hard rock and heavy metal guitar essentials

By Total Guitar last updated 26 May 21

Plus! 5 top tips for metal solos

10 tips on how to get your guitar playing position right

By Total Guitar published 26 May 21

Sitting, standing, posture and hand placement for chords and bends: get these right and it will help your guitar playing

All guitarists should try this rhythm exercise

By Total Guitar published 24 May 21

Know your eighth notes from your 16ths with this simple lesson

The ultimate minor pentatonic guitar lesson: all the skills to get started

By Total Guitar published 21 May 21

Start pentatonic runs with a benchmark test, essential techniques and blues, rock and shred licks to learn

Learn 20 blues, prog rock, folk and funk guitar chords

By Total Guitar published 20 May 21

Bring new flavours to your chord playing with this lesson - no matter what genre you play

Speed up your guitar playing in 3 steps

By Total Guitar published 20 May 21

You need to focus on one hand at a time and this lesson will show you how

How to bend in tune on your guitar like a pro every time

By Total Guitar published 19 May 21

Bending in tune separates the novice guitarists from the – these 12 short licks will take you to the next level

Guitar lesson: get started with string bends

By Total Guitar published 18 May 21

String bends can make your solos more lyrical and expressive. Get started with this simple guide...

Guitar tips: learn the vibrato of BB King, David Gilmour, Angus Young, Brian May, Steve Vai and Zakk Wylde

By Total Guitar published 17 May 21

Six guitar legends – six very different approaches

Learn to play guitar in 7 different acoustic styles including Delta blues, gypsy jazz, country, medieval, folk and bluegrass

By Total Guitar published 15 May 21

Start playing a new style today with these accessible lessons

Better legato lead playing in 20 minutes with this easy guitar lesson

By Total Guitar published 15 May 21

How to get some liquid legato lines into your guitar solos

Your first shred guitar lesson

By Total Guitar published 12 May 21

Getting to grips with legato and alternate picking

Master the melodic solo techniques of guitar's masters

By Total Guitar published 10 May 21

We profile the melody-laden tricks of Beck, May, Gilmour and more

Learn the guitar style of classic Smashing Pumpkins with these 3 exercises

By Total Guitar published 7 May 21

Billy Corgan and James Iha's cherub rocking octave riffs, arpeggios and lead lines

Jimi Hendrix guitar lesson: learn clean chords and psychedelic lead

By Total Guitar published 5 May 21

An introduction to the Hendrixian school of Strat playing