Having a choice of top-quality effects pedals provides you with more options when it comes to creating unique tones with your guitar. Whether you require a subtle boost to emphasize a melody or you need spacey ambient effects to build tension, the single most effective way to achieve this is with pedals. Effects pedals can …
Buying a new acoustic guitar is always a good time, but if you are not an experienced guitarist or your budget is somewhat limited it can be tricky. There are a lot of things to know and look for to ensure you end up with a guitar you’re happy with. There are such a large …
In the long, storied history of the electric guitar, few artists have blended classical and metal styles with the ferocity and melodic sensibility of Yngwie Malmsteen. Sweden’s shred-meister general took the lightning-fast technique of Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads and amplified it through his own baroque sensibility. Malmsteen continues to inspire awe and envy …
Derek Trucks is one of the purest blues guitarists in the world. With soul shredding slide guitar licks as a trademark for his encompassing style, he followed in, and some may even say outdid, the footsteps of his uncle, Butch Trucks, founder of the Allman Brothers Band. Trucks’ musical style is rather diverse, but it’s …
Well into the late 1970s and early 1980s, an underground new wave of heavy metal was brewing with some of the most remarkable guitarists, each inevitably ascending to Rock legend status. One of the most notable of the era was a young and energetic Dave Mustaine. Also known for his short tenure with Metallica, Mustaine …
Steve Vai, innovator of “stunt guitar” and mercurial, enigmatic solo artist. His unique playing style is rooted firmly in precision and infinite expression, and over five decades remains at the forefront of potent shred guitar. Appropriately, his first job as a guitarist came with Frank Zappa, who often referred to Vai, then aged eighteen, as …
The 1990s brought attention to international underground music scenes, with new divergent genres making an entry to the alternative game and breaking into a new scheme. The earlier half of the decade delved romantically into anti-pop tendencies. Smells Like Teen Spirit’s massive airplay and unexpected success had major record labels looking to tap the commercial …
Hollow body guitars are often associated with jazz and blues music, but you’ll find them played across many different genres. While we still have the likes of Pat Metheny, George Benson, John Scofield, and Lee Ritenour delivering some very smooth jazz tones, rock musicians like Dave Grohl, Jack White, and Johnny Marr are also known …
As an integral part of any style of music, your role as a bass player will be to glue the band together and create a bridge between rhythm and harmony, laying down the foundations for both. Choosing a bass guitar isn’t an easy task if you don’t know what brands and features to look for. …
Creed and Alter Bridge’s guitarist Mark Tremonti has garnered recognition and prestige not only for his technical playing ability, which he has heaps of, but also for his incredible songwriting skills and musical sensibility. Having written some monumentally successful songs, including the Grammy award-winning “With Arms Wide Open” by Creed, Tremonti was awarded the 2015 …