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

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Total Guitar

BLACK MAGIC

THE GEAR HEAD • MARK TREMONTI ON HIS NEW ALBUM, “WILD” EFFECTS AND “PRICELESS” AMP

PEDAL POWER!

LOSE YOUR HEAD!

SMALL BUT MIGHTY!

FENDERS FOR UNDER £1000! • SO MUCH MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

RELEASE VALVES • Blackstar unveils what it says are the “world’s most advanced valve pedals”

UP CLOSE

MASTODON • Pushing The Tides

MAJOR SCALE GUITAR SOLOS

THE MAJOR SCALE • This scale is the foundation for basically everything. So you’d better learn it!

TECHNIQUE CHECK... • Get your fingers in prime position to make those licks easier

“USUALLY I’M THE GUY WITH THE FULL ‘EGO SET-UP’ • Joe Bonamassa took a no-frills approach to gear for his new album – and yet, as he says, “It’s probably my most ambitious record...”

James Dean Bradfield • HE STARTED OUT PLAYING A LES PAUL TO SOUND LIKE THE SEX PISTOLS’ STEVE JONES. NOW, HE’S CHANNELING ABBA ON THE NEW MANIC STREET PREACHERS ALBUM AND DECLARING, “I LOVE MY STRAT!” JAMES DEAN BRADFIELD OPENS HIS ‘GUITAR DIARY’ TO TG AND EXPLAINS THE ORIGINS OF HIS SOUND. “IT’S NOT MAGIC,” HE SAYS. “THERE’S NO THEORY. IT’S JUST F*CKING AROUND!”

MAJOR SEVENTH CHORDS

LYDIAN-FLAVOURED CHORDS

ABBA’S SECRET WEAPON • Guitarist Janne Schaffer reveals his role in the biggest hit-making machine of the 70s

ROCK ME! • ABBA’s top 10 guitar songs

“ABBA’S RIFFS ARE UNDERRATED!” • The Darkness guitarist Dan Hawkins on how the Swedish pop icons rocked like Thin Lizzy

SESSION STYLES • Explore new styles of music with 10 cool licks

THE ART OF SONGWRITING

“WHEN YOU WRITE A MELODY, IT’S LIKE YOUR SOUL TALKING” • Sam Fender was ten when he started on guitar – playing Nirvana and Oasis songs on a Peavey Strat copy. 17 years later, he’s a major star acclaimed by Elton John and Paul Weller. He tells TG about the creative process and the gear he used for his new album Seventeen Going Under...

“YOU’RE NOT WRITING FOR OTHER PEOPLE. IT SHOULD BE WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN” • How to write the heaviest metal songs without reverting to formula, by Bullet For My Valentine guitarists Matt Tuck and Padge

“WE’RE A VERY RIFF DRIVEN BAND” • For sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, the creative nucleus of Larkin Poe, the best songs come from riffing, natural chemistry, and playing cover versions as a way to raise their own game

“SONGWRITING IS LIKE TRYING TO CATCH LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE” • Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell is a master of the art who believes a great song requires only three key elements: “The riff. The melody. And something to say.”

“I START A SONG FROM A SPACE THAT FEELS CALM” • The War On Drugs leader Adam Granduciel reveals how he wrote their brilliant new album - and why he loves to record with one “magical guitar”.

“ALL MY TRICKS FOR WRITING COME DOWN TO THE FACT THAT I’VE GOT A GREAT RECORD COLLECTION” • The Wildhearts frontman Ginger channels everything from Motorhead to ABBA. His advice: “Educate yourself...”

“IMPROVISING’S NOT EASY - AND NINETY-FIVE PER CENT OF IT WAS JUST SH*T!” • Australian psych rock band Pond have a strange approach to creating songs – applying modern editing to old-fashioned jamming. Multi-instrumentalist Jay Watson talks us through it...

GET INSPIRED! • Seven tips to help you write your next...