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Lessons
Latest about Lessons
How to get better at guitar – 10 proven ways to improve your playing fast
ByDre DiMuraPublished
5 lo-fi guitar chords to add to your progressions
ByRichard BarrettPublished
Unlocking the power of 7th chords: expand your guitar chords beyond the basics
ByStuart RyanPublished
How to weave crosspicking and Carter picking into your acoustic guitar playing
ByRichard BarrettPublished
Jared James Nichols on adding fingerstyle “snap, crackle and pop” to your sound with banjo rolls
ByJared James NicholsPublished
Don't let chord inversions bamboozle you. This lesson explains all (and 5 ways you can play a Bmaj7)
ByRichard BarrettPublished
How to play slap bass: an essential guide to slapping and popping
ByNick WellsPublished
Explore Lessons
Artist Lessons
Jared James Nichols on adding fingerstyle “snap, crackle and pop” to your sound with banjo rolls
ByJared James NicholsPublished
How to find new approaches to blues soloing – using fingerstyle improv ideas and Roy Buchanan-inspired licks
ByJim OblonPublished
![Joe Bonamassa [left] wears a deep blue suit and polka-dotted shirt and plays his green refin Strat; the late Irish blues legend Rory Gallagher [right] screams and inflicts some punishment on his heavily worn number one Stratocaster.](/image.pl?url=https%3a%2f%2fcdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net%2fcw28h7UBcTVfTLs7p7eiLe.jpg&f=jpg&w=240)
Joe Bonamassa pays tribute to the late, great Irish blues-rock icon Rory Gallagher
ByJoe BonamassaPublished
Think playing rhythm guitar is boring? Cory Wong is here to change your mind
ByCory WongPublished
By thumb-picking bass notes while playing a melody, you can be your own rhythm section – Jared James Nichols shows you how
ByJared James NicholsPublished
Jimmy Reed was one of the most influential blues guitarists to ever live – and his fingerpicking style makes an incredible launching pad for improvisation
ByJim OblonPublished
Joe Bonamassa explains the soloing secrets of his hero Gary Moore – and says no Moore, no Bonamassa
ByJoe BonamassaPublished
Dimebag Darrell wrote 42 lesson columns for Guitar World. Here’s the best advice he shared
ByDimebag DarrellPublished
Learn the soloing strategy that T-Bone Walker, B.B. King and Albert King all used, and will instantly make your blues solos sound more pro
ByJim OblonPublished
![Joe Bonamassa [left] wears a deep blue suit and polka-dotted shirt and plays his green refin Strat; the late Irish blues legend Rory Gallagher [right] screams and inflicts some punishment on his heavily worn number one Stratocaster.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cw28h7UBcTVfTLs7p7eiLe-800-80.jpg.webp)
Beginner Lessons
Beginners guitar lesson #1: How to hold the guitar, pick strings and fret your first note!
ByChris BirdPublished
Proggy pentatonic! How to use the good ol’ pentatonic scale in cool new ways
ByGuitar World StaffPublished
Start your or a loved one's guitar journey with 60% off Fender Play this Black Friday
ByJackson MaxwellPublished
5 essential strumming patterns for beginner guitar players
ByGary HeimbauerPublished
Where to start with learning acoustic guitar
ByJames GrimshawPublished
10 things every beginner guitarist needs to know
ByJenna ScaramangaLast updated
A parent's guide to buying a guitar for your child
ByDaryl RobertsonPublished
I used Fender Play for 8 weeks to learn the guitar from scratch – here’s how I got on
ByAnnie RobertsonPublished
How to play bass guitar for beginners: start playing today
ByNick WellsPublished
Chords
5 lo-fi guitar chords to add to your progressions
ByRichard BarrettPublished
Unlocking the power of 7th chords: expand your guitar chords beyond the basics
ByStuart RyanPublished
Don't let chord inversions bamboozle you. This lesson explains all (and 5 ways you can play a Bmaj7)
ByRichard BarrettPublished
How to introduce “murder mystery” guitar chords to your playing – without getting your fingers in a twist
ByRichard BarrettPublished
Embellishing guitar chords is the best way to liven up your rhythm work – learn 5 Eric Johnson-inspired chord voicings
ByRichard BarrettPublished
Confused about altered and extended guitar chords? Here’s the theory behind them – and how they can supercharge your songwriting
ByRichard BarrettPublished
How to understand the meaning behind guitar chord names – and why it matters
ByRichard BarrettPublished
5 ideas for how you can revoice guitar chords, and enhance your progressions
ByRichard BarrettPublished
Learn how polychords and slash chords hold the key to musical exploration, just as scales do
ByRichard BarrettPublished
Guitar Setup
Having problems with your shiny new guitar? Try these fixes first
ByDave BurrluckPublished
How to restring a ukulele in 14 easy steps
ByJack EllisPublished
How to restring a bass guitar: step-by-step guidance on changing your bass strings, from a professional guitar repairer
ByJack EllisPublished
Never underestimate the impact of fretboard radius – it dramatically affects the way your guitar plays
ByHuw PricePublished
“Try a higher string action until you get used to using it”: How to set up your guitar for slide
ByDave BurrluckPublished
How to choose the right guitar cable: from length and connector considerations, to whether you should build your own, here’s everything you need to know
ByConnor GodfreyPublished
8 ways to make your beginner acoustic guitar play and sound better
ByMatt McCrackenPublished
How to upgrade your Jazzmaster and Jaguar: mod tips and setup tricks
ByHuw PricePublished
How to set up your room for guitar recording success
ByIra SegallPublished
Musical Tips & Advice
6 signs it's time to upgrade from your first acoustic guitar
ByRoss HolderPublished
5 common excuses for not learning the guitar – and 5 body and mind-boosting reasons you should
ByRoss HolderPublished
Can’t figure out why your improvised solos don’t feel right? Here’s how to fix them
ByJustin SandercoePublished
![[L-R] A composite image of Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Joel Hoekstra, Marty Friedman all taking a solo live: Bumblefoot plays his double-neck. Hoekstra has his white Les Paul Custom. Friedman wears a plaid shirt and plays his PRS signature model.](/image.pl?url=https%3a%2f%2fcdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net%2fVPKUYFpK9bsjnQdzekheeb.jpg&f=jpg&w=240)
15 pro guitarists share their tips for memorizing music
ByJason SidwellPublished
Guitarists on Reddit are going nuts for this ingenious pick trick
ByMatt OwenPublished
How to Get Your Music on Spotify with Distrokid
ByGuitar World StaffPublished
Joe Satriani called on Eddie Van Halen’s techs to figure out how to make his Frankenstein playable
ByMatt OwenPublished
Tomo Fujita on what it was like to teach John Mayer – and how he indirectly helped him write Neon
ByPhil WellerPublished
“I’m always true to the melody”: Tommy Emmanuel on arrangement, performance and pursuing virtuosity
ByAndrew DalyPublished
![[L-R] A composite image of Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Joel Hoekstra, Marty Friedman all taking a solo live: Bumblefoot plays his double-neck. Hoekstra has his white Les Paul Custom. Friedman wears a plaid shirt and plays his PRS signature model.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VPKUYFpK9bsjnQdzekheeb-800-80.jpg.webp)
Song Lessons
Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani share the secrets behind 3 instrumental epics in these exclusive Guitar World lessons
ByMatt OwenPublished
Learn the brutal, evil-sounding rhythm style of Slayer's Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King
ByJamie HuntPublished
10 easy guitar songs for beginners
ByChris BirdPublished
Learn how to play a metal version of the Wellerman sea shanty
ByCharlie GriffithsPublished
Sick Riffs: Sam Rushton teaches you the fingerpicked math-rock frenzy of Orchards’ Peggy - with full tab!
ByMichael Astley-BrownPublished
Learn to play the Tetris theme, prog-metal style - with full tab and audio
ByCharlie GriffithsPublished
How to Play Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" Intro Riff
ByGuitar World StaffPublished
Five Pop Songs with Awesome Riffs (and How to Play Them)
ByGuitar World StaffPublished
Tom Petty's "American Girl": How to Play the High-Flying Outro Guitar Riffs
ByDamian FanelliPublished
Techniques
How to get better at guitar – 10 proven ways to improve your playing fast
ByDre DiMuraPublished
How to play slap bass: an essential guide to slapping and popping
ByNick WellsPublished
Bass chords: shapes that work on bass guitar – and go beyond the power chord
ByNick WellsPublished
How to use guitar volume swells like guitar legends Eddie Van Halen, Allan Holdsworth and Larry Carlton
ByJamie HumphriesPublished
Want to play Master of Puppets the right way? Here's how to get faster at downpicking so you can chug like James Hetfield
ByJamie HuntPublished
Learning how to bend strings correctly is one of the quickest ways to make your playing sound better
ByStuart RyanPublished
This easy chord trick appears on classic songs by the Beatles, the Eagles, Paul Simon and Passenger
ByStuart RyanPublished
Marcin's percussive fingerstyle is dropping jaws. The warm-ups that fuel his virtuosity are guaranteed to boost your own playing
ByJon BishopPublished
Rasgueado is a game-changing flamenco strumming technique – and it will give your picking hand a huge turbo boost
ByDeclan ZapalaPublished
More about Lessons
How to play slap bass: an essential guide to slapping and popping
ByNick WellsPublished
Bass chords: shapes that work on bass guitar – and go beyond the power chord
ByNick WellsPublished
How to use guitar volume swells like guitar legends Eddie Van Halen, Allan Holdsworth and Larry Carlton
ByJamie HumphriesPublished