BEAUCOUPS OF BRUSHING UP

I KNOW THIS is nuts (and incredibly random), but during

Better Off Live

FIVE TIMES A LIVE VERSION WAS BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL STUDIO RECORDING

Six-String Lyricist

An insightful glimpse into the melodically expressive soloing style and electric guitar voice of one of rock’s most distinctive players, MARK KNOPFLER

35 YEARS OF PRS GUITARS

35TH IN CELEBRATION OF THE ANNIVERSARY OF PRS GUITARS 35 PLAYERS - FROM ALEX LIFESON TO JOHN MAYER TO DAVE NAVARRO TO CARLOS SANTANA - EXPLAIN HOW PRS INSTRUMENTS LED THEM ON A PATH TO HIGHER CREATIVITY

KNIGHTS of the ROUNDTABLE (Discussion)

IN THIS EXCLUSIVE, ONE-OF-A-KIND INTERVIEW, AN UNSTOPPABLE ASSEMBLAGE OF METAL GUITAR TITANS TALK STEELY DAN, BRAZILIAN JUJITSU, GEAR GALORE AND ONE HELL OF A TOUR!

“I THINK PEOPLE DO EXPECT ME TO BE INVINCIBLE.”

FANS WERE STUNNED WHEN DAVE MUSTAINE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER. BELOW, WE FIND OUT HOW THE MEGADETH FRONTMAN TOOK ON HIS BIGGEST BATTLE YET — AND WON

CROWN JEWEIS

MASSIVE GUITARS, SLIDE FOR DAYS, LED ZEP SWAGGER AND SABBATH-SIZED RIFFS. GUITARISTKEVIN COMEAU TAKES YOU INSIDE CROWN LANDS’ DARK, NORTH-OF-THE-BORDER BLUES ROCK

THUNDERBYRD

SOME GUITAR HEROES ARE ESTEEMED FOR THEIR TECHNICAL FLASH. BUT THERE ARE OTHERS WHOSE GUITAR WORK IS UPSTAGED BY THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS AS SONGWRITERS, SINGERS, TRENDSETTERS AND TASTEMAKERS — GUITARISTS WHOSE SOUND IS SO INEXTRICABLY WOVEN INTO THE FABRIC OF ROCK THAT THE WHOLE THING WOULD BE UNTHINK ABLE WITHOUT THEM. THAT’S THE KIND OF GUITAR HERO ROGER McGUINN I S

“BASTILLE DAY” Rush

As heard on CARESS OF STEEL Words and Music by ALEX LIFESON, GEDDY LEE and NEIL PEART • Transcribed by JEFF PERRIN

“FATHER OF ALL...” Green Day

As heard on FATHER OF ALL... Words and Music by BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, TRE COOL and MIKE DIRNT •

SOUNDING BOARD

Just wanted to say your magazine has been essential to

Out of the Silent Planet

HOW RADIOHEAD GUITARIST ED O’BRIEN GATHERED THE COURAGE TO STEP OUT ON HIS OWN — VOCALS AND ALL — ON HIS AMBIENT AND ACCESSIBLE DEBUT, EARTH

ADAM “SHMEEANS” SMIRNOFF: LETTUCE

To hear one of his most popular songs broken down

BPMD

FORMER MACHINE HEAD GUITARIST PHIL DEMMEL — THE “D” IN BPMD — DISCUSSES THE JOYS OF “FOUR DUDES JAMMING COVERS”

5 Questions with Konvent Guitarist Sara Nørregaard

FANS AND CRITICS have called Kon-vent’s Puritan Masochism the doom

Emmanuel’s Labors

ON THE BEST OF TOMMYSONGS, ACOUSTIC WIZARD TOMMY EMMANUEL REVISITS — AND REINTERPRETS — SOME OF HIS FAVORITE COMPOSITIONS (AND THROWS IN A HANDFUL OF FUTURE CLASSICS)

Refused

SWEDISH POST-HARDCORE MASTERS FIND THE FUNK, THE PUNK AND THEIR VERY ESSENCE ON THEIR LATEST RELEASE, WAR MUSIC

Don McGahn

SO, EXACTLY HOW DID THE FORMER CHIEF COUNSEL TO THE WHITE HOUSE WIND UP PERFORMING “AIN’T TALKIN’ ‘BOUT LOVE” WITH WINGER LAST YEAR?

Junior Watson

THE CALIFORNIA-BASED “BLUES GUITARIST’S BLUES GUITARIST” BRINGS IT AND SWINGS IT ON HIS LATEST, THE APTLY TITLED AIN’T NOTHIN’ TO IT BUT TO DO IT

Life of Agony

GUITARIST JOEY ZAMPELLA TALKS MELODIC SOLOS, HIS UNUSUAL APPROACH TO RECORDING AND THE SOUND OF SCARS, THE VENERABLE ALT-METALLERS’ COMPELLING SEQUEL TO THEIR 1993 DEBUT, RIVER RUNS RED

INQUIRER ANNA CALVI

THE UK-BORN SINGER-SONGWRITER ON SCORING PEAKY BLINDERS AND CONTROLLING THE URGE TO PLAY FAST

Sabre Dance

ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN SABRE

Deep-Rooted

FENDER JIM ROOT JAZZMASTER V4

New EQ

Cool stuff that may have flown under the radar, but — in our humble opinion — gear that will keep you in good company during these days of self-isolation

Buzz Bin

Wingman FX Danger Zone

Exile on Shred Street

DEAN EXILE SELECT

I GOT RHYTHM, PART 6

How to build dramatic tension with dotted-quarter syncopations

NEW PATHS

Soloing on one or two strings with the major hexatonic scale

TAPPING INTO NEW SOUNDS

Tapping with two fingers, and my solo in “Always and Forever”

THE CLAW

Learning the art of clawhammer guitar

PERFORMANCE NOTES

HOW TO PLAY THIS MONTH’S SONGS

Notation Guide

“EIGHTIES”

KILLING JOKE | NIGHT TIME, 1984 | GUITARIST: GEORDIE WALKER |