Total Guitar

Total Guitar is Europe’s best-selling guitar magazine, crammed full of songs to learn plus backing tracks. From the latest metal and indie hits to classic rock from the likes of Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, TG has more songs than ANY other guitar magazine!. Please note: This digital version of the magazine does not currently include the covermount items or content you would find on printed newsstand copies

Total Guitar

Welcome…

DOUBLE TROUBLE • Indulgent implement of rock excess, or a valid, useful ‘other’ guitar? Meet the doubleneck you can afford

TALKING GUITARS STEVE CROPPER • R&B LEGEND, GROOVE MASTER AND HIT SONGWRITER

FUNK PALM-MUTING • Pickup Music give you the lowdown on one of funk guitar’s most essential techniques

LINKIN PARK • The Emptiness Machine

EASY ACOUSTIC GUITAR • Guitar Tricks take you through some straightforward strumming techniques

“IT’S COOL TO HEAR YOUR INFLUENCES COMING OUT ORGANICALLY” • Jerry Cantrell shaped the sound of alternative rock with Alice In Chains, but on his new solo album he’s taking inspiration from the heroes of his youth: for tone, Jeff Beck and blues-rock master Robin Trower, and for guitar harmonies, Iron Maiden and Thin Lizzy

“I DON’T THINK ANYONE ELSE IS DOING THIS. AND IF THEY ARE, THEY’D BE STUPID!” • Long ago, the Pixies blazed a trail for Nirvana and others to follow. But now, as before, there is no masterplan. As guitarist Joey Santiago says: “I still go by feel – and with my gut.”

“AC/DC FAMOUSLY WROTE HIGH VOLTAGE. OUR VERSION IS MORE LIKE CORRECT VOLTAGE!” • Opeth leader Mikael Åkerfeldt and fellow guitarist Fredrik Åkesson love to experiment with new sounds. But in a surprising twist, the band’s latest album is a return to their roots. As Mikael says: “It’s that old death metal magic!”

“WHEN YOU START WITH A CRAPPY GUITAR IT BEGINS THE CYCLE OF GEAR ADDICTION!” • Blues star Kenny Wayne Shepherd owns some amazing gear – bespoke Dumble amps and a pedal that reportedly belonged to Jimi Hendrix. In his new album, he’s still finding new ways to express himself as a player…

“MY HANDS HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR SIXTY YEARS, SO THEY KNOW WHERE THE FRETS ARE!” • In the 1970s, Steve Howe became a hugely influential figure in the sphere of progressive rock as the guitarist for Yes. Now on his third stint with the band, he’s also created an experimental new solo album. “The guitar,” he says, “is a very tempting instrument to explore…”

IN THE BEGINNING: ISSUE 1 • Hendrix, dirt boxes, new tech: TG’s launch issue shows guitarists’ interests are timeless

THE DAWN OF DIGITAL MODELLING

NOEL GALLAGHER • “I never really wanted to play lead”

BRIAN MAY • “I just wanted to rock!”

DIMEBAG DARRELL • “Dude, I’ve been doing this my whole life!”

PAUL GILBERT’S SCHOOL OF SHRED • No other guitarist has presented more lessons for TG than Paul Gilbert. Here, we revisit one of our favourites…

THE GLORY YEARS: TOO DRUNK TO PLUCK • Cementing TG’s reputation for quality educational content, this 2005 advert for clean living taught us… well, nothing really, but it seemed like a great idea at the time

MARK TREMONTI RECORDS TG AN EXCLUSIVE TRACK • December 2005: despite the rise of the Internet, print media still rules. And that means when magazines ask for a favour, sometimes extraordinary things happen…

MATT BELLAMY • “I wanted one guitar part to stand out and be just perfect”

THE DARKNESS • “People don’t do guitar solos anymore. That’s the problem!”

CHALLENGE CHARLIE • At a time when TG’s staff were getting, frankly, rather silly, one man stood up to take on the daftest of all our challenges…

JOHN FRUSCIANTE’S LETTER FROM AMERICA

MYTH BUSTERS: THE CABLE DESTRUCTION TEST • Need to...