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The Latest Breaking News from Total Guitar

“I still don’t find it easy! It’s one of the most unnatural riffs to play you could possibly imagine”: Brian May finds Bohemian Rhapsody difficult to perform – and he points the blame at “riffmeister” Freddie Mercury

The Queen guitarist has called it “the most unnatural riff to play” and says even now he has to battle with adrenaline when he plays it live

Guitar World

"I have no idea what I'm going to play when I get to that solo" – Brian May reveals the classic Queen song he improvises most live… and the track he takes the opposite approach with

"Every time the solo comes up live, I think, well, actually I can’t do much better than that"

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“I never liked it, to be honest, the way it was mixed. But I do recognise that it works”: Brian May says Under Pressure sounded like The Who before David Bowie took out the heavy guitar parts

Brian May said he was “beaming” about the guitar on the early versions of Under Pressure. David Bowie was not

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“It’s probably the only time in my career I bowed out, because I knew it was going to be a fight… most of that heavy guitar was lost”: Brian May says David Bowie removed his electric guitar riffs on Under Pressure – and he never liked the results

The Queen guitar legend says the song originally sounded more like a Who-style rocker, but Bowie had other ideas…

Guitar World

On sale now! Inside the new issue of Total Guitar: Queen's Greatest Songs Track By Track – By Brian May

Also in issue 381! Interviews: Yard Act, Sleater-Kinney, Ihsahn and more. Reviews: New gear from Gibson, Fender, Shergold and more. Learn songs by Queen, Bring Me The Horizon and U2

Guitar World

Vote for the greatest blues guitarist of all time!

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“That song, and Perfect Crime, we started writing when we were doing pre-production for Appetite" – Slash tells the story of Guns N' Roses's long-in-the-waiting classic You Could Be Mine

"You Could Be Mine was one of Izzy's riffs"

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“It’s a little bit softer and you get a different attack”: Matteo Mancuso took the guitar world by storm with his otherworldly playing style – now he’s revealed the secret to his flawless fingerpicking tone: fake nails

He's already given his advice on crafting better lead lines. Now, the young virtuoso has kindly revealed how you can get natural tones to match

Guitar World

“I’m a sloppy guitar player! I’ll be the first to admit that… In retrospect, I should have practiced more”: Ace Frehley isn't going to apologize for his loose playing style – but he also doesn't recommend that players follow in his footsteps

The former Kiss guitarist has often been accused of sloppiness, a label he says he doesn't mind at all

Guitar World

“I had a couple of passes at the solo, and that was it. Keith’s playing great – and it’s unusual to hear me playing at full acceleration outside of Led Zeppelin”: Jimmy Page on his surprise Rolling Stones collaboration, and the gear that made rock history

In this all-encompassing 2020 interview, the Led Zeppelin legend reflects on the evolution of his guitar rig, writing rock’s greatest albums – and how the Beatles shaped the sound of Whole Lotta Love

Guitar World

“Joe Bonamassa texted me and said, ‘I know you love that black Les Paul. It’s at Carter Vintage right now. Call them ASAP!’”: Kirk Hammett says he only got his ultra-rare Factory Black ’59 Les Paul thanks to the help of his collector friend

The Metallica guitarist also reveals he had “30 guitars stolen” in a previous attempt to buy the unicorn electric guitar

Guitar World

Inside the new issue of Total Guitar: The best of 2023!

Also in issue 379! Interviews: Kirk Hammett, Nuno Bettencourt, Cory Wong, Yvette Young, Nita Strauss and more. Reviews: New gear from Epiphone, Fender, Guild, Jackson and more. Learn songs by Led Zeppelin, Phoebe Bridgers and Blink-182

Guitar World

Metallica snuck the Batman theme song into one of their riffs, Kirk Hammett admits

Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has said that 2023 song Shadows Follow contains a nod to the ’60s Batman theme

Metal Hammer

“We called that riff ‘The Batman Riff’”: Kirk Hammett admits Metallica lifted the Batman theme on 72 Seasons

Thought that riff in Shadows Follow sounded awfully similar to a certain classic superhero theme? Turns out Metallica knew exactly what they were doing

Guitar World

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Do guitar solos matter? Kirk Hammett says non-musicians won’t remember your solos – but “they are gonna helluva remember a great melody and they’re really gonna remember a great song”

As Metallica's lead guitarist, Hammett has written and performed some of metal's most iconic guitar solos but maintains that the majority of people will forget them

Guitar World

“I hate to say it, but non-musicians – who are the majority of the listening world – are not going to remember guitar solos”: Kirk Hammett says it doesn’t matter how good or flashy a solo is – most people are going to forget them anyway

According to the Metallica maestro, the average music listener doesn't share a guitar player's enthusiasm for a ripping solo

Guitar World

Inside the new issue of Total Guitar: 99 Ways To Better Tone!

Also in issue 375! Interviews: Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil & Mike Vennart, Nothing But Thieves, Ultra Q, Saint Agnes, Grace Potter and more! Reviews: New gear from Marshall, Fender, Gibson, Gretsch and more. Learn songs by Pink Floyd, Greta Van Fleet and The Killers

Guitar World

Inside the new issue of Total Guitar: The 50 Greatest Acoustic Guitar Songs Of All Time

Also in issue 374! Interviews: Ben Howard, Skindred, Nat Myers, mehro and more! Reviews: Blackstar Debut 50R, Dave Mustaine 2023 Flying Vs, Danelectro Blackout '59M NOS, Fender Gold Foil Telecaster, EHX Lizard Queen. Learn songs by AC/DC, The Hives and Billie Eilish.

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Guitar World

Here’s what you voted the greatest acoustic guitar song of all time – and the winner might be controversial

The track beat Eric Clapton’s Tears In Heaven and Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here to the top spot

Guitar World

“I feel like every song has a tapping lick at some point!”: Wolfgang Van Halen on embracing solos – and his dad’s iconic gear – for the boundary-pushing Mammoth II

Wolfgang Van Halen is taking his playing to a whole new level on his second album as Mammoth WVH: he tells us about honing his technique, how djent shaped his rhythmic approach, and the likelihood of a Van Halen tribute show

MusicRadar

Blur's Graham Coxon: "The Coffee + TV chord shapes are just ridiculous"

"That’s another case of me making life very difficult for myself!”

MusicRadar

"It was the antithesis of Bohemian Rhapsody and on the same album" – Brian May on the Queen deep cut that doesn't get the love it deserves

"It just sits on an album there, and people who really want to get into Queen are aware of what that was and what it is"

Guitar World

The greatest guitar solos of the 21st century... so far

Featuring every kind of guitar hero – from old-school to cutting‑edge. And not one but two Van Halens…

Guitar World

Inside the new issue of Total Guitar: Wolfgang Van Halen – Believe The Hype!

Also in issue 373! Interviews: Nita Strauss, Jake Kiszka, The Lemon Twigs and more! Reviews: Gibson Kirk Hammett Greeny Les Paul Standard, Walrus Audio Fundamental Series, EVH 5150 Iconic Series 15w 1x10 Combo, IK Multimedia TONEX Pedal, Two Notes ReVolt Guitar, Apogee Jam X. Learn songs by Kiss, Red Hot…

MusicRadar

Bassist Bruce Foxton on the story of The Jam's That's Entertainment: “It was a bit of a departure for us, because it was acoustic”

The birth and recording of a British classic

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