ABILITY RATING
Info Key Various Tempo Various CD TRACKS 4-10
Moderate/Advanced
Will improve your… Playing with good groove Classic & modern blues vocabulary Melodic blues soloing
JOHN’S TECHNIQUE
John Mayer performs much of his electric guitar work fingerstyle and this direct contact with the strings provides timing, timbral and dynamic nuance. He also ‘hides’ a plectrum between the first and second finger of his picking hand, which he retrieves to perform funky strumming and more standard blues soloing. He can switch between these techniques remarkably fluently and even exchanges phrases using the two techniques. Mayer also uses the Hendrix-inspired fretting-hand thumb to play notes on the sixth string which aids muting and chord embellishment. These all provide an intimate control, complexity and nuance of timbre and tone, a goal mirrored in his enviable roster of instruments, amps and effects.
Get the Tone
This story is from the December 2021 edition of Guitar Techniques.
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This story is from the December 2021 edition of Guitar Techniques.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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