Players Roland Orzabal reveals how a chance guitar riff resulted in the Tears for Fears monster hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” Jimi Hendrix shares his struggles with guitar in a 1968 Guitar Player interview Hendrix also discussed problems with his Stratocaster and band mates and offered advice for young musicians Steve Stevens: The 10 Albums That Made Me a Guitarist The guitarist behind Billy Idol's groundbreaking albums reveals the albums that shaped him as a musician Latest Players Scott Henderson on trombone-emulating pedals, and balancing dense arrangements with blues progressions By Bill Milkowski published 1 July 24 Scott Henderson spent lockdown training his ears and building improv skills. As his new album, Karnevel!, shows, his jazz chops reached new heights, but his blues-rock roots remain as strong as ever Walter Trout is healthier and playing better than ever, but he’s still being dragged down by the world around him By Mark McStea published 27 June 24 On Broken, Trout – with some help from Dee Snider and a ’60s Coral electric sitar – tries to bring hope in a divided world through some of the most fiery licks of his career Blue Öyster Cult's Buck Dharma on the stories behind (Don’t Fear) The Reaper, and other BÖC classics By Gary Graff published 24 June 24 Less cowbell, more songs – the Blue Öyster Cult guitarist goes deep on the writing and recording of some of the band's greatest tunes How Amos Garrett and switching away from a Strat helped Glenn Tilbrook write Squeeze’s Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) By Joe Bosso published 21 June 24 Though most of Squeeze’s breakthrough US hit came easy for Tilbrook, its solo took the guitarist out of his usual comfort zone David Gilmour reflects on Syd Barrett, and Pink Floyd's Live 8 reunion By Mark Ellen published 27 May 24 “The years in what is now considered to be our heyday were 95 percent musically fulfilling and joyous and full of fun and laughter – and I don’t want to let the other five percent color my view of what was a long and fantastic time together” Betty Davis's self-titled debut album is essential funk guitar listening By Jim Campilongo published 17 May 24 This oft-overlooked, and recently-reissued, album sprang from the early '70s Bay Area music scene, which featured some of the best funk ever played by human hands With a spunky vintage National resonator, Tinsley Ellis has finally gone acoustic By Gary Graff published 16 May 24 Though he often feels, when called to the stage to start a solo show, “like the executioner has arrived to take me to the gallows,” Ellis's new acoustic album, Naked Truth, finds the veteran guitarist right at home without accompaniment Marshall Crenshaw looks back on the making of his masterpiece, Field Day By Christopher Scapelliti published 14 May 24 With the help of producer-of-the-moment Steve Lillywhite, Marshall Crenshaw made the guitar album of his dreams. Critics, however, panned its production, halting his rising career. Four decades later, Field Day is finally being reappraised How Guitar Player's Spotlight column made Yngwie Malmsteen a guitar hero overnight By Matt Blackett published 14 May 24 “It wasn’t just the notes in his playing, but the energy and the attitude behind them,” tastemaker and Spotlight author Mike Varney told GP Meet Max Light, the jazz guitarist who loves Coltrane, Miles, and Meshuggah in equal measure By Bill Milkowski published 9 May 24 The Brooklyn-based virtuoso is unafraid to challenge himself – see his mind-boggling re-interpretation of Coltrane’s 26-2, and tunes so challenging he could only get through one take in the studio – but is nonetheless a “serial monogamist” when it comes to his beloved Collings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Archives Get The Pick NewsletterAll the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors LATEST ARTICLES1"I tuned the E string down to D and came up with this riff. I didn't really think anything of it." Roland Orzabal reveals how a chance guitar line on his detuned Fender Strat led to Tears for Fears' monster hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”2“Sometimes you are going to be so frustrated you'll hate the guitar. But all of this is just a part of learning." Jimi Hendrix explains his struggles with guitar in a 1968 Guitar Player interview3“They're perfectly situated between .010 and .011 sets — big enough to get great tone, but nimble enough to finesse those vocal bends guitar players are always going for." John Mayer's new signature Ernie Ball string set has unbelievably precise gauges 4Steve Stevens on Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and the 10 Albums That Made Him a Guitarist: “One guy knew ‘Black Dog,’ and the other guy knew 'Rock and Roll.’ I was in my first garage band and I couldn’t wait to play those songs.”5"I couldn’t plug my Telecaster into my amp because the lady upstairs always complained about noise!" The writer of Steppenwolf's “Born to Be Wild” reveals the song's secret history
Scott Henderson on trombone-emulating pedals, and balancing dense arrangements with blues progressions By Bill Milkowski published 1 July 24 Scott Henderson spent lockdown training his ears and building improv skills. As his new album, Karnevel!, shows, his jazz chops reached new heights, but his blues-rock roots remain as strong as ever
Walter Trout is healthier and playing better than ever, but he’s still being dragged down by the world around him By Mark McStea published 27 June 24 On Broken, Trout – with some help from Dee Snider and a ’60s Coral electric sitar – tries to bring hope in a divided world through some of the most fiery licks of his career
Blue Öyster Cult's Buck Dharma on the stories behind (Don’t Fear) The Reaper, and other BÖC classics By Gary Graff published 24 June 24 Less cowbell, more songs – the Blue Öyster Cult guitarist goes deep on the writing and recording of some of the band's greatest tunes
How Amos Garrett and switching away from a Strat helped Glenn Tilbrook write Squeeze’s Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) By Joe Bosso published 21 June 24 Though most of Squeeze’s breakthrough US hit came easy for Tilbrook, its solo took the guitarist out of his usual comfort zone
David Gilmour reflects on Syd Barrett, and Pink Floyd's Live 8 reunion By Mark Ellen published 27 May 24 “The years in what is now considered to be our heyday were 95 percent musically fulfilling and joyous and full of fun and laughter – and I don’t want to let the other five percent color my view of what was a long and fantastic time together”
Betty Davis's self-titled debut album is essential funk guitar listening By Jim Campilongo published 17 May 24 This oft-overlooked, and recently-reissued, album sprang from the early '70s Bay Area music scene, which featured some of the best funk ever played by human hands
With a spunky vintage National resonator, Tinsley Ellis has finally gone acoustic By Gary Graff published 16 May 24 Though he often feels, when called to the stage to start a solo show, “like the executioner has arrived to take me to the gallows,” Ellis's new acoustic album, Naked Truth, finds the veteran guitarist right at home without accompaniment
Marshall Crenshaw looks back on the making of his masterpiece, Field Day By Christopher Scapelliti published 14 May 24 With the help of producer-of-the-moment Steve Lillywhite, Marshall Crenshaw made the guitar album of his dreams. Critics, however, panned its production, halting his rising career. Four decades later, Field Day is finally being reappraised
How Guitar Player's Spotlight column made Yngwie Malmsteen a guitar hero overnight By Matt Blackett published 14 May 24 “It wasn’t just the notes in his playing, but the energy and the attitude behind them,” tastemaker and Spotlight author Mike Varney told GP
Meet Max Light, the jazz guitarist who loves Coltrane, Miles, and Meshuggah in equal measure By Bill Milkowski published 9 May 24 The Brooklyn-based virtuoso is unafraid to challenge himself – see his mind-boggling re-interpretation of Coltrane’s 26-2, and tunes so challenging he could only get through one take in the studio – but is nonetheless a “serial monogamist” when it comes to his beloved Collings
