Latest articles by MusicRadar
'Certain chord progressions have been used thousands of times throughout the history of recorded music, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t use these three popular examples': Kickstart your songwriting today
Try these rock, '50s pop and minor blues chord progressions
The 22 essential beginner, blues and folk guitar chords every guitarist should learn
Inspiration for every skill level
'There’s so much music to be discovered simply by retuning your guitar': Try these 9 alternate guitar tunings to inspire your playing today – including the saddest tuning of all time
Open the door to new creative possibilities with these varied tunings
DADGAD guitar tuning for beginners: Try these 5 chords to start with
A great tuning for acoustic or electric guitar
“In the centre of the fretboard… the one, the two and the five. I think that’s sort of my signature": Now you can learn John Mayer's favourite three-note guitar chords for yourself
Try these triads
'You can easily reach new heights in your guitar playing by learning a few of the shapes shown here': 5 easy ways to liven up your guitar chords
Take your playing beyond the basics
"You don't need to know many scales to play guitar solos – but you do need to know this one": We can show you the minor pentatonic with just three chord shapes
Learning guitar scales doesn't have to be hard and our lesson proves it
'The final piece of the puzzle for many guitarists is targeting the best notes at the right moment': How to play better guitar solos by incorporating the blues
Everything you need to improve
Barre chords are a great way to play nearly all the chords you need: here's how to play them better
Move away from the comfort of open chords and find creative freedom by learning how to play all over the fretboard with our guide to nailing essential barre chord techniques
"By listening to a wide range of styles – blues, jazz, country, rockabilly and skiffle – he was able to develop his own individual sound and identity": 4 ways to play guitar like early Beatles era George Harrison
Lessons we can learn from an archetypal lead guitarist
SampleRadar: 493 free hardware drum machine samples
Today's edition of SampleRadar features looped beats and one-shots from a variety of beat-boxes, including the Alesis H16-B, Arturia DrumBrute, Nord Drum and Roland TR-8
SampleRadar: 475 free drum 'n' bass essentials samples
Loops, one-shots, FX and airhorns ideally suited for use in D'n'B productions
SampleRadar TB-303 Day special: 252 free 303-style acid samples
Celebrate 303 Day with a killer Roland TB-303 sample pack - absolutely free
Want to learn to play guitar solos? This is a great place to start
The minor pentatonic is the essential foundation for learning to play solos – and we'll help you with your first steps here
Marcus King: "I've been as inspired by the Wu-Tang Clan as I have by Aretha Franklin or Duane Allman"
The genre-defying Elixir® Strings artist talks about his rich musical vocabulary
SampleRadar: 403 free minimal percussion samples
Pops, clicks and synthesized noises that can be used as percussive elements in minimal electronica
NAMM 2024 live report: rolling news from the world's biggest music-making gear show - as it happened
All the hot new guitars, synths, drums and other products as they're announced
Get your holiday cheer on with these great deals from Sweetwater
'Tis the season for the best prices on the hottest gear
SampleRadar: 490 free sticks, knocks and rims samples
Mix up your drum patterns and swap out a snare for one of these
Show Us Your Studio #16: "As an engineer, I'm proud of all of the technical expertise that went into building my studio, from the power sequencing to the signal routing"
"All of the keyboards and controllers can be set up to control any hardware or software, and all of the synths and effects can be routed into each other and into the mixer"
Paul McCartney on bass: "When we met Elvis, I was like, ‘You’re trying to learn bass, are you, son? Sit down, let me show you a few things’"
Classic 1994 interview: "Once I got over the fact that I was lumbered with it, I did get quite proud to be a bass player"
Show Us Your Studio #15: "My Prophet-5 Rev 4 has helped me evolve to a whole new level of musician. I'm new to the synth world but I'm lucky to own one of the best ones!"
Positive Reptile's music-making terrarium brings the rainforest into the studio
