Andy Summers

Andy Summers, George Lynch, Tommy Emmanuel and other guitarists share their practice routines.

Not their gear, of course, but their licks. Copying the style of famous axe-slingers can be good practice—these guitarists explain how.

Keeping an open ear and mind can be more valuable than chugging out the same riffs for hours on end.

It’s easy to get carried away with GAS. But before you do, take stock of everything, really understand the nuts and bolts, and try to make the most of all you have.

This interview was originally published in 2010. Andy Summers changed the face of pop music with his heavily affected yet crisp playing during an all too brief seven-year run with the Police. The band's chart-topping releases Outlandos d'Amour (1979), Regatta de Blanc (1980), Zenyatta Mondatta (1981), Ghost in the Machine (1981), and Synchronicity (1983) earned the trio both critical acclaim and mass exposure on radio and MTV. They were undeniably...