The Journal.

Whether you’re laying down a lead line for the first time or trying to make an existing melody sit better in a mix, there’s a set of tried-and-true production techniques that professional guitarists use every single day.

I want to tell you about the moment I got a message from Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park asking if I wanted to play a song with him. I pinched myself. Then I said yes. There is no other correct response. Hybrid Theory changed everything for me. I need to give you a little context.

After playing hundreds — if not thousands — of acoustic guitars, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. Turns out, it didn’t exist. At least, not off the shelf. So for the first time in my life, I worked with a builder to create something made entirely to my specifications. The result?

So much of music history is tied together by similar riffs, similar rhythms, and similar chord patterns. But where does inspiration end and plagiarism begin? Let’s take a look at five of the most famous examples — and you can decide for yourself. 1. “Johnny B.

If you heard the guitar riff on Justin Bieber’s track “E.T.A.” and assumed it was laid down on some vintage Fender or boutique custom build, you’d be wrong. That unmistakable groove was played on a Squier Stratocaster — bought used for $99 with stock electronics, no setup, and five-year-old strings still on it.

What happens when you gather ten world-class guitarists from completely different musical backgrounds—jazz, metal, blues, soul, rock—and give them one simple rule: solo over the same track? You get a masterclass in musical personality, phrasing philosophy, and the infinite expressive possibilities of six strings.