It is difficult to overstate the impact that Stevie Ray Vaughan had on the blues. He is one of the most famous blues musicians of all time, and is celebrated for revitalising the genre in the 1980s and in turn, inspiring a new generation of blues guitarists. Whilst Vaughan was both...
The Ibanez Tube Screamer is one of the most iconic guitar pedals ever made. It has been used by many of the most famous blues guitarists of all time - including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore and John Mayer, to name just a few. It is a brilliant guitar pedal...
Truthfully, the first time I heard ZZ Top I didn't really want to sound like Billy Gibbons. My introduction to the band was as a teenager, watching a compilation of the MTV videos they had put together for their best selling album Eliminator. I had only recently started playing the guitar, and...
The Ibanez Tube Screamer is one of the most popular guitar pedals of all time. Initially made famous by Stevie Ray Vaughan, it has since been used by a whole variety of notable blues guitarists, including Gary Moore, Joe Bonamassa and John Mayer, amongst others. Many aspiring guitarists have added a...
One of the key ways to develop as a blues guitarist is to improve your timing. It is what separates average guitarists from those that are truly exceptional. And it is a skill that all of the best blue guitarists have in common. Yet despite its importance, it is a...
Duane Allman is one of the greatest blues and rock guitarists of all time. During his short life and career, he changed the landscape of the blues. He adapted and built upon the bottleneck style of bluesmen like Elmore James, blending the blues with country rock and roots music. In...
It is not easy to play a killer blues shuffle. The masters of the shuffle - players like Jimmy Reed and Muddy Waters in Chicago, and Lightnin' Hopkins and Stevie Ray Vaughan in Texas - make it sound effortless. Yet whilst the shuffle might be simple in form, it is difficult...
I can still remember when I learnt how to play the blues shuffle. At just 12 years old, it was the first time that I had ever played the blues, and it had me hooked almost instantly. It marked the beginning of what has since developed into a deep love...
The blues shuffle rhythm is one of the most common rhythms you will encounter in the blues. It is present in a whole range of different styles - from Delta blues, to Chicago blues, to Texas blues. It is instantly recognisable, sounds amazing and features in many of the most famous...
If you want to be a proficient blues guitarist, you need to understand the basics of blues rhythms. In some of my previous articles, I have covered the basic form of the blues, and some of the most common variations on this form. If you haven't yet read those articles,...
In the history of blues and blues-rock music, the tube amp...
Record producer Mike Vernon once described Peter Green as...
In recent years, the Analog Man King Of Tone pedal has...
I think there are very few blues guitarists out there who...
Playing the guitar quickly has never been a natural strength...
John Mayall’s Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton is an...
The Klon Centaur is one of the most famous guitar pedals of...
Gary Moore is one of most gifted and technically skilled...
The Klon Centaur ‘Professional Overdrive’ is...
It is difficult to think of an album that has had a greater...
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