A Nirvana’s Unplugged exhibition features Kurt Cobain’s $6 million Martin D-18E and his cardigan too
Find out more about their legendary MTV gig and get up close with one of the world’s most famous… cardigans
Artists
A Nirvana’s Unplugged exhibition features Kurt Cobain’s $6 million Martin D-18E and his cardigan too
Find out more about their legendary MTV gig and get up close with one of the world’s most famous… cardigans
“The screaming was deafening!”: How a Japanese tour transformed the career of the ‘Beatles of hard rock’
The heartwarming story of Cheap Trick At Budokan
How one track’s sudden gear-switch led Coldplay into their imperial phase
In one blinding moment, Coldplay emerged from a creative rut
“He was like, ‘You’ve got it all wrong, man”: How Neil Young changed Mumford And Sons’ approach to making albums
"You need to pay attention to how you record music," they were advised
How to write a ‘sticky’ hit: Luck can put you in the charts, but making the big bucks is pure science
What’s the secret for lasting chart success? A new report breaks down what gives hit songs their staying power
“Thank God we let that church choir in!” How Def Leppard created a rock anthem with a little bit of divine intervention
"It was a complete fluke," singer Joe Elliott said
“My love letter to a vanished era”: Mark Ronson’s new memoir lifts the lid on pre-Internet New York
Night People: How To Be a DJ in 1990s New York is out in September
Music Tech
“He was like, ‘You’ve got it all wrong, man”: How Neil Young changed Mumford And Sons’ approach to making albums
"You need to pay attention to how you record music," they were advised
Dog Paw looks like a drum pad but plays like they just crossed a weighted piano with a violin
Add in a built-in synth and sample engine and its own audio outs and you’ve a musical instrument that defies description
It’s time to finally ditch those cables: SonicLink from AlphaTheta is here, and it will most likely change your life
Seamless, ultra-low latency wireless audio comes to the DJ booth
Refurbished Abbey Road Studio One reopens with evening of "boundary-pushing expressive dance"
Iconic studio had been closed for six months of renovation
MusicRadar deals of the week: Score over £400 off PRS and Epiphone guitars, $100 off Yamaha and Roland pianos, and so much more
We've uncovered the very best offers on a range of music-making gear from the likes of PRS, Yamaha, Roland, Epiphone and more
Billie Eilish’s mix engineers reveal the star's “favourite part” of her smash hit, Birds Of A Feather
“The most sensitive part was getting the audio files from Logic to come into Pro Tools sounding exactly the same," they say of the mixing process
"I believe this two-part film is both a revelation and a surprise”: New Billy Joel doc is on the way
Billy Joel: And So It Goes lands on HBO this summer
Ed Sheeran on his introduction to looper pedals and why he often writes songs with Rihanna in mind
“I promise you, there'll be so many songwriters out there that their best song came from trying to write a Rihanna song,” he reckons
Hans Zimmer's plans to transform former BBC Maida Vale Studios into "world-leading" music centre take one step closer to completion
The complex will feature four "state-of-the-art" studio spaces, 30 music rooms, five composer suites and a number of facilities for film post-production
Micky Dolenz explains Mike Nesmith's "frustration" at being in The Monkees
“I knew what he was going through. He was frustrated because he was misled"
Guitars
Great Eastern FX’s Focus Fuzz Deluxe has got boost, drive, octave, fuzz... everything
One of our favourite fuzz pedals just got expanded but can we call it a fuzz-box when it does so much more?
Gibson remixes the Les Paul Special with mini humbuckers
Available with dual mini humbuckers or with a P-90/mini humbucker combo, these Tobacco Burst singlecuts are available exclusively from Gibson direct
“This is the only tremolo pedal in the world that lets you plot your own waveform shapes using controls you first got to grips with as a child”: SoundLad Sketchy review
Don’t let the fun Etch A Sketch-inspired retro design fool you, this is a serious tremolo with serious capabilities
MusicRadar deals of the week: Score over £400 off PRS and Epiphone guitars, $100 off Yamaha and Roland pianos, and so much more
We've uncovered the very best offers on a range of music-making gear from the likes of PRS, Yamaha, Roland, Epiphone and more
The 40 best acoustic guitar songs of all time
Electricity? Overrated… The finest acoustic-powered tracks in history
Bigsby wobble, rock ’n’ roll mojo for $699? Gretsch unveils trio of limited run Streamliner models
It doesn’t get much cooler than Cadillac Green, Midnight Sapphire and Riviera Blue paint jobs with gold hardware, Big Block inlays and those G-Arrow knobs
Harley Benton’s new entry-level electric is a stylish S-style with a $140 price tag and onboard FX
The ST-JAMster has five core sound modes with reverb, overdrive, and distortion, it's super-cheap, and it kind of looks like something Alex Lifeson would play
Guitar Lessons & Tutorials
"You owe your guitar the chance to be its best": How to clean and polish your guitar frets a better way
We take a look at two different products that can help you get your frets gleaming and your guitar back to its best for smoother bends and clearer vibrato
Play like Jimmy Page! Exclusive video lesson
Key techniques guitar players can learn from the Led Zeppelin legend
How learning and understanding chord symbols can prove a major benefit for sharing your musical ideas
Chord hieroglyphics can take several forms. We unravel the mysteries of one of the most symbolic and common examples
What are the best online guitar lessons in 2025? I review guitar gear for a living and these are my favourite lessons platforms
My pick of the best online guitar courses will get your playing up to speed from the comfort of your own home, whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced player
Fingerboard care basics: 6 things you need you need know about how to clean and condition your guitar fretboard
A string change is the ideal opportunity to get your 'board back to its best
Proggy pentatonic! How to use the good ol’ pentatonic scale in cool new ways
Get strumming: The 22 essential beginner, blues and folk guitar chords every guitarist should learn first
Inspiration for every skill level
Latest Tuition
Fantastic (free) plugins and how to use them: Newfangled Audio Pendulate
This free mono synth plugin is creative, chaotic and fun to use. It’s time to go West (Coast)
"You owe your guitar the chance to be its best": How to clean and polish your guitar frets a better way
We take a look at two different products that can help you get your frets gleaming and your guitar back to its best for smoother bends and clearer vibrato
“If you don’t have an idea, go mow the lawn": Follow Neil Young’s lead to demolish those frustrating songwriting barriers
It’s true, sometimes working relentlessly on perfecting a song or track that you’re just not feeling can do more harm than good
“It’s tougher and faster than ever”: Jump aboard the modern hardgroove train and learn to build a club-ready beat
Putting together the elements you need to craft a beat that just won't let up
Play like Jimmy Page! Exclusive video lesson
Key techniques guitar players can learn from the Led Zeppelin legend
Don't know where to start with virtual instruments? We're here to help
In today's world of music production, pretty much everything you can dream of will have a virtual counterpart. Let's explore
How learning and understanding chord symbols can prove a major benefit for sharing your musical ideas
Chord hieroglyphics can take several forms. We unravel the mysteries of one of the most symbolic and common examples
UA is giving away its 1176 plugin as a Valentine's gift – here's how to get it and use it!
Forget flowers, chocolates or champagne – give your loved one a free vintage compressor plugin instead! Better still, just get it for yourself…
Are all interpretations of songs correct? Kate Bush certainly thinks so
It’s easy to get precious about the true meaning of our creative endeavours, but how much authority do songwriters really have to own the definitive reading of their work?
How Aphex Twin fought the temptation to continually refine, and how we can learn from his example
It’s easy to carry on fiddling with our tracks, but as Richard D. James knows all too well, that urge to keep going can prove a problem
“Maybe I’ll write out five or six chords, then discipline myself to write something only with those chords involved”: Why David Bowie’s restrictive songwriting strategies provide a lesson for us all
Sometimes imposing rules can force us out of our creative comfort zones. It's a tactic David Bowie used to birth some of his most celebrated songs.
“It’s a favourite with jazz and funk players, but it's just at home in hits by artists such as Jessie Ware”: Expand your chordal colours with 9ths
Building an extension to a chord doesn’t require planning permission, but it might require a degree of design. We add 9ths to our extension palette
“If you're listening to amazing gear through terrible monitors, you've wasted your cash”: Why monitors are the most important part of your studio
Don't know where to begin with buying and using studio monitor speakers? Listen up
“The net result of this process is a progression which sounds smoother, calmer and more musical”: The value of adding chord inversions
If your chord progressions sound a little clunky, try approaching your harmony in an inverse way.
How to connect your audio interface to your computer – for both PC and Mac users
My guide to hooking up your audio interface to a laptop or computer, step-by-step
“When used in conjunction with other unextended chords, it will sound amazing”: How to enhance your songwriting with major sevenths
From bossanovas to Carole King and even James Bond villains, the major seventh can completely change your song’s mood.
How to connect a MIDI keyboard to your audio interface
Learn how to hook up your MIDI keyboard to your audio interface - no matter how complex your setup
“Learning how to mix is almost as important as hitting on your original musical idea”: New to the mixing process? Start here
Don't let a brilliant song be swallowed up in a bad mix by following our guide to the central principles of the process
Latest reviews
“This is the only tremolo pedal in the world that lets you plot your own waveform shapes using controls you first got to grips with as a child”: SoundLad Sketchy review
Don’t let the fun Etch A Sketch-inspired retro design fool you, this is a serious tremolo with serious capabilities
"Once set up to taste, its utility is astounding": TC Electronic Plethora X1 review
Is it a delay, reverb, modulation, harmoniser or compressor? Well, yes, to all the above
J Rockett PXO Review
J Rockett teams up with the Bon Jovi ace to bring us a no-frills, but premium pedal that boasts something of an original tone whilst still serving classic sounds
“An excellent entry point into the world of cast-shell drums”: DrumCraft Bell Brass Snare review
As heavy-shell snare drums make a comeback, DrumCraft is letting us in on the action at a snip of the price
“Perfect for that '80s arena-rock vibe”: MXR Rockman X100 pedal review
MXR revives Tom Scholz’s fabled '80s guitar headphone-amp tone in its latest pedal. Mass Hysteria ensues...
“A superb-sounding, pro-end keyboard”: Roland V-Stage 88 & 76-note keyboards review
If you’re a gigging keyboard player, the new Roland V-Stage could be the next major addition to your rig
"Whatever magic is in the Van Halen ear canals has been imparted here too": EVH SA-126 Special review
The first new design from EVH under Wolfgang Van Halen's watch is a Gibson-inspired semi-hollow with plenty of personality
“The perfect environment for creating iconic drum sounds, which have scope to move beyond their original sonic remit”: GForce Software IconDrum review
In the return of an Iconoclastic instrument, GForce revisits one of the most influential drum machines of the ’80s, and beyond
