B.B. King is the undisputed master of the blues. He redefined the electric guitar and totally changed the way that it was played. He introduced techniques and a style of playing that was wildly different to anything that came before. In doing so, he had a profound impact not just...
It is difficult to overstate the impact that Eric Clapton has had on the blues. He was at the forefront of the British blues movement, which, when transported back to America, gave a new lease of life to the blues there too. He is an iconic figure and one of...
On Friday night I was lucky enough to go and see John Mayall, The ‘Godfather of British Blues’. He was playing at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club - one of the most iconic venues in London. I had never been before and so I had the great pleasure of ticking 2...
I don't think there is a single guitarist in the modern era who has not wanted to sound like Jimi Hendrix at some point in their playing career. He is unquestionably the most iconic guitarist of all time, and one who has influenced every guitarist that is playing today. Most...
Stevie Ray Vaughan was the guitarist who first got me hooked on the blues. He is a blues guitarist who has it all - amazing touch and feel, beautiful tone, and the ability to play at great speed. As John Mayer so succinctly put it: There is an intensity about...
Rory Gallagher is one of the best blues guitarists of all time. He inspired players like Slash, Brian May and The Edge, and was widely respected by Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. So the legend goes, when asked 'How it felt to be the best guitarist in the World', Jimi...
Slide guitar is a fundamental part of the blues. When W.C. Handy first 'discovered' the blues at a train station in Tutwiler, Mississippi, it was a slide guitarist responsible for that revelatory experience: A lean loose-jointed Negro had commenced plunking a guitar beside me while I slept ... As he played,...
Eric Clapton is one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time. With a career spanning more than 50 years, he has inspired generations of guitarists, myself included. The Bluesbreaker tones that Clapton pioneered during his time with John Mayall & The Blues Breakers are the stuff of legend. They...
‘I can’t stand him mate – he’s just a total Jimi Hendrix rip off. He has no originality and no licks of his own. His music is so boring to listen to…’ So stated my local barber on a damp and dreary Saturday afternoon in London. Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys were playing...
If you want to create varied and interesting blues guitar...
I think there are very few blues guitarists out there who...
Over the years, I have met only a handful of guitarists who...
If you want to play lead guitar, then learning the minor...
From the moment I first heard ‘Parisienne Walkways’ I...
If you are looking to develop a killer blues guitar tone,...
The world of guitar amps is difficult to navigate. There are...
In the last few years there has been an explosion in the...
I have wanted to sound like Rory Gallagher since I was 13...
It is not easy to create an effective guitar practice...
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