The Player

Inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughan and feted by Clapton, John Mayer is one of the most gifted guitarists of the modern era. He also knows how to the play the fame game - from crafting pop hits and collaborating with fellow A-listers to teasing his new album via TikTok. This is his story: the making of a guitar superstar...

- Grant Moon

In March 2021, when John Mayer used TikTok to preview a snippet of Last Train Home - the flagship single from his new album Sob Rock - it was a typically smart move. Since the prehistoric age of MySpace, Mayer has always embraced social media. He’s a shrewd guy who knows the game, and in his two decades of stardom he’s accrued 5.2 million followers on Instagram, 1.4 million on Twitter and 1.2 million on TikTok. Clearly, his global fanbase stretches far beyond the guitar community. But dig down – past the meme friendly videos of his dogs swimming in his pool, the pastel-shaded, 80s-vibe promo shots for Sob Rock, and the numerous photos of celeb friends such as Ed Sheeran, Herbie Hancock and Barbra Streisand – and you’ll find some videos in which he offers sage advice on the art of guitar.

Some tips are immediately practical: don’t start your solo too high or you’ll have nowhere to go; to play great blues guitar listen to the phrasing of great blues singers. Others take more skill to implement – such as choosing notes within your solo that imply the chord changes behind it – while his most advanced musical philosophy has echoed down the ages through countless other great guitarists: “Practise thinking from the idea first,” he advises, “instead of what the guitar offers you.” To be a true musician, then, think beyond your scale boxes and your muscle memory – hear the melody in your head first and play that. All the while tap your foot in time and imagine the chord progression, the band, behind you. That’s what Mayer does, and things have worked out nicely for him.

His 2001 debut album