Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. Sure, everybody loves a guitar show-off, melting picks and blistering fingers as they ...

Guitar skills: Soul and Motown players such as Steve Cropper, Joe Messina and Dennis Coffey would often strip their chords down to just two notes, creating memorable melodic accompaniments and fills.

Utilising open strings can add new dimensions to basic chord progressions. This simple and effective technique has been used to great effect by players as diverse as Alex Lifeson, Jeff Buckley, The ...