I noticed that this was already on RU-vid, but I wanted to share it without the mirrored (selfie cam) image, for a better learning experience. John Mayer on Instagram Live January 15th, 2019.
He’s so knowledgeable that he doesn’t even use words to describe what he’s doing lol “So you could go like” *jams* “Or you can go here” *jams* “And we all know how to” *jams* “But you can” *jams*
Imagine being a young guy/gal learning your ax in the late 60s or early 70s and having Beck, Clapton, Hendrix, or Richards sitting down and schooling you in real time. That's what this is right here. I hope today's young 'uns realize how good they've got it. Much respect to JM for doing this.
It’s good to see this kind of vulnerability and transparency. I think it’s important for newer players to see “big famous” players practice, screw up, and have to think through wtf they’re doing. This is a different JM than I remember from years back. Awesome to see this man.
Very well put, I have a whole new level of respect for this man after seeing some of these videos of him. Very different from the JM I remember earlier in his career.
I always dismissed his music as I’m mainly a metal and hard rock guy, but as I’ve matured as a player and man I’ve started to really appreciate how much of a wizard Mayer is. Fantastic skills. Would love to learn from this guy in a full paid masterclass.
I go back and forth between heavy and song writer music and honestly stuff like this it just gives you more context on how music works in relation to our guitar playing.
Same. I remember hearing “your body is a wonderland” when I was 12 and thinking it was the shittiest song I’d ever heard so I hated JM for like 13 years. But in my mid 20s I discovered some of his country albums and really got into his music and lyrics.
2:28 I just want to cry at how beautiful and simple that is. Gonna try it at home. My John Mayer story is one of envy and then delight. I had to see him in NYC a few years back. I remember scoffing at the idea of watching him. Thought he was pretentious prick (this was his womanizer days). Before he played his first song he mentioned that he will be not be playing his hits. That piqued my interest. This guy went on to play such amazing blues and bluegrass music. I was in awe and became a full out fan for this man has chops!
John makes some very cogent suggestions about "suggesting chords in your phrasing". People always fret about pentatonic scales and such, but the fact is the most important thing is to unite your "inner voice" and your actual voice with your fingers' execution. Or to put it simply, play what you hear. Note that John can sing and whistle his lines, because you need to know and anticipate your destination in order to execute. In terms of outlining chords the articulation of the third and seventh as well as bass and harmonies in sixths is helpful. It is "ear based". "What's the note I want to hit?" Hint - as you transition from one phrase to another (call and response, etc.), use slides to help you land on the proper notes and "outline the chords". The slide helps you connect the phrases intuitively but in another position on the fret board. Then you let your ear "connect the dots".
This is one of the better lessons on youtube. I'm pretty impressed that he is able to SING (or even whistle) the note he's about to play, suggesting that hes not just winging it in some key that he knows its in. Although I knew this stuff, it reminded me to do it more often.
strangebrutoo exactly something I hope I will be able to do better myself as I age as a guitar player. I started like most everyone I look up too does you learn your favorite licks, songs and then you see really how talented they are as players. That’s what music is and the best guitar players in the world that instrument is there voice and Mayer is probably one of the best players I’ve seen ever and I’ve seen every blues player you can think of. Mayer is something special. Almost every other person I give guitar lessons too want to learn Mayer songs.
JM is such a naturally melodic player ........that so hard to come by for most of us. And I really appreciate him taking his time to give us an insight as to how he thinks musically
I consider myself intermediate and I follow him 100% and benefit greatly. It doesn't take mastery to understand what he's saying. The mastery is in his grasp of so many things to the point where it's all second nature.
That segue between Slipknot and Franklin's Tower with the diminished runs and multiple key changes was always a mad genius passage, the ability to make that collective idea work musically let alone pull it off is one of Jerry's (and the Dead's) legacy moments in music. It's comforting to know that one was challenging for John too, the same guy who wrote Neon...
@24:32 John talks about correcting a common left hand problem in beginner intermediate guitar players. Funny to think one of the best players was experiencing this just a few years ago after 20 yrs of playing. Incredibly humble, informative and inspiring.
If this was mirrored, thanks for reversing it! Best advise ever for improvising! You can try to play licks using chord tones OVER the chords, but SUGGESTING the chords forces you to play something melodic as you have nothing under you. I like John. He always seems laid back and logical in videos I've seen.
This is legitimately helpful - very insightful to hear his 'thinking out loud' process - regardless of anyone's thoughts on some of his pop tunes, he's among the best players in the industry - when the rubber meets the road he's a player's player.
Thank you John Mayer. As a long time, like old as Bob Weir, Grateful Dead fan, I have a great deal of respect for you and your devotion to the music. You have earned a place in my heart with all the other wonderful musicians who have played with the Dead over these many years. Thank you for doing these videos.
The thought of seeing Mayer before 2007 was awful to me thank you too my ex girlfriend for making go with her. I thought I was going to be hearing your body is a wonderland and instead saw one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen, and he’s continually put on the best shows I’ve seen over the years. I don’t think there’s another player besides SRV that I’ve learned more songs from
Absolutely beautiful musical mind Floating around with magical pony’s and chocolate rainbows 🌈 To be blessed with a voice like his aswell. Aswell as now sharing the knowledge True legend
So glad to hear that someone as Great on the Guitar as John Struggles with understanding modes as a formula like I always have. Like him, I know how they SOUND, not how they fit together theoretically. Thanks John! Inspiringly lesson!
TMS, I am actually making a Guitar learning method that shows just that, and it will be for free here on YT. I call it the KCB method, hope you see it when I finally get done. 🤘😊 - Kevin Venture
Your right about modes John.. people always describe them as the same scale starting on a different note.... which is true if you look at it like that but in fact that is just how they are DERIVED.. and if you are talking about them in the same key they are in fact all different scales with different sounds and intervals which in reality is how we use them.
@@Smopkin To some extent it is, but not in the way I meant lol that guitar just outputs these beautiful, crystal highs and smooth, buttery mids and lows.
Modes ,Reverse your thinking. All the chords created for example C Dm Em F G Am Bdim C. You can use Notes , C major scale over any of those chords. Example Cmajor scale over B diminished arpeggio. Thanks for all of your insights!
I can't believe it's been almost a year and I'm just finding this on RU-vid... Where have I been? I needed this, 😊 Arguably one of the most talented guitar player-singer/song writers of our time.... And taking his precious time out to share his knowledge for free. Thank you, John... You rock in so many ways!
This sets me on a course I hadn’t thought of! I do a lot of finger-style acoustic guitar arrangements with the standard bass/chords/melody/lead stuff that so many of us do. This concept will really help me stretch out more! Thanks so much! The hair tips...not so much! I’m bald!
Heart warming to learn i,m not the only journeyman guitar player that had to retrain my third finger after years and years ,,i could listen to John for hours,such a captivating guy,,that PR S sounds like a church bell
If this was an actual class that I was in with John Mayer teaching this way I would fail immediately, but I would also be mesmerized that it’s John Mayer.
john is great and really examplifies the importances of knowing the caged chord system and being able to play all chords in all different positions. bob is the master of playing a chord any damn where he pleases and jerry has also mentioned that he structures his solos around the chord shapes. this is actually a lot of really good info he is saying
tofusauce it takes a well-listened ear, something you will likely work on the rest of your life! Definitely not something that comes naturally without just naturally listening to a lot of music and imitating!
Excellent video. I learned a lot on this one, from the way he explains suggesting chords to his building block theory, very cool! This has all helped me to get through the "rut". I hope that John keeps his instructional things coming.
Just poached my first hour at work watching JM masterclass. What a treat to hear how a master musician thinks, while his hands do the moves. Thanks Mr. Mayer, you da Boss!
Modes. Take Shakedown's bridge, FMaj7, Em7, Dm7, G7 and then the C7 vamp (nothing shakin' on shakedown...). These are all in the key of C. FMaj7 - IV (lydian), Em7 - iii (phrygian), Dm7 - ii (dorian), G7 - V (mixolydian), C - I (ionian). So think of playing a C major scale over the bridge but finding the chord tones to "suggest" your solo reflects the chord changes. On the C7 vamp/jam, you can think of that as C minor pentatonic (blues scale) or you could think of it as C mixolydian. C7 is the V (fifth) of F major. So when playing C mixolydian put in your mind you're playing F major. Now switch between playing C minor pentatonic and C mixolydian (F major) over the C7 jam. Play with it because there's so much more you beyond this 😁!
Quite inspiring to watch your process. Your explanation of the techniques you use to develop various concepts is digestible, enlightening and a hell of a lot of fun! Thanks!
Mad respect for you Sir for articulating your wonderful approach to playing over the changes. I have been blessed with a good ear, so I “get just what you’re saying. I have been stuck in a rut for many years with my playing but now I believe your explanations and demonstrations in this video alone will be most beneficial in helping me to finally get through the wall. Blessings 🙏🏾
If by some miraculous John were to see this, the best version of The Wheel I ever heard used this technique. It allowed it to sound exploratory, but you knew somehow, the song was still there.
Mode is about mood- feeling- and it also gives another texture to maybe the same feel or rhythm. It’s kind of like inversions of a chord- playing the same chord but different color and voicing. Modes open up a whole new world to playing in one key
I've been working on this for hours everyday and man is it fun. I believe Bob Weir plays inversion after version, which really gives the dead such an amazingly original sound. I'm sure John worked on this a ton just to framework out the mindset of playing with Bob and boy has he done a great job. Keep on creating everyone.
felt like a very good class in a school. fun and educational. makes me happy seeing that people are watching this very currently. came here hoping to learn a thing or two but learned a few. good time.
Thanks John for taking time to impart your guitar wisdom. The diversity and creativity in your songs is so inspiring. After a great day in my Orthodontic practice, listening to and playing your music really “completes” the day! My wife and I have enjoyed your concerts and your songs never lose their magic. Your obsession with guitar has put so many smiles on faces. Hope to catch you in San Antonio! Cj
John: i don’t know what else to say except I couldn’t help but be another person who thanks you for your incredible generosity in sharing your knowledge, technique, and connections to music theory - please know how much these videos are greatly appreciated!!! :)
Thanks for this John .. I enjoyed the stream of consciousness approach to teaching, because that’s what it’s like playing. Getting a glimpse inside your stream was a kick for me. Intricacy, knowledge, flow and freedom .. and get lost on the way every now and then, that’s soloing!
I'm pretty impressed that he is able to SING the note he's about to play, suggesting that hes not just winging it in some key that he knows its in. He knows the melody hes going to play before he plays it !!!
Coen I’ve been playing for over 50 years, in pretty good (see my RU-vid page, “sitting on top of the world” cover for a lead) BUT i can’t reliably do what he’s doing with the melody ahead. .
@@strangebrutoo I think it has to do with "how" you practice. I haven't watched tutorial videos for about a year now, only to experiment and explore the neck by myself, and i must say that it is rewarding beyond comprehension. I notice that my mind starts to map out the neck, and match the sounds to whatever note I'm playing. This allows my creativity to flow, and seep into the future like John Mayer. Now, my skills are nowhere near as advanced as John Mayer, but at least the exploring showed me that you don't have to be God's special son to achieve the same level of guitar mastery.
This lesson is a masterpiece. Perfectly intuitive, leaving out all the rocket science that Scott Henderson or others deliver their lessons with "..flatted this over a diminished D# added f" . I"m actually going to return to this video. Guess I've always been too lazy and procrastinated the alphabet soup phase. You listen to so much music over decades that what sounds right is perfectly natural and gets hard wired even evolving to fusion and jazz. Now you transfer the sound images you've collected to your fingers and see what matches. Those jam ditties to backing tracks were cool and I"m thinking " I can do that" and it'll improve my stuff. Its interesting how you can "talk" music or painting or creative writing from feel and reading off what your mind projects onto that screen. We don't calculate or compute, but Feel. Thank You Mr Mayer for finding that rabbit hole.
