IT’S HARD TO OVERSTATE the importance of Hank Marvin and The Shadows when considering the electric guitar’s history. He and future Shadower, Bruce Welch were teenagers in the 50s, inspired by skiffle music (eg Lonnie Donegan) and US rock and roll (Buddy Holly) who journeyed from the North of England to London with high hopes. Their drive, creativity and good fortune resulted in a substantial body of music, ranging from movies with Cliff Richard to the many (mostly instrumental) albums The Shadows released, and a worldwide following that continues to this day. At the centre was Hank with his red Fender Stratocaster complete with whammy bar and a variety of amps and delay devices. An ambient, bridge pickup into clean amp tone is his trademark with which he coaxes melodies, riffs, double-stops, slurs and muted notes. The core to his genius has always been melodic, and the playing approaches that are best to deliver that to audiences. His influence can be heard all over the world, directly or otherwise, from David Gilmour to Brian May, Ritchie Blackmore to Mark Knopfler, without forgetting others like Pete Townshend, Peter Frampton, Neil Young and Tommy Emmanuel. If a guitarist is into melody, it’s fitting that Hank Marvin figures in the equation somehow. I’ve been a fan since I was a tad taller than a Strat, getting albums like 20 Golden Greats then onto Change Of Address, Tasty, Life In The Jungle and many more. Certainly, he was my first guitar hero. This issue we’ve gone big on the great man; Jon Bishop has shaped three superb study pieces for you to learn that evoke many elements of what makes him so good. Furthermore, Neville spoke with Hank - they’ve been friends for decades - and focused on areas that he hasn’t spoken much about before. Needless to say, you’ll enjoy what they discuss. As for the rest of the issue, it’s the usual stellar bag of six-string treats spanning genres, techniques and ability levels. Be it eight-finger tapping (Joel Hoekstra’s video feature), South American rhythms (Emiliano Sampaio’s video lesson), blues solos (Robert Cray), solo fingerstyle guitar (Greensleeves), shred (Paul Gilbert speedy sextuplets) or jazz-blues