Eric Johnson is a member of the Guitar Player Gallery of Greats, and in 2024 he was inducted in the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association Hall of Fame.

GP Presents is thrilled to welcome Johnson back to Northern California for our first-ever event at the fabulous Guild Theatre in Menlo Park. The production at the intimate and immaculate venue is top shelf, which the king of tone and his legion of fanatic fellow aficionados will surely appreciate.

We’ve worked many shows with him over the past couple of decades. They are always uniquely inspired, and we’re expecting another gem on the second Sunday in May just south of the City by the Bay.

With the release of his 1986 solo debut Tones, the underground Texas guitar hero emerged fully formed, landing on the cover of Guitar Player and earning his first Grammy nomination for “Zap.” His follow-up album, the Platinum-selling Ah Via Musicom, featured the Grammy Award-winning “Cliffs of Dover.” That became his signature tune and cemented Johnson’s status as a global guitar phenomenon.

Beyond his celebrated electric and acoustic guitar playing, Johnson has a lovely voice, is a gifted pianist, and prolific songwriter. Johnson’s most recent studio release is a double album comprised of two distinct works, The Book of Making and Yesterday Meets Today, released simultaneously on July 29, 2022. Together, the albums feature 18 tracks and were made available on CD, LP, and as a bundled edition with bonus material, further showcasing the breadth of Johnson’s songwriting and musical range.

Reflecting on a career that has seamlessly crossed rock, blues, jazz, fusion, soul, folk, classical, and country, Johnson sums it up simply, “It really boils down to the music and the song at the end of the day. The most important thing for me is to grow musically and make a more expansive and meaningful artistic statement with every new project.”The Bay Area guitar community will be out in force to support Eric Johnson. If you’re planning to be in the region on Sunday, May 10, be sure to make your presence felt as well.

Secure advance tickets now.

WIN TICKETS!

For a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Eric Johnson in Menlo Park, California, on Sunday, May 10, please send an email and put “EJ” in the subject. Include a sentence about yourself and why you want to go. Phone contact greatly appreciated for confirmation.

Winner must provide their own transportation to the Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, California, and have their own accommodations in the area. Best of luck!

EVENT DETAILSGP Presents Eric Johnson

Sunday, May 10

8:00 p.m.

Guild Theatre

Menlo Park, CA

We'll be handing out free packs of Martin strings

Imagine having your guitar heroes answer all your questions while revealing their tone and technique secrets up close and personal where you can witness every minute detail about their how their hands work magic on key instruments, amps, and effects. Such is the enviable position of YouTube sensation Rick Beato.

His deep-dive interviews include a crazy range of players representing all ages and genres including David Gilmour, Billy Strings, Derek Trucks, Brian May, John Fogerty, George Benson, Matteo Mancuso, Al Di Meola, Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Mateus Asato, Pat Metheny, Steve Lukather, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Neal Schon.

Beato rarely performs live, so when he made a rare appearance in San Francisco we did a Guitar Player Presents promotion and sat down with him person to see what we could learn.

On David Gilmour and Neal Schon

“Sitting down with Gilmour was unbelievable because he played through all the original gear that he used on all these famous records,” Beato reports. “When you hear that Binson Echorec and he’s using his whammy bar and everything it sounds so pristine. He was playing through like five different amplifiers set up right near me.

“I sat two feet away from Gilmour, and when I watched David play I realized that he’s got massively big fingers. With some of this stuff it’s like, “How did I not notice that before?

“Another one is Neal Schon, who I just sat down with for an interview. I’ve watched Neal play a thousand times, but you can’t tell what people are doing unless you’re right next to them. For example, he showed me how he holds his pick and kind of uses it at an angle.

“He told me that his first guitar teacher drew a circle on the pickguard of his Les Paul and instructed him to keep his pinkie inside that circle. His picking chops are sick, he just rips, but he’s so relaxed no matter how fast it goes. He could always do that, but watching him up close you really get a feel for it.”

The Eric Johnson Effect

Beato is an proficient guitar player in his own right who wields his signature Gibson Les Paul Special Double Cut electric guitar in his highly-educational videos where he often breaks down the licks of his favorite players. Beato leans on 63 years of life experience that gives him a long lens through which to view the guitar universe. For example, in a video called “Why Are Guitar Players Clueless About Music?” Beato describes the “Eric Johnson Effect.”

“In that instance I’m talking about his use of spread triads on the intro to ‘Cliffs of Dover,’ he explains. “When guitar players hear that, they immediately reference Eric Johnson, even though I learned it from Pat Metheny’s Bright Sized Life album that came out in 1975. He uses spread triads all over the place, and Bach was doing this stuff 300 years ago.

“But people always talk from their point of reference. And if the only player they’ve heard to that is Eric Johnson, that’s totally cool. I’m glad that they’ve actually heard it from Eric Johnson. It’s important to talk about these things, and for me, to know the origins of some of these ideas.

Beato has an extensive background playing jazz, and one of his personal missions is to keep the genre’s guitar greats in the larger musical conversation, especially as they seem to fall off contemporary Best Guitarist lists.

Beato tells GP, “Whenever I do some type of guitar list I'll always throw in a jazz guy or fusion guy such as Pat Metheny, Larry Carlton, Frank Gambale, Joe Pass, George Benson or Allan Holdsworth. I think it’s important to keep reinforcing these things, especially to rock players that might not even know any of these names. I try to use my YouTube channel to do as much as I can to keep the legacy of incredible musicians alive.”

On Billy Strings, Mateus Asato and other young players

The gray-haired guru may be a bit jaded about the state of pop music, but not at all about the current guitar landscape. In fact, he bristles with optimism when talking about the young guns ripping up the modern guitar landscape, citing advances in technology for giving them a leg up on past legends.

“Young players have the advantage of growing up with great ways to learn like YouTube where you can watch the actual artists play their stuff. Billy Strings is amazing. Mateus Asato. Matteo Mancuso. Tim Henson. Tosin Abasi. These guys are all phenomenal and can play insane stuff. The greatest technical players are alive right now.”

Beato has worked practically every gig in the music business. He was in a band called Billionaire that got a record deal in the late ’90s but got dropped quickly after selling poorly. He did better behind the scenes as a record producer and a songwriting collaborator before major label budgets dried up when streaming hit.

On Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and other bucket listers

Beato landed well on his feet with his current gig as a YouTube content creator. His channel launched in 2015, and now he’s got about six million subscribers. The freedom to create content about whatever he finds interesting allows him to cultivate his greatest strength as a highly informed educator and interviewer.

There was a recent scare when Beato underwent open-heart surgery in July 2024. He made a quick recovery, and it gave him a big picture perspective. He doesn’t take his good fortune for granted, and has his sights set on getting as many iconic interviews in the can while he can.

“I’d love to interview Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend and Paul McCartney,” Beato reports. “I learn things from every interview because I ask about the things I want to know. I always talk about music, and I ask the questions that musicians want the answers to. It’s kind of like when I used to teach lessons, I’d tell my friends that I learn more than the students learn.”

Texas has a rich history of producing guitar greats, and when two of its finest share the stage for a rare collaboration, you know something special is about to go down. That's exactly what happened on April 8, 1985, at the Fast and Cool Club in Dallas, Texas, when Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson jammed out some tunes to close Stevie's set.

Long before the days of camera phones at every show, no video footage of the pair sharing the stage exists. However, lucky for us, someone had the foresight to smuggle in a cassette recorder — and it makes for quite the listening experience.

Johnson had been opening for Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble that night at the Dallas venue, right in the middle of Stevie's tour supporting his 1984 album Couldn't Stand the Weather.

The pair played three songs together, including the Earl King tune "Come On (Part III)" and "Voodoo Child" by Jimi Hendrix. However, the true highlight came during the performance of "Shake 'n Bake," a Vaughan deep cut that was a staple of his early live shows.

The performance is packed with high points, but be sure not to miss the moment around the three-minute mark, as Johnson's cascading runs seamlessly blend with Stevie's powerhouse phrasing, building up to an epic exchange that the lucky audience in attendance audibly can't get enough of.

Almost 40 years on, Johnson still vividly remembers the sheer power of the performance that night, as he told Guitar Interactive in a recent interview.

"Being onstage with Stevie was like standing next to a hurricane," Johnson recalls. "I opened some shows for Double Trouble, and, I mean, I play loud, but I remember when I went on for the encore and played ‘Voodoo Child’ with him, I couldn't hear anything! I had a full hundred-watt stack, and I couldn't hear it. It was pretty intense out there. He had a huge sound."

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson were still early in their careers. Although international recognition was a ways off, the pair were giants in the thriving Austin music scene. Johnson fondly recalls his first encounters with Vaughan.

"He had just come to Austin, and I met him at a music store called Ray Hennig's Heart of Texas Music," the revered local haunt frequented by just about every player in the scene and the store where SRV bought his "Number One" Fender Stratocaster.

"I didn't have the pleasure of knowing him really closely, but we were friends. I knew him, and we hung out a little bit, and I did some shows with him. He was a really sweet guy. Even throughout his whole career, after he got successful, he remained a sweet, nice guy — happy, and obviously, a tremendous talent."

Vaughan, of course, had just as much respect for Johnson and his uncommon ability on the instrument and was a big fan of what would have been Johnson's debut — but shelved until 1998 — album, Seven Worlds. Speaking to Guitar Player in 1986, Vaughan said.

"If the record that he made years ago, Seven Worlds, had come out at the time it was ready, instead of being held back for the reason of dollars and pennies... he would have been as big as Jeff Beck.

"He would have been very much in the public eye for modern jazz, rock, and fusion. The guy deserves a lot more recognition than he's ever gotten."

Sadly, these lo-fi recordings document the final time the two guitarists would share the same stage, as Vaughan tragically passed away in August 1990.

Johnson would later pay tribute to his late friend and peer with the track "S.R.V." from his 1996 album, Venus Isle — a song that also featured a guest spot from Stevie's older brother, Jimmie Vaughan, who told Guitar Player last year he is “still in denial” over his brother’s death.

Recently, Johnson has also been paying tribute to both Vaughan and —let's face it — all of our shared musical influence, Jimi Hendrix, as part of the Experience Hendrix tour.

At a show in Seattle last September, another special guest joined him onstage — Izabella, Hendrix's famed 1968 Olympic White Fender Stratocaster, famously used during Jimi's legendary Woodstock performance.

Reflecting on playing the Stratocaster — now primarily housed at the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle — for a few Hendrix numbers, Johnson explains that the instrument's mojo is, in part, due to the fact that "it was Jimi's guitar, but it's also a great guitar."

"The universe made sure he got that one," Johnson says. "It's like, 'Oh look, Jimi's down there walking to Manny's in New York. We better get him this guitar.' You know, things happen the way they do, and sometimes they're more than coincidence."

He continues, "It's an amazing guitar. I remember playing it for an hour backstage and just going, gosh, it's real inviting to play. It was just the perfect thing you want — an instrument that makes you forget about yourself — it carries you away"

You can currently catch Eric Johnson on the Experience Hendrix Tour, with dates running through mid-April. No guarantees of Hendrix-played instruments making an appearance, but you can bet the house on some incredible playing.

Austin-born guitarist Eric Johnson has reflected on his hometown’s knack for spawning next-level guitarists and how the city, with its “little artistic pockets,” helped shape them.

Certain places have come to be intimately associated with specific styles of music, from the Mississippi blues to the Seattle grunge explosion of the ‘90s. Austin, meanwhile, is often celebrated as the world’s live musical capital, as well as for its ties with the blues. And Johnson has always been in awe of its most famous export, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan.

During a sit-down interview featured in the latest issue of Guitarist, the '"Cliffs of Dover" composer offers a taste of what the Austin scene was like when he cut his teeth there. He’s also revealed the one skill SRV boasted that Johnson feels deserves as many accolades as his abilities on electric guitar.

“When I look back now, I realize there are certain little artistic pockets that are known for certain things, like new art,” he says. “Austin had its own thing; its own artistic pocket. A lot of the players there had that blues influence. No matter what kind of music they did; whether it’s country or country rock or blues or jazz, there’s an element of blues in what they do.”

Perhaps there’s something special in the water supply. It would go some way to explaining SRV’s revolutionary talents.

“Stevie was fantastic,” Johnson continues, paying his respects. “I got to do some touring with him and hang with him a little bit. He was a wonderful guy and obviously a tremendous talent. Just the way he could give it up and go out there and get out of the way of himself and channel this great, beautiful force and be a really, really fine singer in front of all the powerful music that he did.

“I really admire that, probably just as much as his guitar playing,” Johnson continues. “I think he was a great singer and he wrote really good songs. He had the whole package. I learned a lot from that — trying to put emotion into what you do. He certainly was a master at that.”

SRV's legacy was cut all too short when he died aged just 35. His brother, Jimmie Vaughan has spoken to Guitar Player about the impact his death had on him.

“I’m still in denial about it. It was terrible. I had to deal with losing my little brother,” he said only last year. “The thing is that he died on the same day that our father died, four years earlier. Imagine how that felt when I was calling up my mother to tell her. I guess she thought I was calling up to tell her I was thinking about her on that anniversary. And I have to tell her that Stevie got killed?

“It’s a life-changing experience... I didn’t know what to do or say about it when it happened. I almost didn’t even want to play anymore. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.”

While SRV enjoyed a sizable reputation, he once went on record to lament that Johnson's stature wasn't bigger. “If Seven Worlds had come out at the time it was ready, instead of being held back, he would have been as big as Jeff Beck,” Vaughan said.

The record was released in 1998 but had been recorded two decades earlier, in the wake of his old band the Electromagnets splitting up.

Meanwhile, footage of Stevie jamming with Albert Collins and Jimmie Vaughan in 1989 has recently resurfaced, after being feared lost for 20 years.

Some guitar players rely solely on their talents. Others take their love for the instruments to extremes by modifying them.

Eddie Van Halen was always tinkering with guitars on his workbench, bringing his Bumblebee, Shark and Frankenstein creations, as well as his clever D-Tuna system for Floyd Rose tremolos, to the fore.

Eric Johnson was cut from that same cloth. Without the mods he made to his 1954 Fender Stratocaster, it’s quite possible his biggest hit, "Cliffs of Dover," wouldn’t have been as successful as it is.

Johnson had traded a Gibson for a 1954 Strat early in his career. He named the guitar Virginia after finding a piece of masking tape with that name on it in a pickup cavity. It was common for Fender's factory workers to sign their work in the '50s, and Virginia was one of the first Leo Fender hired for factory work.

The guitar had a two-piece, offset-seam body made of sassafras, a tonewood Fender used in his early Strat builds, and it sported a classic two-tone sunburst finish and a one-piece maple neck.

Johnson replaced the pickups with late-1950s single-coils that packed a little more heat — particularly in the bridge position — along with a 500k volume pot, which is twice the output as the factory-standard pots.

Next, he planed down the neck and fit it with larger frets, a trend typical of the ‘70s and ‘80s, while a custom wiring job allowed him to adjust the tone of the bridge pickup, the hottest of the three.

But it was the modification to the bridge, a hardtail tremolo typical of the era, that made the biggest difference.

Johnson had been unhappy with the sustain and volume of his high E string, particularly when playing chords. Its string saddle was replaced with a 1970s-style block saddle. To reduce its bright response, he removed metal from its midsection and replaced it with hard plastic.

Johnson has since jumped ship to Graphtec saddles that have graphite in their cores, an invention that came later. It shows how forward-thinking the guitarist was when addressing his issues with Virginia.

The guitarist also raised the pickup's height on the treble side. This helped even out the attack response from each string and improve sustain from the high strings.

Johnson’s first two solo records, Tones (1986), and Ah Via Musicom (1990), from which "Cliffs of Dover" soared, quickly defined him as a smooth guitar player, which emphasizes the importance of remedying Virginia's high-E troubles and elevating the instrument’s performance.

The song was ranked 16th in Guitar Player’s Greatest ‘Guitar Solos of All Time’ list, sitting between Eric Clatpon's "Crossroads" and Prince's "Purple Rain."

"I don't even know if I can take credit for writing 'Cliffs of Dover,'" Johnson told Guitar World. "It was just there for me one day." He said he "literally wrote in five minutes" and called the song "kind of a gift from a higher place that all of us are eligible for. We just have to listen for it and be available to receive it."

The solo has been championed for its “exquisitely tasteful guitar playing and jaw-dropping tones.” A 100-watt Marshall Super Lead, an Echoplex delay pedal and BK Butler Tube Driver were also used to help him create his signature smooth, violin-like tones and warm sustain.

Speaking of Virginia during the unveiling of Fender's 2020 replica model, Johnson said, it “was one of my favorite guitars I've ever owned. It was a real career guitar for me. I recorded with it and toured it forever.”

Though Virginia has now been retired after many years of service, the replica, which captures the “magic and soul” of the six-string has proved a worthy stand-in since.

The thorny subject of the greatest guitar solo of all time has long been a fiercely contested debate, probably because every solo is different. How do you compare, say, “Comfortably Numb” with “Crazy Train,” or “Stairway to Heaven” with “Sultans of Swing”? It’s impossible. Still, public opinion ebbs and flows, and we wanted to find out which solos currently rank among our readers as the greatest of them all.

So we ran a poll on GuitarPlayer.com to find out and here we present the results. We’ll take a look at the stories behind the songs and find out just what made those lead guitar breaks so great through conversations with Brian May, Kirk Hammett, Michael Schenker and others.

20. Gary Moore | “Still Got the Blues”

GUITARIST: GARY MOORE (1990)

The definitive blues guitar ballad.

Presented as the title track from his 1990 album, this wistful tune in A minor became Gary Moore’s calling card fairly late in his career, when he reinvented himself as a blues artist. There’s a point in the solo where you can hear the Belfast great switch from the neck humbucker to the bridge on the 1959 Les Paul Standard he nicknamed Stripe and start deviating from its main theme, mainly sticking within the A minor pentatonic scale, with a few notes from the Aeolian and harmonic minor scales.

Moore was plugged into his prototype Marshall JTM-45 reissue head with one of the company’s newly designed Guv’nor distortion pedals out in front. More than 30 years later, this remains one of the most raw and expressive blues tracks, with Moore almost fighting his guitar at points, yet never failing to deliver the goods

19. Metallica | “Fade To Black”

GUITARIST: Kirk Hammett (1984)

Metallica’s first ballad features some of Kirk’s most epic playing.

Recorded at Flemming Rasmussen’s Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen in February and March 1984, Ride the Lightning, Metallica’s sophomore album, was more progressive and stylistically greater in scope than the all-out thrash assault of their debut, Kill ’Em All. That change is evident on “Fade to Black,” which features acoustic guitars and a nonstandard structure more akin to the “Stairway to Heaven” school of songcraft. But it is the song’s timeless melodic solo that most vividly signals a stylistic shift in guitarist Kirk Hammett’s playing. And the signature element he employs for the last solo is arpeggios.

“I have been playing that song for so long now,” Kirk tells our sister publication Total Guitar. “For the very last solo, I know how I want to start it, but then I am in an area where I can improvise for 16, 18 or 24 bars, and then [drummer] Lars [Ulrich] will hit a certain fill, which means that it’s up and it’s time for the arpeggio part. And then I just slide right into those arpeggios.” And they are arpeggios played on two strings, Hammett specifies. “When guitar players first started incorporating arpeggios into their playing, before the whole Yngwie sweep-picking thing, arpeggios were played on two strings – not three or four strings,” he explains. “And that was what the vogue was at the time in the 1980s, so I have been playing those for a long time. I use my middle finger just to anchor my position on the neck.”

That’s a great tip from the man who plays the solos. But how should you tackle them yourself? First, there are two essential scales you’ll need to know: the B natural minor scale and the B Phrygian mode, both shown below. These cover you for the entire opening 30 bars, which, let’s face it, is a lot of music, so this is a good reason to learn a couple of shapes if ever there was one.

To make it simpler, most of your time is spent in the natural minor scale. Not until around bar 20 will you find yourself briefly landing on the C note, which appears in the Phrygian mode. The bottom line is that Hammett improvises this part of the solo live – and these are the shapes he uses.

Up next are those two-string arpeggio shapes, and they’re 16th notes – all of them! At 142 bpm, it’s pretty fast, but Hammett doesn’t pick every note, opting to use pull-offs to make those rapid licks easier. It’s definitely something to experiment with and if you’re still struggling, you could try adding in an occasional hammer‑on, too.

18. Steely Dan | “Kid Charlemagne”

GUITARIST: Larry Carlton (1976)

Messin’ with the “Kid.”

Steely Dan’s catalog is filled with remarkable guitar solos, but Larry Carlton’s brilliant work on The Royal Scam’s “Kid Charlemagne” remains the most celebrated. Carlton strings together a series of tasty phrases that follow the underlying chord changes with a blend of inside and outside playing that is technically mind bending and emotionally satisfying.

“I was pretty familiar with the tune, so I just improvised,” he tells Guitar Player. “People think I’m kidding when I say that, like I had worked the solo out beforehand, but I didn’t. It was straight improv, and it worked.” Very well, in fact. Perhaps more has been written about his solo than of the song itself.

Despite the acclaim, Carlton was, and remains, nonplussed. “When the record came out, there was a wonderful review of the tune in Billboard and they raved about the solo,” he says. “I put the record on and listened to it with my wife, and at the end of it I said, ‘I don’t know. It just sounds like me.’”

17. Cream | “Crossroads”

GUITARIST: Eric Clapton (1968)

The finest rock and roll cover of an acoustic blues song.

It started as a blues tune called “Cross Road Blues” by Robert Johnson and became one of the finest examples of natural ability, soulfulness and showmanship from a virtuosic 22-year-old guitarist named Eric Clapton. His reimagining of the song as “Crossroads” further cemented a legacy that by then had earned him the nickname God.

Famously recorded at San Francisco’s Fillmore West venue for supergroup Cream’s Wheels of Fire album, Clapton’s arrangement retains the soul and spirit of Johnson’s original but updates it for a contemporary audience raring to cut loose and be entertained by dazzlingly quick, passionate musicianship.

Remarkably, Clapton is no fan of the performance: He complains that the band lost the “one” in the first verse of his second solo break, thereby throwing off his phrasing. That’s perfectionism for you. For everyone else, this four-minute track remains a source of fascination more than 50 years on.

16. Eric Johnson | “Cliffs Of Dover”

GUITARIST: Eric Johnson (1990)

Heavenly tones from the Texan great.

This instrumental won Eric Johnson a Grammy for its exquisitely tasteful guitar playing and jaw-dropping tones. For the recordings, the Texan musician mainly stuck with his early ’60s ES-335, though he chose to use his 1964 “Virginia” Strat for the opening lead and parts of the main solo. The guitars were fed into a 100-watt Marshall Super Lead, with an Echoplex and BK Butler Tube Driver to help achieve those smooth, violin-like tones and warm sustain.

“I first heard him in 1986 on Live at Austin City Limits,” Joe Bonamassa told us in 2015. “It was ‘Cliffs of Dover,’ and it was just terrifyingly good guitar playing. I wasn’t even sure if it was real! Then I saw him live, and his tones were the best I’d ever heard. I wondered how this guy was getting all of these sounds out of his Strat. I’d never seen anybody have such a forward-thinking rig like that.”

15. Prince | “Purple Rain”

GUITARIST: Prince (1984)

The Purple One’s defining guitar moment.

The epic outro to “Purple Rain” – which takes up nearly two thirds of the song itself – stands out as some of Prince’s finest work on the six-string, wailing away in G minor pentatonic and occasionally including some more modal notes, like the minor 6th. There’s also that repeating motif that dances around the 2nd and minor 3rd intervals.

It’s simple and effective, setting things up for the vocal melody that comes in toward the end. It’s not a busy solo by any means. Rather, the Purple One chose to leave a lot of space in between the lines he played and focus on big hooks instead of monster licks.

Prince would extend the solo for up to 15 minutes in live performance. While there are many great live renditions of this track, his half-time performance for 2007’s Super Bowl in Miami is the stuff of legend. Shredding alone onstage in the middle of a storm, Prince seemed to be living the moment for which this song was written.

14. Deep Purple | “Highway Star”

GUITARIST: Ritchie Blackmore (1972)

Race with devil on English highway.

“I wrote that out note for note about a week before we recorded it,” Ritchie Blackmore said of his remarkable and most definitely memorable solo to “Highway Star.” “And that is one of the only times I have ever done that. I wanted it to sound like someone driving in a fast car, for it to be one of those songs you would listen to while speeding. And I wanted a very definite Bach sound, which is why I wrote it out – and why I played those very rigid arpeggios across that very familiar Bach progression – D minor, G minor, C major, A major. I believe that I was the first person to do that so obviously on the guitar, and I believe that that’s why it stood out and why people have enjoyed it so much.

“Over the years, I’ve always played that solo note for note, but it just got faster and faster onstage because we would drink more and more whisky. [Keyboardist] Jon [Lord] would have to play his already difficult part faster and faster, and he would get very annoyed about it.”

13. Guns N’ Roses | “Sweet Child O’ Mine”

GUITARIST: Slash (1988)

A game of two halves.

Slash’s solo on this Guns N’ Roses breakthrough single is rock guitar at its finest. The first half is laid-back and modal, built around the Eb minor scale with a few major 7ths thrown in for a harmonic-minor flavor. The second half is much more aggressive and bluesy, and sticks mainly to position one of the pentatonic scale an octave up the neck in the same key. The bends feel that much wider and the vibrato more pronounced.

Slash plays the first section on the neck pickup for thickness and warmth before switching over to the bridge for more bite, with his Cry Baby engaged. Perhaps most impressive is his off-the-cuff sense of feel and how he strings it all together, which is the mark of any great guitar solo. Remarkably, although Slash’s riff was responsible for the song’s creation, he wasn’t fond of the song originally. “We were a pretty hard driving band, and that was sort of an uptempo ballady type of a thing,” he said. “So it’s grown on me over the years.”

12. Ozzy Osbourne | “Crazy Train”

GUITARIST: Randy Rhoads (1980)

Fretboard fireworks galore on Ozzy’s Blizzard of Ozz comeback.

The Double-O has often cited Randy Rhoads as the man who saved his career – and when you hear the solo on “Crazy Train,” you understand why. Although Rhoads’ classical- and modal-based approach was far from Tony Iommi’s blues leanings, he was, like Ozzy’s old bandmate, a true inventor.

There’s a section toward the end of this solo that actually sounds like a train squealing off the tracks, thanks to the use of a chromatically ascending trill that then descends in key. Rhoads concludes the solo with a fast-picked F# minor pentatonic phrase before a rapid Aeolian legato run ending with a big bend on the 19th fret.

The shredder performed the solo with his customized Jackson guitar through a Marshall and a couple of 4x12s while sitting in the control room. “We’d plug the guitar directly into the console,” recalls Blizzard of Ozz engineer Max Norman. “We’d preamp it in the console and send it down to the amp from there. That way we could control the amount of gain that hit the amp.”

11. Michael Jackson | “Beat It”

GUITARIST: Eddie Van Halen (1982)

Breathtaking results from an unlikely pairing.

Asked to contribute guitar to Michael Jackson’s Thriller album, Pete Townshend declined but offered a suggestion: How about Eddie Van Halen? Jackson and producer Quincy Jones thought that was a great idea, and got Ed onboard to play the solo to “Beat It.” But after hearing the part where he was asked to solo, the guitarist was unhappy with the chord changes and had the engineer edit the tape to create a new pattern that better suited what he had in mind.

Ed knew Jackson might be surprised and possibly unhappy with his executive decision. “So I warned him before he listened,” he told CNN in 2012. “I said, ‘Look, I changed the middle section of your song.’ Now in my mind, he’s either going to have his bodyguards kick me out for butchering his song, or he’s going to like it. And so he gave it a listen, and he turned to me and went, ‘Wow, thank you so much for having the passion to not just come in and blaze a solo but to actually care about the song and make it better.’” And he did it for free.

10. The Beatles | “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”

GUITARIST: Eric Clapton (1968)

An uncredited Slowhand makes a rare guest appearance with the Fab Four.

By 1968, George Harrison was penning compositions that rivaled those of his bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” was every bit as good as anything his musical partners wrote, but no one could get up the enthusiasm for it, so Harrison invited his pal Eric Clapton to play on the session, knowing it would put the Beatles on good behavior.

Using Harrison’s 1957 “Lucy” Gibson Les Paul through a Fender Deluxe amp, Clapton doesn’t so much mimic the haunting, aching main melody as he creates a harrowing song within a song. His descending bends and release notes, and that inimitable vibrato, are on full display and are appropriately tear-jerking, weaving a dramatic narrative that builds to a shattering climax.

9. Chicago | “25 OR 6 TO 4”

GUITARIST: Terry Kath (1969)

Wah-drenched ecstasy.

This magazine once described Terry Kath’s “25 or 6 to 4” solo as “Wes Montgomery meets Jimi Hendrix,” and it’s a fair point, as Kath was influenced first by jazz and, later, hard rock. As a founding member of the jazz-rock band Chicago, he held down guitar duties for the group until his tragic death from an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1978.

Though his superb playing graced many tracks – notably “Introduction” and “Free Form Guitar,” both from the group’s 1969 debut, The Chicago Transit Authority – there’s no denying the power of his soloing on the group’s early hit “25 or 6 to 4.” Kath uses his wah generously to add emotion to his lines, giving them at times a frenetic despair.

Kath most likely played his Gibson SG Standard, as pictured on Chicago Transit Authority’s inner sleeve, using his favored string set, as revealed to GP: the high E string from a tenor set and a standard set for the rest, moved down one string (i.e. high E for the B string, B for the G string, and so on).

8. Lynyrd Skynyrd | “Free Bird”

GUITARIST: Allen Collins (1974)

The Bird is the word.

As it happens, the four-minute-and-24- second guitar solo that closes “Free Bird” was originally added to give singer Ronnie Van Zant a chance to rest his vocal cords during Lynyrd Skynyrd’s relentless performance schedule. At 143 bars long, the solo is far and away the most epic offering here (in fact, it’s 286 bars of recorded music because the whole thing is doubled).

The tune appeared on the group’s eponymous debut album in 1973, and guitarist Allen Collins delivered the lot on his 1964 Gibson Explorer. As Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Gary Rossington once told Guitar World, “The whole long jam was Allen Collins himself. He was bad. He was super bad! He was bad-to-the-bone bad. When we put the solo together, we liked the sound of the two guitars, and I could’ve gone out and played it with him. But the way he was doin’ it, he was just so hot! He just did it once and did it again, and it was done.”

7. Dire Straits | “Sultans Of Swing”

GUITARIST: Mark Knopfler

An understated guitar hero fingerpicks his way to glory.

Right when the world was crowning Eddie Van Halen the new King of Guitar, along came the rather unassuming Mark Knopfler – schooled in rockabilly, blues and jazz – who demonstrated that you didn’t need walls of distortion to turn heads.

Knopfler composed this pub-rock classic on a National steel guitar but thought it sounded “dull” – that is, until he picked up a Stratocaster, at which point the song “came alive.” Using nary a hint of grit on a Fender Twin, he fingerpicks not one but two standout solos.

The first features a lyrical section of elegant, Chet Atkins-style single-note and chordal bends that sigh and swoon with dreamy romanticism. In itself, that would be enough, but the outro solo is the real attention-grabber, on which Knopfler builds to a dazzling set of spitfire 16th-note arpeggios – cleanly played, precise and rousing every time you hear it.

6. The Jimi Hendrix Experience | “All Along The Watchtower”

GUITARIST: Jimi Hendrix (1968)

The greatest solo in a cover version.

This song tops any list of covers that are better than the original. Guitarists invariably refer to it as a Hendrix cover rather than a Bob Dylan original, proof of how much Hendrix made it his own. Jimi’s rhythm playing is astounding, both in the intro and in the deft chord/ melody work of the verses, and of course, there’s the small matter of four guitar solos to consider. The man many refer to as the best of all time makes the most of his Strat and Marshall rig here, but it’s his offering at the 2:20 mark that we’re interested in. Following an opening run of octaves, he gets into his stride with a typically blues-based minor pentatonic approach in C#.

At 2:32, the main solo explodes into a trademark combination of rhythm and lead, plus funky scratching on muted strings. It’s worth playing along with the scratches, trying to keep a loose wrist and consistent down-up strumming. Those few beats alone will teach you a lot about Jimi’s groove and feel.

To get the sound, select a bridge-position single-coil pickup, dial in delay at around 350ms, add compression for sustain and opt for a Vox wah pedal or something similar. You’ll hear the wind begin to howl.

5. Eagles | “Hotel California”

GUITARISTS: Don Felder & Joe Walsh (1977)

Those iconic twin-guitar harmony lines took the Eagles to new heights.

The title track from the Eagles’ fifth album, and without doubt the song the band will be most remembered for, “Hotel California” frequently tops greatest guitar solo polls. The solo begins at 4:20, forming an extended coda, over which guitarists Don Felder and Joe Walsh trade licks before joining together to play those iconic harmonized licks at 5:39.

As it turns out, those harmony lines work in a relatively simple fashion. Felder and Walsh play an arpeggio of every chord, and the harmony is created by one of the guitars always playing one note lower down in the chord. For example, the notes of the Bm chord are B, D and F#, so, if the higher guitar plays an F#, the lower guitar will play a D, and so on.

This nugget of information can take you a long way to mastering those descending arpeggios. We won’t go as far as to say you could easily work it out by ear, but if you know the chords to the song, it’s possible to jam along. And you can’t say that about many of the solos on this list!

4. Queen | “Bohemian Rhapsody”

GUITARIST: Brian May (1975)

It might just be the biggest rock song of all time.

Following Freddie Mercury’s 1991 death and a cameo moment in 1992’s Wayne’s World, “Bohemian Rhapsody” became a trigger point for a worldwide outpouring of affection and respect for Queen. Their renewed popularity would continue into the new millennium as Ben Elton’s We Will Rock You musical and the band’s discovery of a different way to exist behind frontman Adam Lambert brought their music to a new generation.

And “Bohemian Rhapsody”? Unsurprisingly, it’s Queen’s best-known song, and its brief nine-bar solo is a short and sweet musical interlude, bridging the verses to lead into what’s become known as the song’s “operatic section.” Those two words alone should warn you that this song shouldn’t work. There’s no chorus and, aside from two verses, no repetition. But of course it does work, and Brian May’s solo is the perfect melodic break.

His phrasing is loose and natural, moving across the backbeat rather than sticking to a rigidly timed grid. The fastest licks are expressive bursts, rather than repetitive noodling, and his articulate pre-bend and vibrato technique demonstrates his beautiful touch. Somehow, within the confines of the complex structure of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” this solo is made to order.

3. Led Zeppelin | “Stairway To Heaven”

GUITARIST: Jimmy Page (1971)

Heaven-sent soloing.

From the moment Jimmy Page plays the opening run on his ’59 Fender Telecaster, right through to the flurry of notes and the wailing bend that completes it, this is guitar-solo perfection – a masterpiece of composition. Rather than wander aimlessly, Page creates a song within a song.

The opening phrases set the scene, as he adds notes to the pentatonic scale to follow the song’s final chord progression. A rapid mid-solo repeating lick raises the bar before a game of question-and-answer with a haunting overdubbed guitar leads into that last flurry and bend. As we say, it’s all about the composition: licks that track the chord changes, the contour of the melody and the pacing of the widdly bits all take the listener on a journey.

Three takes were recorded (the other two allegedly still survive, presumably locked in a Led Zeppelin vault somewhere), all of them improvised, although Page has reportedly said that he had worked out the opening line. But while we’re all certainly curious to hear those solos, let’s face it: They’re not going to be any better than the one we’ve come to know and love all these years.

2. Van Halen | “Eruption”

GUITARIST: Eddie Van Halen (1978)

Eddie’s iconic solo that shook the world.

With its mix of fast legato hammer‑ons and pull-offs, pinched harmonics, whammy-bar dives and two-hand tapping, Eddie Van Halen’s mind-blowing instrumental guitar solo inspired a generation of guitar heroes. While the tapping gets the attention, his tone, blistering legato and creative note choices are all equally important. Amid all that virtuosity, Eddie still played with joyous rock and roll abandon.

Remarkably, Ed was never completely happy with the released recording. “I didn’t even play it right,” he told Guitar World. “There’s a mistake at the top end of it. Whenever I hear it, I always think, Man, I could’ve played it better.”

His admission aside, the track is a technical opus. The first eight bars are a bluesy affair, whose virtuoso legato licks perhaps recall the mojo of Jimmy Page’s breakdown solo in Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” It’s a theme Eddie develops over the following eight bars, taking notes from the major and minor pentatonic scales to add chromatics.

His tapping finale is probably one of the least understood solo sections in rock history. Eddie’s taps are not always on the beat, which makes for tricky timing changes as he switches from tapping the first and fourth sextuplet notes to the third and sixth notes. From start to end, “Eruption” is a masterpiece that would take most guitarists a lifetime to perfect.

1. Pink Floyd | “Comfortably Numb”

GUITARIST: David Gilmour (1979)

Gilmour’s greatness comes through in waves.

In a 1992 interview with MTV’s Ray Cokes, Gilmour was asked what he thinks of Keith Richards’ theory that songs, lyrics and guitar solos are “just out there in the air and you sort of grab them.” Gilmour agreed. “I think he’s right. They sort of appear as if they are out there in the air. But I don’t know how they get there.” But the best ones he said, just happen. “The best ones do, but often you work very hard and struggle over them.”

Gilmour's two "Comfortably Numb" solos are certainly among his best, and it’s easy to understand why our readers voted his efforts to be the number-one pick in our poll. But the real question is, which of those two solos qualifies for inclusion? Whichever way you go — and granted, most fans prefer the first solo to the second — there's certainly plenty to justify the song's position at the top.

The tone is legendary. Gilmour’s signal chain consisted of his iconic black Strat, then featuring a DiMarzio FS-1 bridge pickup, into a HiWatt DR103, with the essential EHX Ram’s Head Big Muff pedal. The FS-1’s fatness and the Big Muff’s smoothness leave no hint of the harsh treble that can plague Strats. With some extra help from an MXR Dyna Comp, Gilmour had so much sustain that he could hold notes as long as he wanted. As in his live rig, he combined a WEM 4x12 cab with a Yamaha rotary speaker lower in the mix, to add subtle modulation. The epic delay was added in the mix.

The first solo, in D major, uses the Strat’s neck and bridge pickups together, permitted by a custom switching arrangement. His phrasing here is the more unconventional of the two, with arpeggios and sliding passages. Gilmour’s use of the bar for vibrato – aided by its shortened tremolo arm – again distinguishes him from typical bluesers, inspiring many a fusion player in the process. He rakes into the beginning of many of the phrases, similar to Brian May, extracting all the excitement he can from every note.

By comparison, the outro solo’s licks are more standard, with phrases similar to Hendrix’s. The passages at 4:57 and 5:12 could be from “All Along the Watchtower” or “Foxey Lady,” but in this epic track few listeners would make the connection. It sounds both masterful and improvised at the same time. Gilmour has explained he created this impression by recording five or six takes and compiling the finished solo from the best bits of each. The result is stunningly well written, with a combination of repetition and development that keeps the excitement building for two minutes. The Hendrix-style blues lick returns at 5:27, longer and more intricate than before. The aggressive double-stops first appear at 5:15, and by 5:35 he has turned that idea into a motif.

For the climax, Gilmour shoots up an octave just when it seems he’s wrung every inch of expression from his maple neck. He descends back down the neck, incorporating one of his spectacular three-fret bends on the way, and finishes with another take on that double stop motif. It has all the excitement of an improvised performance, and all the structure of a careful composition.

Both solos share brilliant rhythmic awareness. Gilmour uses triplets, sextuplets, 16th and 32nd notes freely, within the same phrase. And check out the effect at 5:10 when he plays a lick in 16th notes and then immediately repeats and expands in sextuplets. A good solo can have great tone, rhythms, melody or expression, but only a work of rare brilliance features them all to this degree.

Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and Eric Johnson shred the blues classic “Crossroads” in this exclusive new video of the three electric guitar virtuosos from the 2024 G3 reunion tour.

Directed by ZZ Satriani, the “Crossroads” video captures the energy, fun and celebratory exhilaration that those concerts delivered.

Says Satch, "ZZ’s video brings together all the fun and musical magic of this epic G3 journey Eric, Steve and I have been on since 1996. Because of our shared roots, ‘Crossroads’ is a song that unites us. We are three very different players, still evolving on our instruments but still enjoying the celebration of the electric guitar with each other.”

Vai concurs. “We’ve played this classic jewel on various G3 tours in the past," he says, "and it always feels good to wrap the fingers around this iconic riff. Slamming away with Joe and Eric on this track creates a rich atmosphere of crushing guitar delight. It’s an honor to be a part of it.”

Adds “Johnson, “It’s always a fun one to play and stretch out on!"

The video is a tantalizing sample from the trio's forthcoming Reunion Live album that captures the electrifying magic of their sold-out 2024 U.S. tour. The album features the three guitar icons, who first joined forces in 1996 on the inaugural G3 tour, doing what they do best — shredding guitar before a live audience.

Out January 31, 2025, Reunion Live delivers full sets from each guitarist, including hits like Satriani’s “Sahara,” Johnson’s “Cliffs of Dover" and Vai’s “For the Love of God,” along with a thrilling encore jam of Hendrix and Clapton covers.

Recorded before an audience at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, Reunion Live captures the energy of the G3 live experience as it shines a spotlight on the ever-evolving art of the electric guitar. The package will include new live albums from each of the three guitarists, along with a collaborative supergroup album. The album mirrors the live tour format, with individual sets followed by an epic jam session featuring all three guitarists.

Reunion Live will be available in multiple formats, including Digital, 2CD Digipack, 4LP (Black) Gatefold, and a Deluxe Slipcase with four colored LPs, a 64-page coffee-table book and two CDs. The Deluxe edition will feature a different colored vinyl record for each artist and a special splatter LP for the jam sessions. The photo book is divided into separate chapters for each artist and and the jam. The two-CD set will include a 16-page photo booklet.

Reunion Live can be pre-ordered now.

G3 Reunion Live

Album Release: January 31, 2025

Formats:

Digital, 2CD Digipack, 4LP (Black) Gatefold, Deluxe Slipcase with 4LPs (Colored), 64-page coffee table book and 2CDs.

Tracklisting (all formats):

1. Gravitas (Vai)

2. Avalancha (Vai)

3. Little Pretty Intro (Vai)

4. Little Pretty (Vai)

5. Tender Surrender (Vai)

6. Zeus in Chains (Vai)

7. Teeth of the Hydra (Vai)

8. For the Love of God (Vai)

9. Land of 1000 Dances (Johnson)

10. Righteous (Johnson)

11. Trail of Tears (Johnson)

12. On-Ramp Improv (Johnson)

13. Freeway Jam (Johnson)

14. Desert Rose (Johnson)

15. Venus Reprise (Johnson)

16. Raspberry Jam Delta-V (Satriani)

17. Surfing with the Alien (Satriani)

18. Satch Boogie (Satriani)

19. Sahara (Satriani)

20. Nineteen Eighty (Satriani)

21. Big Bad Moon (Satriani)

22. Always with Me, Always with You (Satriani)

23. Summer Song (Satriani)

24. Introductions

25. Crossroads (Encore Jam)

26. Spanish Castle Magic (Encore Jam)

27. Born to Be Wild (Encore Jam)

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Johnson are both electric guitar legends, but you won't typically hear them both talked about in the same sentence.

Vaughan, of course, was the man who re-energized blues guitar playing, bringing a swaggering, Texas-sized approach to familiar material that inspired countless guitarists worldwide. Johnson, meanwhile, was a virtuoso whose technical skill and melodic prowess similarly upended the world of guitar instrumentals.

Johnson and Vaughan, however, were both based in Austin, Texas, and – as fellow up-and-coming guitarists – developed a fast friendship in the 1970s and '80s.

“Eric is a wonderful cat,” the late Vaughan told Guitar Player in 1986. “He's always been one of my favorite people in the world, as well as one of my favorite guitar players. 

“The guy has done more trying to be the best that he can be than anybody I've ever seen. He plays all the time, and tries to get his instruments in perfect shape all the time. He works hard on his tone, sound and techniques. He does incredible things with all kinds of guitars – electric, lap steel, acoustic, everything.”

Though both Vaughan and Johnson were linchpins of the Austin scene by the late '70s, it would be years before either would achieve their commercial breakthrough.

From 1976 through 1978, Johnson recorded what was supposed to be his debut album, Seven Worlds. Due to various business-related holdups, though, it would be two decades – long after Johnson's commercial breakthrough – before the album came out. 

Vaughan was a great fan of Seven Worlds, and maintained that the album would have been a breakthrough for Johnson – and the guitar as a whole – had it come out in the late '70s as originally planned. 

“If the record that he made years ago, The Seven Worlds, had come out at the time it was ready, instead of being held back for the reason of dollars and pennies – someone besides Eric was holding out for too much money for a deal – he would have been as big as Jeff Beck,” Vaughan told GP in 1986. “He would have been very much in the public eye for modern jazz, rock and fusion. 

“The guy deserves a lot more recognition than he's ever gotten. Eric is an honest human being, and he cares about everything. Just listen to him and learn.”

Before we address full-on fingerstyle, let’s consider the fact that many players, especially those who play electric guitar, may never entirely give up using a pick. 

For that reason, we’ll start by focusing on rudimentary chordal hybrid picking techniques that will hopefully lead players to more advanced hybrid techniques, and perhaps set some of you along the path to freedom from the plectrum altogether.

1. Start Small

For those who feel more comfortable using some sort of standard pick, try a small one. Eric Johnson influenced legions of guitarists, including me, to play in a hybrid style. Use a small pick with a pointy tip, such as Johnson’s signature Dunlop Nylon Jazz III, or one with a rounded tip, like Tommy Emmanuel’s signature D’Andrea ProPlec. 

Either will facilitate a true pick pluck in tight spaces, and the small “pick print” means it will stay relatively out of the way, leaving your other fingers plenty of room to get into the mix for various plucking patterns.

Eric McFadden prefers a similar but thinner teardrop-style Dunlop Tortex pick for an edgy attack on his nylon-string.

2. Flow Your Roll

Many fingerstylists use primarily the first three fingers, but since the index finger is occupied pinching the pick along with the thumb in hybrid picking, fingers 2 and 3 become primary. 

I’ve always found it slightly easier to get a consistent roll going backward – 3, 2, pick, repeat – than forward – pick, 2, 3, repeat – and therefore have to put in more work on the latter. 

Here’s an elementary exercise: Form an open D chord and focus on the top three strings so that the arpeggiated chord tones are, from low to high, A, D, F#. Get a click going on a metronome. Try repeating the arpeggio up from strings three to one in time.

Then try the same in reverse. When you have this down, slow the tempo and play the notes as triplets, three to a beat.

Finally, play them up and down in 6/8 time, for which you’ll have to repeat the third note and the sixth note. The pattern is: pick, 2, 3, 3, 2, pick; repeat.

3. Get the Pinkie in the Mix

Once that’s accomplished, give the pinkie some practice time as well, because it will definitely come in handy. Try arpeggiating up and down the same open D chord, but this time pluck the fourth string with the pick, followed by fingers 2, 3 and 4 hitting strings three, two and one, respectively. 

To get a flow going, try it in 6/8 time as follows: Pick the open D, pluck the A on the second string with finger 2, pluck the D on the second string with finger 3, and then pluck the F# on the top string with the pinkie.

Don’t hit that a second time; just go right back down in reverse order until you pick the open D string, and then start heading right back up. Keep repeating up and down.

Next, try working that concept using different chords with the goal of switching smoothly, in time, from chord to chord.

4. Look Ahead

Once you can do that, you’re off and running as a hybrid picker, with a million songs in myriad styles at your fingertips, all while keeping that cozy little plectrum handy for the heavy lifting on root notes, plus the infinite other groovy techniques available using a pick.

Learning to work your fingers into the mix opens up all sorts of new avenues for exploration. Hopefully, it will also inspire a desire for even more plucking-hand finger freedom.

One final thought: If you truly desire to become a full-on fingerstylist, you may as well head straight for that goal, as freeing up the thumb and first finger changes the ballgame in a major way. 

On the other hand, if you’re intent on keeping at least some pick playing in your repertoire, developing solid hybrid techniques will always be in your best interest.

You may also find it useful to read this article on thumbpicking.

Many guitarists know how to play barre chords, yet few tap into all of the magic a 1st-finger barre can offer. 

Great players often use the 1st finger like a mobile capo, holding down two or more strings while the other three create riffs and chords.

Example 1 is a chordal shift in the style of Keith Richards, who has forged his own sound with 1st-finger barres. (Richards often uses an open-G tuning, but we’ve refigured the move for standard tuning.) 

This is a good way to give a I–IV progression new teeth, and it sounds great with a dirty tone. Once you’ve got the lick nailed, try shifting it down the neck in whole steps.

Eric Johnson and Steve Vai like to revoice power chords by fretting the low root with the 3rd finger, as in Example 2. Sonically, these grips just seem to cut better, and they allow you to call in your second finger to fret low 7s, as in D5/C and C5/B.

Allan Holdsworth was widely known for his amazing solos, but he also possessed otherworldly comping chops. 

Example 3 outlines a beautifully dissonant chord move in A minor that Holdsworth often played. The trick is to keep your 1st finger firmly planted for the duration of the phrase. (This one also sounds great over C major.)

By using a full barre, we can also outline entire chords. Example 4 is a Curtis Mayfield-approved phrase that sounds gorgeous over Fmaj7 or Dm9. 

Aim for a flowing, graceful sound, being sure to allow the notes to ring together. To do this, place your index finger across the 10th fret, letting the 3rd and 4th fingers do the work.

For more barre-hopping adventures, check out Andrés Segovia’s Fernando Sor classical guitar arrangements, Allan Holdsworth’s book Reaching for the Uncommon Chord, or any Michael Hedges recording.

Once upon a time, your favorite guitar virtuosos were novices, honing their chops and struggling through the same challenges and problems every beginning guitarist goes through.

Well, what if they could tell you what roadblocks they encountered and how they got around them?

Better still, what if they could provide you with their very own exercises designed to build chops in that particular area?

It would be awesome. And that’s exactly what this lesson is all about.

Here, Steve Vai, Mark Tremonti, Joe Bonamassa, Mike Stern, Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, Alex Skolnick, Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson share stories about their own efforts to build their chops and provide you with short exercises that will help you develop relevant techniques.

So grab your guitar and get ready to build your chops with the best players in the business.

STEVE VAI

"I would get extremely disciplinarian with myself when it came to building chops. When I would sit down to practice a lick, like the one here, I’d tell myself, 'Until you can play this lick properly, you will not get up, eat, go to sleep.' 

"That’s a pretty intense thing for a 14-year-old boy to do – it’s a reflection of a psychological imperfection, actually, or a crack in the cosmic eggshell. I was very intense about it. 

"I don’t need to sit and practice for 10 hours a day anymore, but I do try to be as proficient as possible."

MARK TREMONTI

"The exercise that helped my alternate picking the most was one I got from the first Paul Gilbert video, Intense Rock. That helped me to get that upstroke across strings really tight, so I could flow through three-notes-per-string scale patterns ascending. 

"Problem is, I became twice as good ascending scales as I was descending, so I then had to work in both directions to get my upstrokes and downstrokes equal. 

"It’s important that you practice it in both directions."

JOE BONAMASSA

"As a singer, you warm up and then warm down, and I like to think of the guitar in the same way. And if you’re playing four-hour gigs, like I do, you often wake up the next day with cramped-up hands and fingers. 

"So, to get the cobwebs out, I like to use what I call the 'Andy Summers Exercise.' I play a three-string sus2 shape moving up the neck, hitting all the natural roots in the key of C, and then repeat it on the accidental roots – the sharps and flats. I also do it with the roots on the 5th string. 

"Doing the exercise in this manner, rather than just chromatically, makes you pay attention a bit more, and keeps you from just mindlessly noodling."

MIKE STERN

"When I was 22 in 1975, I was doing gigs with Blood, Sweat & Tears where we were playing really fast tunes, and I was trying to play more like Jim Hall and float over the time. But then Jaco Pastorius said to me, 'Man you’re going really slow and trying to hear everything you play, which is great, but at this point you’re ready to ‘hit up against the time’' – or play eighth and 16th notes right with the time.

"So I went back and practiced playing a tune like, say, “Donna Lee,” with a metronome, and each day I’d click up the metronome a bit. Another thing I did was take classical pieces and, as an exercise, play them way faster than they’re supposed to be played.

"This one here, in G minor, is from Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Violin, and there’s no set fingering. I know a lot of cats who worked out of this book – John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Steve Vai. The thing is, if you’re gonna work on your chops, don’t just do a scalar exercise. Technique by itself is kind of useless, but when you include it with musical ideas, it makes sense.

"And remember, with chops all you can do is develop your potential. But what’s beautiful about music is that someone’s style or voice is defined as much by what they can’t do as what they can do. Some people can’t play fast, so they play more melodically. 

"I dig melodic playing, but I also dig the excitement in John Coltrane’s or Michael Brecker’s playing – it’s an obvious thing that people can relate to. West Montgomery, even, liked to work on his speed. He felt that it added variety to his phrasing. And it did."

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN

"Years ago, I recorded a band rehearsal on a slow tape machine, and when I listened to it the next day [on a machine at proper speed], I went, 'Man! That’s fast!' I didn’t realize that something was wrong with the machine. 

"After that, I started playing everything a lot faster. Like, if there was something I was originally playing legato, I’d want to be able to play it was alternate picking as well, completely coordinated and clean."

PAUL GILBERT

"I played for about eight years without having any significant picking technique. It was all hammer-ons and pull-offs. For me, what it took was learning to use the metronome – slowing a repeating lick down to where I could do it perfectly, then gradually speeding it up. I learned a really simple six-note picking lick on one string, and within a couple weeks I could play it really fast.

"But the hardest thing about fast picking is to go from string to string, so to improve at crossing the strings I practiced this one here, which gets progressively trickier with each section."

ALEX SKOLNICK

"The biggest thing that’s helped me has been learning licks off records, as opposed to playing exercises from books. And over the years, I’ve developed quite a few licks into exercises.

"One of the first was from Al Di Meola’s “Race with the Devil on Spanish Highway,” from Elegant Gypsy – the fast lick that everybody plays. It was very challenging, so I divided it into sections. 

"The first descends in a quintuplet pattern [A G F# E D]; the next one is a four-note group [F# E D C#]. To expand the exercise, you can move the entire pattern up to the next note, B, and use the same rhythm pattern. Keep going up the scale, playing either the quintuplet alone or whole lick, and move it up and down as well as across the fretboard."

JOE SATRIANI

"When you’re hammering on and pulling off, it’s all about accuracy, not brute force – you really have to pay attention to the way your fingers are moving. For instance, when I put my finger down on a string, do I feel that I have put it in the most efficient spot possible? Should the string be a little more in the center of my fingertip, or a little off to its side?

"I used to find the perfect spot to hammer on and pull off – both on my finger and on the fretboard – and then focus all my energy on the movement required to get there. 

"Doing that freed me up to really start whipping my fingers around in a musical rhythm."

ERIC JOHNSON

"The most important thing I’ve done for my chops is that I’ve always worked on my picking and fretting at the same time, so that whatever I play, it’s really clean. 

"You can work on this with whatever you’re playing – it’s just a process of fretting a note right, picking the string right, and muting in all the right places. 

"The key is to make sure you’re in sync, and if you are, the result is a nice, pure sound that really projects."

Print has faced a major foe for the past two decades as digital media has come to dominate the mainstream. But 25 years ago, guitar magazines faced a peril equally as formidable: rap.

As the urban contemporary genre became dominant in the late 1990s, guitar-based music faded from the airwaves for the first time since the British Invasion, which was itself a re-set after the brief lull that followed the late-’50s demise of rock and roll’s first wave.

I can still recall seeing the circulation figures in late February 1998 that showed declines of as much as 40 percent among some of the smaller guitar magazines that swam around the era’s Big Three: Guitar Player, Guitar World and Guitar for the Practicing Musician. (Remarkably, I’ve worked at each of those titles.)

The result was a culling that killed off Guitar Shop, Maximum Guitar, which I was then editing, and several other now-forgotten publications.

There were still plenty of guitar groups and artists, many of whom – like Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland and Korn’s Munky and Head – filled the newly emerging nu-metal category, a fusion of metal and rap. But the heyday of virtuosos and shredders seemed long ago and faraway.

About the only thing that kept the light burning for guitar virtuosity in those years was G3, the annual guitar tour launched in 1996. It was a novel concept, bringing together a triumvirate of players on an annual basis to celebrate a level of electric guitar technical proficiency that dominated in the 1980s, before grunge stripped modern guitar rock of its feathers and frills.

Over its years, G3 became a remarkable celebration of guitar virtuosity in all its many forms, encompassing shredders like Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert and Steve Morse, hard rockers such as Michael Schenker, Neal Schon and Brian May, new blues artists like Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and even country pickers like Johnny Hiland – not to mention such impossible-to-categorize players as Robert Fripp and Adrian Legg.

And it was all due to one man: the tour’s creator, Joe Satriani.

Of course, he had a little help for his all-important inaugural run from two guitarists who shared his dream and vision: Steve Vai and Eric Johnson.

Lighting a torch that kept the spirit of virtuoso guitar playing alive while, remarkably, embracing music in all its many styles and forms, it was and remains a tremendous achievement.

The legacy of recorded guitar does not rest solely upon the discographies of Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, Page and other six-string deities. Nor does it always embrace established classics, technical masterpieces and mammoth hits. 

Deep in the grooves and digital data streams of under-appreciated and forgotten releases are moments of brilliance that deserve another chance to inspire legions of guitarists. 

These records were produced by heroes and wackos alike, and they resonate with just as much passion as many of the annointed albums that make up the typical guitarist’s list of desert-island discs.

Of course, there are thousands of closet classics out there, but there’s scant chance of cataloging them all. So just for fun, here are ten albums graced with performances every guitarist should assimilate into their trick bags...

1. Chet Atkins 'Hometown Guitar' (1968)

A great guitar album should inspire you musically, but it’s hard to play when your jaw is on the floor. Despite the humble cover shot, this obscure record contains cocky, mind-boggling licks that will leave you asking, “How did Chet Atkins make it sound so easy?”

In the modal theme to “Get On with It,” for example, Mr. Guitar peels off spectacular nylon-string cascades with such casual precision, it’s almost comical. He might as well be shuffling a deck of cards. 

Another flabbergaster is the down-home “Blue Angel.” It sounds like Paganini playing a two-step, as Atkins splices together an action-packed melody using fretted notes and open strings. 

Soon you realize you’re hearing a player who transcended mere chops. What Atkins brought to the guitar is closer to the dedication and grace you see in Olympic gold medalists. But don’t worry – these licks aren’t impossible. They’re just something to shoot for. Like the moon.

2. Eddie Boyd '7936 South Rhodes' (1968)

Pianist Eddie Boyd may be one of the lesser-appreciated icons of American blues, but sparks certainly flew during this landmark, six-hour session that paired him with the members of Fleetwood Mac (minus Jeremy Spencer). 

The real hit here, of course, is guitarist Peter Green, who smolders with soulful intensity on the dozen Boyd-penned songs. Green’s spirited riffing and lyrical solos – which often feature his celebrated out-of-phase Les Paul tone – elevate the music in spite of Boyd’s notoriously somber lyrics and rather plodding piano style. 

The result is an album that can be appreciated by guitar nuts and blues historians alike.

3. Larry Carlton 'Last Nite' (1987)

You’ll often find L.A. hotshots trading licks at the cozy Baked Potato in North Hollywood. Sadly, the only evidence of most of these magical jams are the next morning’s hangovers and ringing ears. Well, here’s one that didn’t get away. From the very first lick, you can tell Larry Carlton is having one of those inspired nights where everything goes right.

The real treat is “The B.P. Blues,” a slow­-burning 12-bar jam that climaxes with dazzling fretboard fireworks. ‘‘At least once a night, I play a straight-ahead, down-home blues,” Carlton says in the liner notes. “It’s good for the soul.” It’s also good for your soul, as you lose yourself in that impossibly creamy guitar tone. Even Carlton’s softest notes seem to sustain forever. And amazingly, the louder and busier he gets, the better he sounds.

4. James Burton & Ralph Mooney 'Corn Pickin’ and Slick Slidin’' (1969) 

‘‘Burton and Mooney. You know the names, but not the team. It’s new!” exclaims the liner notes to this often-overlooked prize. By the time Corn Pickin’ and Slick Slidin’ was released, James Burton and pedal-steel wizard Ralph Mooney had already graced hundreds of records between them.

Com Pickin’ and Slick Slidin’ finds the duo playing instrumental versions of country classics such as “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive,” as well as a few original compositions. 

Although Burton’s trademark chicken-pickin’ licks make an appearance (the track “Moonshine” may contain his duckiest phrasing ever), it’s his lyrical Dobro work that takes center stage. Corn Pickin’ and Slick Slidin’ is about tasty interpretations of classic tunes by two legendary players.

5. The Creation 'The Complete Collection, Volumes I and II (1966-68)' (2001)

Other players got the glory for their feedback excursions, but Creation guitarist Eddie Phillips is the lost master of noise-splattered squeals, squalls and psychotic freak-outs. He was so over the top that Pete Townshend once asked him to join the Who as second guitarist. One can only imagine the feral cacophony those two could have launched. 

The Creation got a wink from filmmaker Wes Anderson in 1998, when he used a snippet of the band’s “Making Time” as the soundtrack to the main character’s thought process in Rushmore. It was 15 seconds of riff majesty that moviegoers were humming on the way out of the theater. 

The Complete Collection shows you what Phillips could do with a full two-minute pop song.

6. Free 'Free Live' (1971)

The late Paul Kossoff was arguably the most underrated guitarist of the late-Sixties British blues boom. More aggressive than Clapton and Green, yet more lyrical than rockers such as Mick Ralphs, Kossoff was a musical bridge between traditional electric blues and riff rock.

Although their studio records were heavy on attitude, Free Live unleashes a tremendous dose of strut and swagger. Kossoff’s guitar is absolutely huge throughout, and you’ll quickly realize how big an influence he was on players such as Angus Young and Gary Moore. 

Double-stop cries, super-wide vibrato and absolutely killing tone were just a few of Kossoff’s strong points. Free Live also proves that Free was one of the heaviest, groovingest and most ass-kicking rock bands ever.

7. Robben Ford 'The Inside Story' (1979)

Robben Ford was a veteran sideman with Tom Scott & the L.A. Express, Jimmy Witherspoon, Joni Mitchell and George Harrison when he cemented his status as a solo artist with this fusion-oriented album. But unlike the syrupy L.A.-jazz releases of the era, Ford’s music simmers with earthy soul. Even when stretching his newfound jazz muscles on such soaring cuts as “For the One I Love,” “There’s No One Else” and “Far Away,” Ford’s gutsiness remains intact. 

It’s hard to say how much of the album was shaped by the production hand of Steve Cropper, but the R&B guitar legend deserves credit for presenting Ford as a cutting-edge jazz artist with wailing blues chops. On “North Carolina,” for example, Ford wraps up his solo in a riveting duet with harp player (and brother) Mark Ford. Another high point is “Tee Time for Eric,” a funky, up-tempo number with tricky changes that Ford tackles with astonishing skill. 

The Inside Story is definitely a high-water mark of Ford’s affair with fusion, and it’s one jazz-rock record that will never sound dated.

8. Merle Haggard 'The Instrumental Sound of Merle Haggard’s Strangers' (1969)

Merle Haggard was the hottest thing in country in 1969, and this all-instrumental album gave his band a much ­deserved opportunity to strut its stuff. And, man, was there a lot to strut. 

The coolest cuts feature guitarist Roy Nichols and steel-player Norm Hamlet, who demonstrate the fine art of duet playing on “Leavin’ Phoenix,” “Poppin’ Corn,” “Hammin’ It Up,” “Whooper Snooper” and ‘‘A Hop and a Skip.” Both players were at the top of their game at this point (thanks, in part, to Haggard’s letting them stretch out so much onstage), and you’re treated to megadoses of Nichols’ signature string bending and chicken pickin’. 

Nobody makes albums like this anymore, and we’re just damn lucky that someone at Capitol Records was willing to let Hag’s road band have its way in the studio.

9. Jellyfish 'Spilt Milk' (1993)

This underappreciated effort from pop-rock historians Jellyfish contains some of the best tunes that the Beatles, Badfinger and the Beach Boys never wrote. And each one is full to bursting with great guitar, courtesy of Lyle Workman and Jon Brion. 

Relying on a huge collection of vintage gear (“We had Gibsons, Fenders, Rics, Gretsches, Voxes, Marshalls, Hiwatts, Magnatones and more,” recalls Workman), Brion strolls down classic rock’s memory lane with righteous Queen-isms in “Joining a Fan Club,” and Fab Four–to-the-bar AC30 spanks in “Sebrina, Paste and Plato.” 

Workman works similar magic in “The Ghost at Number One,” cuts out-of-control feedback tracks in ‘‘All Is Forgiven,” and lays down glorious acoustic and tasteful electric parts in “Glutton of Sympathy.” His finest moment might be the Harrison-esque slide solo in “New Mistake,” which was played on an ES-335 plugged into a vintage Gibson combo. 

“I know that [Jellyfish founders] Roger Manning and Andy Sturmer didn’t set out to make just another pop record,” Workman says. “They wanted Spilt Milk to be an important musical statement. Although the sales were disappointing, the album succeeds from a musical standpoint.”

10. Eric Johnson 'Seven Worlds' (1998)

When Eric Johnson’s Grammy-nominated debut, Tones, came out in 1986, it signaled to the world what music nuts in Austin, Texas, had known for years: A new guitar genius was on the loose. What most people still didn’t know, however, was that Johnson had recorded a solo album between 1976 and 1977 that would not see the light of day until 1998. 

That record, Seven Worlds, makes it clear that Johnson had nailed his trip and his sound way before Tones. (In fact, the takes of “Zap” and “Emerald Eyes” that appear on Worlds rival the versions on Tones.) It’s clear Johnson didn’t have the budget for limitless takes and overdubs and, as a result, the tracks have an immediacy and rawness that’s almost nonexistent on his subsequent releases.

“Missing Key” features Johnson’s unmistakable clean tones and lush chord work, and ‘‘Alone with You” features perhaps the grittiest overdrive that he has ever put to tape as well as a smoking solo that showcases the classic “violin” tone and impeccable speed picking that have become his hallmarks. 

One of the coolest things about the “Alone with You” solo is that you get to hear the perfection-obsessed guitarist make an ever-so-slight mistake. It’s not a disappointment, however, as the track’s energy is absolutely stunning.

Known first and foremost as a titan of blues guitar, Joe Bonamassa takes inspiration from a variety of influences that go beyond the blues genre.

One of those influences is instrumental electric guitar hero Eric Johnson. Bonamassa's debt to the Texan's style, is such, it turns out, that he's gone so far as to apologize to Johnson for borrowing elements of his playing – on more than one occasion. 

In a recent interview with GuitarWorld.com, Bonamassa revealed that – for the crime of incorporating elements of the guitarist's style into his own – he apologizes to Johnson quite literally every time he sees him.

“Eric was another one that I learned a ton from and whom I'm still learning from,” Bonamassa said. “Every time that I see him, I always apologize to him. I'm like, ‘Man, I'm sorry for stealing your style.’”

Bonamassa went on to highlight the uniqueness and versatility of Johnson's playing, in particular, as an inspiration.

“His tone is distinct,” Bonamassa explained. “And I don't have to remind people of all the amazing music he's made over the last 30 years. He’s easily one of the best out there and has been for a long time. He can cover any style or whatever he needs to. He's a joy to watch and listen to.”

Bonamassa, for his part, is currently preparing to release a new live album, Tales of Time.

Set for an April 14 release via the guitarist's own J&R Adventures label, the set will be available in CD/DVD, CD/BR, vinyl, and digital formats, and captures his August 2022 performances at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado.

“This live show represents our most progressive and largest production to date, focusing on my most ambitious studio album to date, Time Clocks," Bonamassa said in a press release announcing the album. "The iconic Kevin Shirley once again has produced both wonderful music and a wonderful visual. My band was a force of nature on this show and it truly was a special night.”

To preorder the album, visit jbonamassa.com.

Whether appearing in Queen’s We Will Rock You musical or playing with guitar heroes Eric Johnson and Vince Gill, Brian May Guitars signature artist Arielle has always danced to her own tune.

Having collaborated with Brian May, the American guitarist now boasts her own six-string model, the BMG Arielle.

Appearing in three tasteful finishes – Two Tone, Windermere Blue and Antique Cherry – this unique signature guitar is the first original build of May’s since his iconic Red Special appeared in the early ‘60s.

A self-confessed tone purist, Arielle’s distinctive sound appears loud and proud on her latest album, ’73.

An ode to the maestro’s 1973 Volkswagen Bus (lovingly referred to as Magick) ’73 is due out on April 20th and is available to pre-order here.

Ahead of the album’s release, Guitar Player caught up with Arielle to talk about the past, present and future of good, old-fashioned electric guitar tone…

What do you look for in guitar tone?

Back in the day, I used to have a massive pedalboard and I wasn’t thinking about where most of my guitar tone was coming from. In my opinion, the two main things are the guitar and the amp, and each one colors the tone individually. The more variables you add in, the more diluted the character of the guitar and amp becomes.

Guitar tone is in your fingers, sure, but you’ve got to have a guitar that makes sense for you – an instrument that brings out the nuances of your playing. My main guitar is my self-built guitar, Two Tone. With the volume and tone knobs, pickup on/off switches and in/out-of-phase options I can pretty much get all the sounds I want.

Right now, I’m working with Yonderbosk on some signature Tri-Sonic pickups that are warmer and have a little more output. I don’t like brittle pickups. The set I’m using at the moment is on the darker side. That’s because I think it’s easier to brighten up a guitar tone on an amp than it is to take away any harsh high-end from the pickups. It’s a matter of figuring out the variables and making it as simple as possible.

My goal is to be able to just plug the guitar into an amp and for it to sound great with nothing else involved. Maybe I can enhance it by adding some reverb or another effect occasionally, but I’ve really become a purist in that way.

What do you look for in an amplifier?

Right now, I pay the Alessandro 1/2 Azz. I came across it kind of by accident when I played Derek Trucks’ amp while it was getting fixed at George Alessandro’s house. When I plugged in, it just made my guitar sound better. It’s such a hi-fi, detailed amp. I think that’s why Derek Trucks likes it so much.

It’s dynamic in terms of responding to your picking intensity, but the overtones are incredible. It has two channels that you can stack (one clean, one dirty) plus reverb and tremolo, so I can use the amp as a full workstation instead of relying on pedals. There’s a lot of headroom but when it breaks up, it retains that clean, articulate quality of my Tri-Sonic pickups.

A lot of people feel exposed with a very detailed sound. It takes a certain type of player to want to really make the most of that.

Yes. My pickups are very clean, and so is my amp. Even in breakup, the guitar is not playing itself. And if you mess up, everyone will know because you’re so exposed. It can be daunting for people. When I stopped using lots of pedals, it felt like I had to relearn how to play guitar. Ultimately, it’s made me feel better because I’m not having to rely on gear.

Do you get more out of less gear?

I do. The downside is it can get quite loud. I don’t have a problem with that, but some other people do. I love hearing the natural breakup of an amp. Sometimes I’ll use an overdrive pedal for boost if I can’t have my amp as loud, but I can really hear the difference. It almost sounds digital, or like there’s a compressor on my guitar.

The sound is much more dynamic and responsive without pedals. I like the guitar to be more like a voice. I prefer that sort of control over my instrument. For me, pedals are less emotive.  

What pedals do you currently use?

I have a wah pedal and a TC [Electronic] Stereo Chorus Flanger from the ‘80s which I might use for one or two songs. I use the tremolo on the amp. If I have an effect, it’ll typically be used for one song. Like if I want to use a fuzz, I might throw it in for one set then take it out. I won’t even run a tuner through my pedalboard. It’s literally just two pedals and an ABY switch.

Guitar players often return to a simplified rig, especially when it comes to playing live.

Because I don’t always have a guitar tech on the road, it is extremely convenient to be dealing just with three variables: guitar, amp and cable. When something goes wrong with a pedalboard, it’s a different scenario. It could be anything – a patch cable, power supply, battery, knob or switch.

Like most guitar players, I’ve had horrible experiences. There’s nothing worse than just getting shut off. Especially when your guitar goes and you’re a trio. Your show is kind of ruined and you’re looking down going, “I don’t know?!”

Your new album, ’73, has a strong retro theme; how does your back-to-basics approach to gear relate to this?

When I think of my favorite guitar players from back in the day, they didn’t have access to the kind of gear we do now. Brian May is one of my favorite guitarists and he just used a treble booster through his amp. If you crank up an AC30 and turn on a treble booster, you have that Brian May tone.

Jeff Beck wasn’t one to use many effects either. There he was, adding all sorts of incredible technique. It allowed his creativity to expand. Which is something I aspire to. If I want to push the boundaries of guitar, it’s not going to be by using a pedal. I can’t hide behind a pedal. I want it to be a melody or playing technique. I like the challenges of limitations.

How did your technique change when you simplified your rig?

The more I play without pedals, the more I prefer playing with fingers. But, obviously, there are certain things a pick is really useful for. I use Dava picks (I have since I was ten) and they’re great for a lot of different stuff, but I also move it out of the way and play with my fingers a lot now. I’ll switch between using a pick and fingers, but I’ll be holding a pick the whole time.

What do you enjoy about playing loud?

When I was growing up I was led to believe women are supposed to be quiet and they don't take up much room. Like that's what you do to be “a lady.” But there's this magical thing that happens when you turn up. It's what I love about guitars.

I was at a Red Special meet up where they compared a digital rig to Vox AC30s. They turned on three AC30s and just blasted it. It was so heavenly. Loud guitar captures otherworldly sounds. The guitar can be extraordinary when you feel it in your stomach and there are all these frequencies going on. It soars when you bend the strings. I don't even understand it fully…

Then you hear the virtual rig and it doesn’t sound as good – doesn’t have that full effect. If you don’t AB the two, most people don't know what they're missing. But it's the reason I play.

I've got to feel excited about it. I mean people pay a lot of money to skydive or go on a racetrack with a Lamborghini, and it's a very similar feeling because you're on the edge. Like, I could mess up and everyone in my whole neighbourhood will hear it, or your playing sounds so good you didn't even know a guitar could sound like that. It's a magical feeling.

Considering the link between creativity and sound and the impact of volume on tone and feeling, do you think something is being lost in the guitar world if people are increasingly turning down?

Oh yeah, absolutely. I was lucky enough to work with Eric Johnson as long as I did (about four years.) Prior to that, I had never played through a full stack. Back then, I had a huge pedalboard called Big Momma that weighed about half as much as me, and he said, “Try this,” and plugged me in.

It was so scary for me. I was like, “Can you leave the room? Don’t judge me!” [laughs] But yeah, he taught me so much about guitar tone and speakers and valves – the importance of an amp in finding your sound. 

After all, the electric guitar was made for tube amps!

Brian May and Joe Bonamassa – they play so freaking loud, as did Jeff Beck. You’ve got to trust yourself to do that. It can be horrifying. Like, this could go wrong so fast! And when there’s a mistake, everyone knows it.

Eric [Johnson] said this too: it's the experience of living on the edge of utter disaster and awesome inspiration.

Arielle’s new album, ’73, is released April 20th. 

Arielle is on tour in the U.K. with When Rivers Meet in April and May. 

Visit the Arielle website for album and ticket info.

The Arielle BMG signature guitar is available from Brian May Guitars.

Although he’s recognized as one of the most gifted guitarists of his generation, Eric Johnson considers himself a student of his instrument.

“Playing guitar is being part of a journey that never ends,” says the artist, whose latest albums, The Book of Making and Yesterday Meets Today, were released in July.

“That’s what’s so great about it. You can’t just focus on a destination because there’s so much to discover along the way.”

One might assume Johnson was born with a guitar in his hands, but in fact he began his musical life as a child studying piano. By the time he picked up the guitar at age 11, he had already developed a musical ear.

“I took a few months of guitar lessons, which I really enjoyed,” he says, “but then I kind of started teaching myself.

“I would sit at the piano with the guitar, and as I played notes on the piano, I would find them on the guitar.”

Growing up in a pre-instructional video and pre-internet age, Johnson learned many guitar basics from playing along to records. He credits a childhood friend, Jimmy Shade, with helping him along the way.

“Jimmy had a great ear, and he could pick out anything off records,” he says. “He’d teach me stuff and give me lots of tips, and before long I was able to pick stuff up on my own.”

Here, Johnson offers five tips learned the hard way…

1. START SLOW AND GRADUALLY BUILD SPEED

“We all want instant gratification, and this is certainly true when it comes to guitar playing. You hear a piece of music with a lot of fast notes, and of course you want to play it at real-time speed right away. But if you jump in and try to play something fast, you’re setting yourself up for trouble.

“You won’t mute strings properly, you’re not going to pick correctly, and you’re basically going to sound sloppy. You’ll just graze over everything without looking at all the incidentals that actually make it a well-groomed piece of music.

“You can always learn to play something faster, and that’ll come once you start slow and look at all the elements of the music. Get a total sense of what you’re playing before you go full throttle. Get all your fundamentals together.

“Gradually, you can pick up speed and assimilate all the aspects that will make the piece sound better.

“This is something I’ve put into my own playing routine. Way back in the day, whenever I would listen to a record, I’d slow it down and listen to what the guitar player was doing. It really helped me kind of see it on the fretboard.

“That might not be possible these days if you don’t have vinyl records, but however you go about it, try to pace yourself and really take your time.”

2. MUTE YOUR STRINGS

“If you’re playing with a distorted or a gain-driven sound, it’s very easy to activate strings you’re not playing. This can result in a messy, sloppy and weird sound, and not in a cool way.

“To fix this, if you’re right-handed, use the side of your right hand to mute strings at the bridge wherever you’re not playing. Then you can use your other fingers you’re not fretting with to mute the strings on the fretboard so they don’t get activated.

“It sounds complicated, but it’s not. It’s a kind of hand choreography you can easily learn by being attentive to the fact that you need to silence the strings around where you’re playing. It makes everything sound better.

“It took me a while to learn how to navigate my hands to correct this problem. I would hear strings sustaining or getting activated that weren’t supposed to, and I thought it sounded bad. I put a little thought and time into it, and before long everything started to sound a lot better.

“Sometimes you want a little extra noise and craziness in your sound, but often you want people to hear what you intend for them to hear.”

3. OPEN YOUR EARS TO OTHER MUSIC

“I don’t know why people would want to limit themselves to one kind of music in the first place. There’s so much out there to enjoy, and a lot of it might surprise you. I grew up exposed to many different styles of music. My dad liked country, show tunes, swing, rock and jazz, so I heard it all. When I started playing guitar, I got into blues.

“If you listen to different types of music, you’ll hear many kinds of instruments, and you’ll appreciate their beauty. From that, you might take some of that sonic capacity and figure out a way to put it into your guitar playing. It could be intentional, or it can just sort of happen without thinking.

“I’ve learned so much from listening to Joni Mitchell. She’s a great guitarist. Her chord voicings amazed me, and I always loved how she could get in the pocket with her rhythm playing. That stuff influenced me.

“I realized there was a lot more to learn than just shredding leads. After learning a lot of her chords, I began to learn how to solo out of their structures. Suddenly, I was playing different kinds of things that were more outside the box of generic rock patterns.”

4. PRACTICE WITH A METRONOME

“This is a really good habit to develop. Using a metronome has been an ongoing part of my practice routine. I have a tendency to want to rush through parts, so it’s something I have to watch out for. Playing with metronome helps me keep that impulse in check, and it helps me relax.

“This is especially important for when you play with other people. If you sit in your room and play guitar alone without a metronome, you won’t develop an internal clock or a natural rhythm. This can lead to disastrous attempts at playing with other people. You won’t be in sync with everybody else.

“So I continue to practice with a metronome. I just did an acoustic show, and I used one for the first month that I was practicing my set. I’d figure out the beats per minute of the songs, and then I would keep practicing with the metronome, over and over.

“Once I felt like I was playing everything comfortably and in time, I shut the metronome off. I can’t stress what an invaluable part of the process it is for me.”

5. STAY A STUDENT OF THE GUITAR

“There’s so much to learn with guitar. Stay open to new sounds and ideas, or old sounds and ideas. They’re all valid. If you ever think you’ve learned it all, forget it. You didn’t.

“It’s great to learn mind-blowing, crazy playing, but it’s just as important to learn good rhythm playing. There are guys in Nashville who get hired to play on sessions just because they’re dependable rhythm players.

“They have a way of strumming that just makes a track sing. Some of the people who we think are the greatest players in the world can’t strum a guitar like those Nashville guys.

“I try to take it all in. I listen to people like Tommy Emmanuel, Doyle Dykes and Sonny Landreth, just to name a few, and I get so inspired. Some of the sounds they create and the places they go on the guitar, it makes me think, I’ve got some work to do!

“But that’s why you wake up and pick up the guitar. There’s always something new you can do.”

Order The Book of Making here and Yesterday Meets Today here.

On July 29, Eric Johnson is set to release not one but two new albums titled Yesterday Meets Today and The Book of Making via Blue Élan Records.

Ahead of these releases, the prolific Stratocaster-wielding virtuoso has, today, released a pair of singles:  “To Be Alive” and “Move On Over."

Taken from Yesterday Meets Today, “To Be Alive” was co-written with singer/guitarist Arielle – the only guest to appear on both albums.

“It was a song I wrote years ago but never had any lyrics for,” commented Johnson. “It was recorded a couple years ago after Arielle wrote some very nice lyrics for it. 

"I’m a big fan of her voice and I love the way she sang the song."

Meanwhile, “Move On Over” is the latest track to appear from The Book of Making and is described by Johnson as a, “variation on a John Lee Hooker riff.”

Speaking of the new single Johnson said, “I just added some vocals that would talk about getting out of the way and letting the universal spirit flow through you. 

"It was actually a live track from an Alien Love Child gig."

It was during the 2020 lockdown when Johnson felt inspired to take a trawl through his vaults and see what he could find. 

What he discovered was enough solid material to fill two entire albums.

Diving deep into his archive the guitarist uncovered a treasure trove of outtakes, demos and musical sketches that would lead to a total of 18 songs across two LPs.

“I started pulling these recordings out of the vault at my studio,” Johnson recalls. “Some were professionally done, some were just scratch tapes, some were rehearsal recordings on cassette.

“The music spanned 25 years of creations, thoughts and ideas that remained unfinished for many years.”

Order Yesterday Meets Today here.

Order The Book of Making here.

Last month, electric guitar master Eric Johnson announced a pair of new studio albums, The Book of Making and Yesterday Meets Today.

Set for a July 29 release via Blue Élan Records, they each feature nine tracks, assembled from ideas Johnson had spent years – and in some cases decades – toying around with.

At the time he announced the albums, Johnson also premiered a track from each, "Yesterday Meets Today" (that respective LP's title track) and "Soundtrack Life," from The Book of Making.

Now, the Strat legend has premiered two more singles from the twin LPs – "Sitting On Top Of The World," from Yesterday Meets Today, and "Love Will Never Say Goodbye," from The Book of Making.

You can hear both tunes below.

"Sitting On Top Of The World" is a smooth display of the bluesier side of the guitarist's playing, while the upbeat, poppy "Love Will Never Say Goodbye" is more of a classically Johnson tune.

Despite their stylistic differences, though, both songs are instantly identifiable as Johnson's, with crystalline tone and right-on-the-money phrasing throughout.

Johnson explained in a press release that "Love Will Never Say Goodbye" came from "a basic track that I had from years ago and decided to overdub guitars and background vocals and percussion on. It has a bit of a Motown feel to it which was a favorite era of music to me."

"Sitting On Top Of The World," meanwhile, "is a classic blues number that I’ve always loved," Johnson continued.

"Howlin’ Wolf had a great version of it as well as Cream on their record Wheels Of Fire. I tried to do a slightly different version of it myself but still pay respect to the original intention."

The Book of Making and Yesterday Meets Today are both set for a July 29 release via Blue Élan Records. You can check out their covers and respective track lists below.

To preorder the albums, stop by blueelan.com.

Eric Johnson – The Book of Making:

1. "Soundtrack Life"
2. "Floating Through This World"
3. "Love Will Never Say Goodbye"
4. "Bigger Than My Life"
5. "Just To Be With You"
6. "To Be Alive"
7. "Another One Like You"
8. "My Faith In You"
9. "A Thousand Miles"

Eric Johnson – Yesterday Meets Today:

1. "Move On Over"
2. "Yesterday Meets Today"
3. "It’s Just The Rain"
4. "Maha"
5. "Hold On To Love"
6. "Sitting On Top Of The World"
7. "Dorsey Takes A Day Off"
8. "JVZ"
9. "Until We Meet Again"

By the mid-1990s, Joe Satriani had things pretty much sewn up career-wise. Four of his six studio albums had gone either Gold or Platinum, and his touring dance card was filled for much of any given year.

But despite his spectacular success, something had started to feel a little...off. He wasn’t having the kind of fun he had imagined years before, when he was a budding guitarist dreaming about rock stardom.

“I thought there would be more camaraderie among other players than what I was experiencing,” he says. “As a teenager, I had this idea of what things would be like if I ever hit it big. There would be parties, and I’d get to hang out with my guitar friends. We’d jam and talk about music all night long – that kind of thing.

“Instead, the opposite was true: I was isolated. I would go on tour and play the same set, and then I’d go back to my hotel room and be on my own. I’d have 100 shows in front of me, and then I’d have to make another record and do it all over again.”

Satriani wanted to shake things up, but he didn’t quite know how. And then it hit him: He would create a new kind of show, one that celebrated the communal spirit of electric guitar playing that he craved.

“Nobody was really doing anything of the kind,” he says. “You had blues and reggae festivals. You’d see disco revivals and things like that. Lollapalooza had just started up. But there was nothing really that spoke to guitarists.”

It’s no coincidence that, at that time, interest in guitar was entering a slump from which it would take years to recover.

Starting in the late 1980s, rap and hip-hop had grown in popularity, and were the dominant forms of popular music as the century careened toward its conclusion. Youngsters had become more interested in the power of two turntables and a microphone than in the trenchant blast of a Les Paul cranked through a Marshall stack.

It was still too early to see the lean years that would come, when guitar heroes’ relevance would dim, but Satch’s desire for a guitarist-led event would prove timely.

“I wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with my friends and peers,” he recalls. “And so I thought, Well, nobody else is doing it, so I’ll do it.”

Satriani met with his management team and laid out his grand vision of a traveling show featuring himself and two other guitarists (hence the “G3” moniker), with each player performing an hour-long set followed by a three-way jam.

Once his managers were sold on the idea, the hard part began: convincing booking agents and concert promoters of the package’s validity. “We were breaking the rules that everybody had been taught over the years,” Satriani explains.

“Promoters around the world, and especially in the U.S., like to keep guitarists’ itineraries separated, for business reasons. They don’t want to dilute the market. But I always thought this format would be energizing, because it went against the trends. I always knew it could work.”

Since its first run in 1996, G3 has become the longest-running guitar-centric tour of its kind. All in all, Satriani has taken the show on 18 treks across the U.S., Europe, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Along with Satch himself, the tour has featured guitarists such as John Petrucci, Robert Fripp, Steve Morse, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Steve Lukather, Yngwie Malmsteen, Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Paul Gilbert, Al Di Meola, Adrian Legg, Phil Collen and the Aristocrats.

But none of it would have happened had G3’s maiden voyage not connected with audiences.

Satriani knew his first package had to pack a wallop, and his dream lineup – a triple-headline bill he shared with his close friend and one-time guitar pupil Steve Vai, along with Texas guitar star Eric Johnson – was a no-brainer.

“I really didn’t have to think about it,” he says. “I wanted to do it with them, and that was all there was to it. I knew we could all shine together onstage.” Vai and Johnson required no arm twisting.

“I said yes immediately,” Vai says. “The second Joe told me about what he wanted to do, I was in. And it superseded other plans I may have had, because the concept felt fresh. Plus, it was something that I thought was needed in the guitar community at the time. The idea was just fantastic.”

Says Johnson, “I felt the same way. It sounded like a novel idea at the time. I remember my manager said, ‘I like this. It sounds really different and cool.’”

Some 25 years on, the first G3 tour and its subsequent editions remain a singular achievement in the world of guitar. Coincidentally, all three of the tour’s founding members are currently releasing albums and planning tours. We thought it was the perfect opportunity to ask them to reminisce about their experiences together and to fantasize what another run might look like.

It was important to me to keep the spirit of guitar music alive no matter what new style of music was becoming popular. I wanted more interaction with great players, and I knew the audience wanted the same. So I took the bull by the horns.

By the late ’90s, it was evident that guitar-based music was losing popularity as rap and hip-hop became the dominant genres. Joe, did you have a premonition that the guitar was in danger of losing some of its relevance when you launched G3 in 1996, just a few years before?

JOE SATRIANI I was more focused on what I felt the fans were craving, and what I too was craving: more fun with the guitar. Having been a performing musician since I was 14 years old, I knew that styles would change and society would simply change channels, so I wasn’t phased by what was happening in the mid-to-late ’90s.

It was important to me to keep the spirit of guitar music alive no matter what new style of music was becoming popular. I wanted more interaction with great players, and I knew the audience wanted the same. So I took the bull by the horns.          

Eric, as everybody knows, Joe and Steve share a long history. When you signed up for G3, did you feel like you had to break the ice with two guys who knew each other so well?

ERIC JOHNSON Well, maybe a little bit, but they were always affable and made me feel comfortable right away. Obviously, Joe and Steve grew up together, and I wasn’t a part of that. But I was totally aware of both of them and their music. I respected them and knew what they were about. I was welcomed very warmly, and that made it very easy to be a part of G3.

Joe and Steve, did you feel like you had to bring Eric into the fold, or were you two like, “Oh, he’ll figure it out”?

SATRIANI I knew it would be fine. I never thought that we had to coach each other. We were all of the same mind: “Isn’t this going to be amazing?” Then at the end of the night, when we start playing together, our attitude was, Let’s just wing it and see what happens! And I can’t tell you how excited I was every night to be destroyed by these two guitar players.

STEVE VAI Come on! [laughs]

SATRIANI It’s true. It was so much fun, because it’s one thing when somebody destroys you onstage like that, and you’re right next to them and you can see how they do it. It’s a life-learning experience. I loved that, and it’s something I’ve always loved about every G3. There’s nothing like it. You can’t replicate it in any other way.

VAI To answer the question you asked about having Eric: Yes, Joe and I have a friendship that goes way back, a very rich, wonderful friendship throughout our lives. We’ve been joined at the hip since I was 12. [laughs]

So to do G3, and to know that Eric was going to do it, too, I was immediately thrilled. Bringing Eric into the fold, it never felt like Joe and I were a group and there was an outsider. We were all very present in the moment. We were three accomplished, mutually respectful players really looking to raise the bar for ourselves and for the guitar.

I know for me, every time I get on a stage with really accomplished, inspired players, it’s impossible not to expand my own potential. Like Joe says, when you’re standing next to these guys, they push you and challenge you. You have to raise your bar because they’re doing it. That’s the feeling you get when it’s your turn. It’s very inspiring, and it’s nice.

Some of my favorite onstage moments were when the three of us were playing together and listening to one another. It’s a very intimate space, and nobody is Joe, Steve or Eric. It’s just this environment of listening and responding.

Joe, during those first G3 tours, did you have a sense that you were keeping the spirit of guitar virtuosity alive at a time when it was in short supply? Did that have an impact on the shows, either in your commitment to keep doing them or in who you brought along on tour?

SATRIANI The G3 stage was the one place where you could play any way you wished. There were no boundaries. You could overdo it, or you could underplay it and be subtle. You could stand still, you could sit like Robert Fripp, or you could bring your own rock and roll circus to the stage.

I encouraged my fellow players to try anything and everything every night. We would support, echo and sometimes challenge each others’ improvisational tangents. Virtuosity on the guitar comes in many forms, and there’s no reason they can’t be celebrated right next to each other.

There have been three other tours with this lineup. When you tour, does it feel like “the band is back together”? Like you’re the Three Amigos.

SATRIANI “The Three Amigos” – I like that. [laughs] I think we should launch another tour once the world opens up a bit. It would be interesting to see where we’ve been musically. We can come back and trade our secrets once again.

JOHNSON Yeah, yeah!

VAI I’m down.

JOHNSON We could wear those Mexican outfits like [Chevy Chase, Martin Short and Steve Martin] did in The Three Amigos. At least for the encore. [laughs]

Joe, when you put together other iterations, did you ever ask Steve or Eric who they wanted to come along as the third guitarist?

SATRIANI Well, it’s a complicated thing putting G3 together, because my responsibility is both creating and selling the package. It starts a year before we want to hit the road. There are a number of scenarios that we have to float to all the different promoters to get a consensus of what they will agree is worthy of the invitation, because you can only play if you’re invited. You don’t just show up.

That means that we come up with Plans A, B, C, D, E, F and G, and then we see what the reaction is. Part of the music business is pretty cruel. It’s numbers and statistics. It’s always been about ticket sales, but back then it was a lot about radio. These days, the social media thing is really a big deal. It’s the first thing promoters do: They see if you’re trending on TikTok or Instagram. They need to determine if they want to take the risk.

That’s how that starts. And, of course, there’s a fine line between sticking to your guns about what you really want to do and listening to the feedback you get from your promoters. There’s no way to know who should be the third guy in Eastern Europe versus Canada, so you’ve got to talk to the promoters to see what they think and what suggestions they might have. Sometimes they’re good ones, and sometimes you’re scratching your head going, “Really?”

It’s difficult. It’s a very long period, and we have to be extremely quiet and discreet about it until we’ve distilled all this advice and feedback. Then we put out the invitations and reach out to the players that have risen to the top of the list, and we have to see what they say. Some players don’t want to play with other guitarists.

I suppose that’s true.

SATRIANI Yeah. I think there are fearless players out there, and then there are people who are still very guarded. I think that’s the defining difference. These gentlemen here are fearless and totally confident, and they just want to make their audience happy. That’s what you want. You don’t want any other baggage coming onstage.

I imagine sometimes choosing the third guitarist feels very easy and natural, but are there instances when you’ve thought, I don’t know how this is going to work?

SATRIANI Well, one of the most interesting characters was Robert Fripp, beyond a doubt. When he joined up, he insisted that he not be listed, and he wanted to play before the show. He said, “Look, don’t turn the lights on. I’m going to sit behind all the amps, and I’m going to play music as people walk into the venue and find their seats. And don’t mention my name.” It’s what he wanted to do.

Sometimes [bassist] Stu Hamm would play with him unannounced. He’d just come out, sit right next to Robert and he’d play along, or some of the other guys would play. It was really quite beautiful. Robert is such a wonderful human being and an incredible musician. We did a couple of other tours together, just me, Steve and Robert playing blues guitar or something. It was hysterical, and he was fearless about that. He was Robert Fripp to the very end.

JOHNSON Well, I was actually thinking of Robert Fripp when Joe mentioned him, because it was like, Wow, that’s different! He was definitely coming from left field, I think. But it was beautiful and cool. People really enjoyed it, too. I thought it sounded great. A lot of people told me, “Hey, have you heard Robert play with the G3 thing?” They thought it was great.

For the encore jams, you three have played “Red House,” “Goin’ Down” and “My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama.” How do you guys come up with those songs?

SATRIANI We start emailing each other about what would be a fun song. I think I put it to the guys that we should pick songs that weren’t our own but were somehow connected to us in some way. They would be songs that the audience would recognize and that would celebrate the guitar.

It wasn’t about one of the participants’ new single or something like that. We had to drop all that pretense that we were there to sell our new thing. I think the Zappa song was Steve’s suggestion. He brought that in, and it was great. It turned into one we did over and over again through the years.

VAI Joe would always reach out for suggestions, and there were many, many songs we’d toss out. Some of them would be head-scratchers, but I always relied on Joe to decipher it all, feel through it and pick what the final jam songs would be.

That went for everything – routing, position in the set, where you’re standing onstage. It was always diplomatic, but there’s a practical sensibility that needs to be exercised in all of these things. And that was Joe, because he’s got the tools.

Joe and Steve, you’ve done a number of G3s with John Petrucci as the third guitarist. Eric, I think you played on one tour with John. Is that right?

JOHNSON I did, yeah, in South America. John Petrucci’s amazing. I’m more familiar with him now, and his drummer, Mike Mangini. You know how there are certain groups that you don’t know their whole deal? Even though they’re almost a parallel track as yours, it’s not somebody you really listen to that much, but you still knew they were great.

I wasn’t familiar with John at first, but I was really blown away by him. It was kind of funny, though, because when I first met Mike Mangini, I didn’t know who he was. I asked him, “Are you down here teching for the band?”

VAI I remember that.

JOHNSON Then I heard him play, and I was like, “Oh, my God.” I should say that teching’s no different than playing. I think I embarrassed myself, because I didn’t know who he was. It was a bummer, because I was never able to get to know him; I think I made him feel awkward.

But he was such a fabulous drummer, and John was remarkable. They had a whole different thing going on, with the way they broke up time signatures and stuff. It was just amazing. I got schooled on that during the tour, not unlike the G3s that I did with Joe and Steve. It was like taking lessons every single night.

This is for all of you: How did your G3 experiences impact your feelings about the other two guys here?

SATRIANI Whoa… There have been so many moments when I would stand on the side of the stage watching Steve and Eric play, and then I’d look out at the audience and think, Do they have any idea how amazing this thing is? When are they ever going to see this again?” [Satriani’s cell phone rings] Oh, sorry about that. It’s my agent calling.

JOHNSON He’s saying, “Come on. Book a G3 tour!” [laughs]

SATRIANI And make it snappy! [mutes his phone] Like I said, there were so many moments. For me, in those private moments, standing there and watching them play, it was beyond remarkable. They truly felt the music, and that’s very inspiring. And then to see what they did to the audience, lifting them up, raising their spirits. It just makes you think, We’re doing the right thing.

JOHNSON With Joe, I was really shocked at his precision, virtuosity and sound. Every single night, he would nail everything, unlike somebody else who might be talking. [laughs] Obviously, his records are beautiful, but he plays that stuff live to a T. His touch, his fingering… truly outstanding. He would just nail it all the way.

And then there’s Steve – this organic guitar orchestra. From comedy to sadness, he packs in all these different emotions, and they go way beyond guitar sounds. That blew my mind. It was just such a hemisphere of learning for me.

How about you, Steve?

VAI With Joe and Eric, I already knew of their excellence. You know, I can be a sloppy, visceral performer. I always enjoy what I do, but there’s a little part of me that says, “You can be better. You can be more concise. You can be clearer and cleaner.”

So when I’d get onstage with these guys, that’s what I recognized. Seeing them perform, I saw the presentation of a whole piece of music that was immaculate. No disrespect to any other G3 performer, but if I go back to listen to any G3 record, I go right to Eric’s performance of “Manhattan,” which is flawless.

Every night I would watch him, and beyond being absolutely entertained by a musician at the height of his potential, I would always feel like, Steve, you’ve got to do more of that. He was inspired and performed beautifully from beginning to end.

And, of course, that’s Joe’s middle name. You know how many times I’ve seen him perform? [laughs] Every time he gives you this incredible presentation. What he offers you is beautiful. The song is respected, and it’s mastered completely.

You get as much out of it as the audience.

VAI Oh yeah. When I see these guys do what they do, I could be depressed or I could be inspired. And they always inspired me. I knew how they could perform. But what was interesting for me was putting a microscope on myself.

If anything, I’ve always been a bit of a pretentious rock star. [Joe and Eric laugh] It’s true – you guys know it. And that was exorcized out of me a bit. When you work with guys like this – because they’re humble, and they’re excellent – it’s fun and educational to get your ass kicked.

We were friends before, and we’re friends after. What more could you ask for?

Order Joe Satriani/Eric Johnson/Steve Vai: G3 Live In Concert here.

Visit the Joe Satriani website for more info on G3.

It’s said that adversity breeds opportunity, and for Eric Johnson, the pandemic created just such an opportunity in 2020 to make a record – two in fact: The Book of Making and Yesterday Meets Today (Sire).

So how did he manage to pull off recording a trove of songs – 25 in all, including seven tracks that will appear on a third album called Take Outs – at a time when simply being a room together with actual musicians wasn’t possible?

“When my tour got cut two weeks short in March 2020, I came home, and everybody was kind of holed up,” Johnson says. “So I went to the studio and started going through my tape vault and finding bits and pieces that were anywhere from two-inch analog tape to digital files to even cassettes and reel-to-reel tapes, stuff that went back almost 25 years.

“They were all little pieces that never were finished. I should say a couple of them were finished, but most needed a significant amount of overdubs.”

In keeping with how music gets released these days, Johnson’s record company devised a time-release scheme to build interest by giving EJ fans a taste of things to come on the forthcoming two albums, slated for release in July 29.

The first round of the six songs scheduled for early release include the instrumental “Soundtrack Life” (the first track on The Book of Making) and the pop-flavored title track “Yesterday Meets Today,” which aired on April 1.

In the same sequence of delivering one song from each record, they’ll be followed on May 6 by EJ’s soulful rendition of “Sitting on Top of the World” and “Love Will Never Say Goodbye.” 

And on June 10, “Move on Over” and “To Be Alive” – a song Johnson co-wrote with singer/guitarist Arielle – will be the last to appear before the albums debut.

GP spoke with Eric Johnson about the process for making records from material that he’d stashed away, likely without thinking a time would come when he’d need to revisit all these demos and outtakes.

What were the challenges of working on music that you’d recorded so long ago?

Some of the stuff that came off of cassettes sounded pretty funky, so [engineer/ producer] Kelly Donnelly EQ’d them to sound as good as possible. But I also found sometimes that doing high-fidelity recordings against low-fidelity recordings added a certain depth of field to the sound.

So I tried to use that to my advantage. Through panning and placement, and how I did the overdubs, I could create a kind of depth of field from low-tech meeting high-tech.

How did “Soundtrack Life” originate, and how did you develop those complex chord sequences that the solos weave through?

I tracked that in 2017 with Chris Maresh on bass and Wayne Salzmann on drums. It was one of those songs that came pretty quickly to me.

I was playing guitar in the style of hitting bass notes while playing rhythm parts on top; I think it was a continuation of some of the picking patterns I used on a song called “Brilliant Room” [from 2009’s Up Close].

I wanted to do that same kind of bass-rhythm thing. When I was overdubbing last year, the main melody part came pretty fast, but for the inside parts I had to work out some of those progressions where it changes chords quickly.

I thought it would be cool if I played lead through those changes, but working it out was a bit of a challenge for me.

Tell us about creating “Yesterday Meets Today.” The funky groove and your vocals take it in a pop/R&B direction, but then there’s the awesome middle section that sounds so orchestrated.

Yeah, it’s a different thing. That song is actually mostly new. It was a basic idea I had developed on electric piano. I cut it with Tom Brechtlein [Al DiMeola, Robben Ford] on drums, and I just kind of finished it out.

The basic rhythm track of the piano was something I’d had for maybe a year or so, and I’ve never gotten around to recording it. I just wanted to add something to the record that had a little different vibe.

For the overdubs, did you purposely use certain amps to get sounds that would complement the old tracks?

Not really, because I’ve used the same thing all these years. I’ve used the same Twin Reverbs or Deluxe Reverbs for clean, and it’s always been old 50- or 100-watt Marshalls for lead tones. But for these recording I did use a Two-Rock Classic Reverb a lot.

It’s like an overgrown Twin Reverb that has a little bigger sound, which is what I’m looking for in a dirty-rhythm tone. I set it where it’s just a little bit distorted – like if you listen to Hendrix playing “Like a Rolling Stone” on Monterey Pop when he wasn’t using the fuzz. That kind of tone, just a little bit distorted.

Did you use your replica Fender Virginia Strat for the overdubs?

Yeah, that’s what I used mostly, and it’s pretty much box stock. I think I might have used a ’57 Strat a little bit too.

Have you had to push some of your perfectionist tendencies aside in order to bring songs to completion that might have remained unheard under normal circumstances?

You can do something over and over again until you get it perfectly good without it being as good as it originally was. I’ve suffered from that over the years. I think it comes from insecurity – like maybe you’re not quite good enough, so you have to patch and tape it all together to where it is good enough.

But really, you have to come from a different place musically to where you just play and you’re not judging yourself all the time. I think that was the beginning of me embracing that concept. I realized that to grow musically, you have to change your approach, and I needed to change my approach a little bit.

Pre-order Eric Johnson's new albums here.

Electric guitar great Eric Johnson has announced not one, but two, new full-length albums.

Titled The Book of Making and Yesterday Meets Today, the twin LPs each feature nine tracks, and are both set for a July 29 release via Blue Élan Records. According to Johnson, they each contain finished versions of ideas that he had been toying around with for a number of years, in some cases decades.

You can hear the lead single from each LP – "Yesterday Meets Today" (that respective LP's title track) and "Soundtrack Life," from The Book of Making – below.

The pristine instrumental “Soundtrack Life,” Johnson says, is "classic me. What people might expect from me," while the easy-going “Yesterday Meets Today" features Johnson on vocals.

Of course though, the latter also features plenty of the Strat master's nimble fretboard work, delivered with perfect tone and attack throughout.

“As life’s road over the last couple of years has been unpredictable for all of us, I truly believe it leads to a brighter road of possibilities,” the guitarist said in a press release.

Along those lines, Johnson hopes that the “thoughts, aspirations, and revelations I had in making this project will help bring me closer to tuning my direction to trying to make my future music as emotionally positive and uplifting as I can.”

You can check out the cover art and track lists of The Book of Making and Yesterday Meets Today below.

To preorder either or both of Johnson's upcoming albums, visit blueelan.com.

Eric Johnson – The Book of Making:

1. "Soundtrack Life"
2. "Floating Through This World"
3. "Love Will Never Say Goodbye"
4. "Bigger Than My Life"
5. "Just To Be With You"
6. "To Be Alive"
7. "Another One Like You"
8. "My Faith In You"
9. "A Thousand Miles"

Eric Johnson – Yesterday Meets Today:

1. "Move On Over"
2. "Yesterday Meets Today"
3. "It’s Just The Rain"
4. "Maha"
5. "Hold On To Love"
6. "Sitting On Top Of The World"
7. "Dorsey Takes A Day Off"
8. "JVZ"
9. "Until We Meet Again"

Texas-based guitarist, producer and songwriter Lance Keltner has released a music video accompanying his hard-rocking new single “Train Of Misery" taken from the forthcoming album, Lance Keltner & Nuevo Retro.

Recorded at Ice Cream Factory Studio in Austin, Texas, blues-rock maestro Keltner’s fifth studio long-player is loaded with 10 tracks comprising new material plus a handful of rejuvenated numbers from the catalog.

Scheduled for release in July via National Treasure Records in association with MARS Label Group, the work sees a revitalized Keltner returning with newfound perspective after winning a battle against Covid-19 that nearly cost him his life.

For that reason, Keltner sees Lance Keltner & Nuevo Retro as both a personal and creative rebirth.

“I contracted Covid in January 2021,” explains Keltner. “At the time, I was convinced that I might die, and I think the hospital staff was right there with me on that. But then, on the fifth night I was in the hospital, I had an incredible spiritual experience that changed everything for me.

“At three AM that night, my room lit up,” he continues. “I can't really describe it, but I felt elated, and I was at total peace. A voice clearly told me that I was not going to die in that place. It also told me to never touch alcohol again, and that if I made music my priority again, everything else would fall into place.

“After that, we signed a new recording contract. I took two months to recover, and then we cut 15 songs in two weeks. So I lived, and I think that I made the best record I’ve ever done.”

After releasing his eponymous solo debut via East West Records America in 1992, Keltner went on to record three more albums prior to his latest. He has toured extensively throughout Europe and is currently planning to hit the road in the U.S. in support of the new record.

Speaking of his new single “Train Of Misery" Keltner says he was inspired by the lingering memory of a homeless person sitting on a railway platform in downtown Austin.

"Years ago, my bandmate Cole [Hanson] and I moved into an apartment in downtown Austin,” recalls Keltner. “From the balcony we could see a train platform, and on that platform lived a homeless man. 

“He read the paper, he talked to himself, he was troubled. Cole and I picked up two guitars and imagined his story through the song."

In true Texas blues guitar style, Keltner is known to favor the Fender Stratocaster, though he also uses Charles Whitfill guitars and a CHC Guitars custom model.

As pictured above, he is also a fan of Nashville-based Teye Guitars – creators of some of the most stunning-looking axes around.

Interestingly, Keltner is the owner of Smart Belle – an Austin-based guitar gear firm producing guitar amps and effects used by pro players such as Joe Walsh, Tommy Shaw (Styx), and Frankie Sullivan (Survivor).

Visit Lance Keltner’s website for more information.

When I was a kid, my first feeling of ‘I really need to own one of those electric guitars!’ was when I looked at a photo of a Stratocaster. It was sexy and curvy, and the itch was beyond control. I thought, ‘That’s what I want to hold.’

Fender just hit it out of the park when they made the first Strat. Sonically, I’ve always liked ’54 and ’55 Strats the most. I love the sound of ash-body Strats and I’ve found the heavier, thicker necks provide more sustain.

For some guys, like Eric Johnson, ’54 is the year. One good thing about vintage guitars is that they’re all snowflakes – each one is special and different. You have to find the one that scratches the itch, man! It’s all about the quest.

Even though the ’54 Strat is a wonderful instrument out of the box, things are a little more refined a few years down the line in ’57. It’s a bit like the Tele: by the time you get to ’53, it’s more refined and consistent.

There are three Stratocaster years that seem to always stick out: ’54 (because it’s the first year), ’57 and ’62.

I love the ’57 V-neck. Fender used ’57 as their flagship maple-neck reissue Strat in the early '80s, alongside the reissue rosewood-’board ’62. They weren’t perfect, but the ’57 and ’62 reissues were far superior to the regular Stratocasters they were making at the time. They were the foundation of what kept Fender in business.

’57 Strats represent a perfect storm. By then, Fender had started to phase out the Bakelite parts and they had switched to using alder [from mid-’56], which was cheaper, more plentiful and lighter.

’57 sunbursts have one of the sweeter looks. There’s a beautiful burnt amber tone to them that I like. If they needed to cover something up, they might blow a little more around the edge, but by then Fender had gotten to a point where they were able to get the lacquer really thin.

If you look at a ’54, the paint is thicker on the body and neck. Also, the ’54 neck profile is fuller with more of a U shape, which was a bit of a hindrance for some players.

I’ve seen V-necks as early as ’55, albeit with a subtler, softer V, but by late ’56 they really started getting that harder V-neck shape into play. The V neck tended to be very pronounced in early 1957, and by late 1957 they had changed to the more standard C shape you see on a ’58.

A lot of people really love the ’56/’57 V neck because you can place your thumb below or above it – it gives you that center point for hand positioning that a lot of pros really like. 

The maple V neck is something that really stuck for Clapton, as per his famed guitars Brownie and Blackie. When an artist is using a tool, they might want to make that tool their own, and he really did like the feel of a V neck.

The Stratocaster has a great woody tone, especially that neck pickup. Due to the Strat’s design, you can find those sweet in-between spots and get an out-of-phase tone.

Clapton popularized that sound early on – that’s why everyone rushed to get five-way switches installed – and then Fender themselves eventually changed the switch [in 1977].

In the early days, Fender would give guitars to local musicians to play and give feedback on directly. It was a case of, ‘What would you change? Is the neck too big or too small? Is the belly cut deep enough? Is the arm cut deep enough?’ Back then, Fender were always looking for improvements.

There was fierce competition between Gibson and Fender. Unfortunately, Gibsons were sometimes seen as old man’s guitars, while Fenders were seen as toys, and that was probably something Leo Fender didn’t like. He was constantly tinkering, so he fancied the guitars up while trying to get the perfect look.

I believe Leo thought a three-tone sunburst would be fancy – like putting binding on Custom Esquire and Tele bodies, or on Jaguar and Jazzmaster necks later on – but a lot things went wrong with the finish when they went to the three-tone sunburst in ’58. I think they had it right in ’57.

These guitars are really special and were made at a very specific time in American history. Most of the people who built these guitars in the 50s were part of that generation who put the same effort into their jobs as they did during World War II.

People were happier because they had more free time and they went to work with a little more optimism. They enjoyed their jobs and took a lot of pride in their workmanship.

It’s important to keep educating the younger generations about what a wonderful time this was in American guitar making.

David Davidson owns Well Strung Guitars in Farmingdale, New York.

Electric guitar great Eric Johnson has paid tribute to Howard Alexander Dumble, the master amp-maker who passed away earlier this week. 

In a post on his Facebook page, Johnson discussed how he met Dumble, just as he was putting together what would eventually become his 1986 debut album, Tones.

Eventually becoming fast friends with Dumble – a relationship Johnson likened to that of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis – Johnson would go on to use two of his guitar amps, an Overdrive Special and a Steel String Singer.

“My friends Christopher Cross and Richard Mullen were jubilantly praising how wonderful Alexander Dumble’s amps were," Johnson explained. "They suggested that I meet him and procure an amp. 

“Alexander worked in a space over at the Abbey rehearsal studios and I have such fond memories of going over there and talking tone and inspirational visions of music. Alexander had a wonderful passion for music and sound and guitar tone. 

“I would always leave there so excited, kind of like when C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien would get together and rev each other up to go be artistic on their own after their meeting and do their best work.”

“I was lucky and honored to be able to play an amp made by Alexander – actually, two amps," Johnson continued. "The song, 'Zap,' on the record Tones, was recorded on an Overdrive Special and Roscoe Beck’s [Gibson ES-]335. The Steel String Singer that I eventually got from Alexander was such a magical amp, there’s been nothing quite like it since.” 

“I regret that I let go of it many years ago during a period when I was going through a traumatic time in my life suffering from loud exposure and thought that I would never, never want to be around or play through an amp of that caliber of wattage. 

“It was one of my shortcomings not to have the insight to put it in the closet and wait for another graceful day when I could have figured out a way to use it, baffling speaker cabinets or using lower efficiency speakers or simply turning the master volume down!”

"He is one of a kind," Johnson wrote. "There'll never be another one like him."

To read Guitar Player's full 1985 interview with Dumble, step right this way.

Jackson Browne is wandering the backstage caverns of San Francisco's Cow Palace looking a bit worried. "Where's Lindley?" he asks his road manager. "We're onstage in 15 minutes!"

A door at the end of the hallway is seeming blasted open by a torrent of beefy sustained lap steel licks. Inside, Lindley is squatting precariously, his Hawaiian guitar balanced on his knees. Crunching chords and crystal-clear single notes are pouring out of a crude-looking amplifier about a foot in front of his face.

"I want this one, Howard," David says to a large man who is smiling like a proud father. "Not this model, not one like this, but this one, OK?"

"It's just a prototype." Howard Dumble points out.

"Fine," nods Lindley. "I'll take it."

David Lindley, of course is notorious for using a vast array of exotic guitars from an instrument collection that number well over 100. But on the road, he uses only one brand of amplifier, a fact that makes Howard Dumble understandably proud.

As Lindley told Guitar Player in a July '77 interview, "I've got a lot of little amps, but on the road, I always use Dumble amps because they never break down. We went about getting the sound in those amps by taking an old Fender Deluxe to Howard Dumble and saying, 'We want this, but bigger and louder.' And Howard got the closest of anybody I've heard."

Howard Dumble grew up in Bakersfield, California, and began building transistor radios from scratch at age 12. He took up guitar at 16 (he later did his fair share of studio dates in Hollywood, which included working with songwriter Jim Webb), and in 1965 built a series of amplifiers for Mosrite that were used by the Ventures.

An extensive tour backing Buffy Sainte-Marie financed Dumble's first "out of the backyard and into a building" amp shop in 1968, in Santa Cruz, California. The following year, Dumble came out with his Explosion model amplifier (his original prototype still works), which later evolved into the Overdrive Special.

As well as the Big Tex reverb unit his line of amplifiers currently includes seven basic models: the Overdrive, the Steel-String Singer, the Winterland and the Dumbleland for bass and electric guitar, the rack-mount Phoenix, a no-frills 50-watt Dumbleman, and the Dumblelator.

From the beginning, he has remained a one-man operation, personally building every one of his amplifiers by hand.

In spite of their steep price tags – a standard 100-watt Overdrive head sells for $1,925; the Steel-String Singer and Dumbleland each go for $5,000 before options ­– Dumbles are always in demand, and Howard has his hands full keeping up with orders.

Besides Lindley and Browne, the impressive roster of Dumble users includes Larry Carlton, Bonnie Raitt, Graham Nash, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jay Graydon, Ry Cooder, Tom Verlaine, Eric Johnson, Steve Lukather, Robben Ford, Dean Parks, Carlos Rios, The Beach Boys, Christopher Cross, Tiran Porter, Jimmy Haslip, Jerry Miller, Thom Rhotella, Randy California, Terry Haggerty, Rick Vito, Kenny Loggins, and many others.

In discussing what's so special about his amplifiers, Dumble uses aesthetic more than technical terms. "That's the bottom line," he stresses. "It's the emotional influence that's really important; technology is secondary – it's just a vehicle. The idea is to have lots of fun."

Improvisational specialist Henry Kaiser elaborates on what sets the Dumble apart from the rest of the amp crowd: "Number one, you could drop the thing out of a four-story building, replace any tubes that break, and it'll work fine. It does appear to be the most durably built amp possible.

“Number two, it seems to me that Howard, through a long intuitive working process, tunes the amps and designs by ear so that they're very sophisticated machines for producing a wide variety of tones and distortion colorations. Because of my specific avant-garde bent, I'm really interested in tone and timbre, and I need to have a really wide palette of tonal color available to me, and I've got about four times as many colors available on the Dumble. Any other amp sounds awful to me. I feel terrible if I play anything else – except for a Fender Champ."

In an August '77 Guitar Player feature, the late Lowell George of Little Feat was more succinct. "It's like a Fender made right," he said of his Dumble. "It's the best amp I've ever played through."

Your amps have a reputation for almost never breaking down. How do you build them with such durability?

Those are absolute guarded secrets. In fact, if you take the amplifier apart, you can't detect how I do it. I definitely have secrets that make the amp perform and last the way it does. With most companies, it's just a misapplication of technology. You don't have to destroy the product – you don't have to get a Variac and turn it up to 170 volts – to get good results. An extreme amount of attention is paid to every connection. Plus, I found which parts last and which ones don't.

What made you gravitate towards electronics in the first place?

I loved music, for one thing. Music's always been a passion. I used to listen to Les Paul and Mary Ford as a kid. Also, I come from an engineering family; my father developed one of the first automatic transmissions.

It wasn't hard to absorb the technology; it was just there to do. I also saw that I could make some bucks at it. I started making small pocket radios from scratch for the kids in school for $5 a pop. I was doing real well until one day everybody had one, and there were enough radios in the class that you could hear the local rock station at a small din through all the earpieces. So, the teacher finally busted me.

What inspired you to first build an amp?

I was a junior in high school, and this guy named Jack Smith came over and wanted me to build a piece of equipment for the junior baseball association. He said that he had access to a "mountain of parts" – I said okay!

We went down to this big warehouse, and there were heaps of parts, so we gleaned as many as we could – all free. We built this huge 200-watt power amplifier so they could announce to nine baseball diamonds.

As I understand it, it still works today. Then, Jack and I made some Dual showman-type amps, although we couldn't get Fender transformers – they were very tight about what they'd send you – so we used David Hafler transformers, which made the amp sound quite extraordinary.

Prior to building your own amps, had you taken apart other amps such as Fenders and Gibsons?

I can draw some of the those schematics from memory [laughs]. Of course, I had to absorb other approaches. In fact, my old Fender mods I did in the late '60s were exactly the same as the schematics a lot of the later high-gain amplifiers used.

How did you come to make amps for the Ventures?

I was an 18-year-old kid in school in Bakersfield, and I went to see Semie Moseley, who was the only person I had access to there. I walked in and just bold-faced said, "I've got something that sounds like nothing else. You better hear it." And it flipped him out; he said, "This is the best thing I've ever heard."

He offered to go in with me to build 10 amplifiers. He bought the parts and paid me $90 a week – for about four weeks, and then I had to work for free. But I still got to build 10 amplifiers on a production basis when I was only a kid. They were called Mosrite amps, but they were my design. Actually, I built 11, so I still have the original one I built.

The Ventures played through them and were really interested, but it was a little too much rock for them. They wanted me to go into business with them, but I decided against it, and went back to playing in studios and in rock bands.

Did your early amps have certain qualities lacking in commercially available amps of that period?

Yes, I definitely made sure they had more frequency bandwidth. One thing I noticed about the early guitar amps was that they were real limited, especially in the lower end. But you have to be careful to make sure you still keep the proper midrange and treble response. I found that out early on.

You can't build a hi-fi circuit and expect it to be a good guitar amp – it just doesn't work out. You need a whole different response curve. But I did notice that if I put a little more low end into the preamp circuitry, it was much more tasteful and fun to play.

Once you got started, did a Dumble philosophy evolve?

I try to be flexible. I've always been aware that whatever I make has to be crafted with the best intentions. Never have anything shoddy. Always make sure that it works and looks perfect. The actual techniques I use to get the sound that I go after have evolved extensively. It's a growing process. That's the toughest thing about staying with one thing. You're always thinking of new ways to do it. Basically, I've kept the Overdrive the same but the other models are open to flexibility.

What changes did the Explosion undergo before it became the Overdrive Special?

The active circuitry changed quite a bit, and the tone circuitry did also. But the concept of processing the signal post preamp stayed the same. Most other high-gain amplifiers use a pre-preamp gain boost, but I broke away from that quite early in the late '60s. I found that trying to build the signal up before the preamp had a tendency to really overload the preamp, and you got nonharmonic tones and a very unmusical end result.

Plus, you ran into a lot of vacuum-tube problems with harmonics. So, what I wanted to do was get all that wonderful oomph and beautiful sustain and harmonic richness without the electronic troubles.

Were you making what was to become the Overdrive before you made the Steel-String Singer?

The Steel-String Singer came later, but I actually started making a series of amplifiers called the Dumbleland in about '66, and I still make them. That was the forerunner of the Steel-String Singer. I didn't change a whole lot about that; it was a design way ahead of its time. It was too much power and too silky clean for people. It's perfect for Stevie Ray, though. He has a hard time playing an Overdrive.

Why is the Overdrive so sensitive?

It's a different kind of signal handling. In the Overdrive, I approach gain levels that are extremely intense; within the linear region, I have a signal gain capability of one million. So if you stuck 10 microvolts in, you'd get 10 volts back. And I do it with stability, and it's still very musical.

The best way to approach an Overdrive is real slow. Walk up to it, look at the knobs, have it turned down real low, and then get a feeling for it. Learn what to do with your fingers to make it respond well. If you walk right up to it, it has a tendency to absolutely frighten some people.

The secret control on the Overdrive's panel section is the ratio control, which controls how much overdrive is fed back into the circuit. If you turn that up, it's Rock City.

How different is the Overdrive Special you customized for David Lindley from a standard model?

I might have changed the value of a capacitor to some extent, so that it has a different treble response, but the circuitry is basically the same.

Lindley says that for certain sounds he's looking for, you sometimes borrow his guitar and Dumble for the weekend to match the amp to the guitar?

That's true. The amplifier responds so differently to each guitar that to get some effects, I need to use the player's guitars, instead of my own. That's one of the great things about the amplifier; it doesn't modify any guitar into any one sound or homogenize it. It expands whatever you start with.

The amplifier is a real important part of the sound regeneration system, but it needs to be very responsive to whatever the guitar is delivering. The philosophy I try to keep in the amplifier is that whatever you can hear in your head, this will help you get it.

Stevie Ray Vaughan calls his Steel-String Singer the "King Tone Consoul."

There are some different things about Stevie's. His is set up more like a bass amp, modified to accommodate the guitar range. It's not the usual lead guitar "Singer" approach. One thing he liked was that he could turn the volume control all the way up and it didn't distort – it just got louder.

He does make it distort sometimes because he has about 50 megatons of pressure when he attacks the strings [laughs]. He gets an incredible amount of signal out of his guitar, and most amplifiers can't take it. He did his first album with a bass amp I'd made for Jackson Browne.

Some players describe Dumbles as different, more powerful, more durable more efficient versions of a Fender Deluxe

That's a good way to describe it – in a limited fashion. There are some great qualities to a small Deluxe. You get a great harmonic structure at a small acoustic volume. It's real pleasing, especially when you're playing by yourself. But that sound is not convertible into a group ambience – it's gone.

So, in the respect that I try to get something comfortable and very musical, only in a bigger fashion, that's a good analogy. But the circuitry is not even close. I use vacuum tubes, and transformers and knobs, but the similarity stops there. To get the result I want, I have to use unique circuitry. It's my tone circuits and coupling circuits and the way I process phase-inversion.

Can you "Dumble-ize" a Fender amp to the point that it shares the Dumble philosophy and sound, or would it be a compromise?

It's a compromise. The actual physical construction of the Fender limits what can be done. In fact, after the last Steel-String Singer mod I did to David Lindley's amps, he no longer uses the Fender Bassman I Dumbleized for him. He wanted this luscious transparency and response – like floating in white clouds – and I came up with special circuitry.

I can use a Fender chassis, but you have to rip everything off of it, fill in all the holes, and re-drill it. They're just a little bit too squashed. A distance of half a centimeter makes a big difference in the way something sounds. It's a science involved with what's called circuit constants.

Instead of a single bright/deep switch, most of your amps have separate bright and deep switches. Can you use both at the same time?

Oh, you bet. It gets luscious low notes that you could float on and beautiful, crystalline highs that are silky as glass.

How many watts are the various models?

The overdrives are 100 watts, but they're switchable down to 50, and I do make a special 150-watt Overdrive, which is a lot of fun. The range in power goes from a 25-watt recording amp called the Hotel Hog up to the 450-watt Winterland, named after the concert hall in San Francisco.

Could there be an ultimate amp for you, or are the Overdrive and Steel-String Singer too distinctive to be combined?

Well, the Phoenix series is where I've done that – so you can combine things – because it's a rack-mounted affair. You can buy all the separate preamps, with or without overdrive, and a choice of 50-, 100-, or 150-watt power amplifiers, and hook them together. The overdrive section is expanded – instead of two overdrive controls, you have four.

After experimenting with various speakers, what do you favor?

I've gone with everything. There are a lot of things I still like. The most versatile is the EV. But all manufacturers, including Altec and JBL, make wonderful speakers that do specific jobs other speakers can't do. I divide speakers into two classifications: the efficient and the low-efficient. Both are very useable.

Low efficiency speakers are things like Celestion and Jenson and PAS. Usually because of the physical construction, they don't get the same acoustic level per watt as the Altecs, JBLs, and EVs do. There's an advantage to that, because you can make the amplifier work harder to get the same acoustic level, and a whole different kind of harmonic structure results.

I love the sound of JBLs, especially for chords, but I had a lot of trouble with 4" voice coil not traveling in a linear fashion. The actual coil would short out against the magnet structure. The Altecs didn't do that, so I was using them up until '79, when EV started coming out the the EVM series.

How does your philosophy on speaker enclosures contrast with other companies?

I think mine's different. I just don't believe in a baffle board with a couple of sides. Everything is designed to respond tonally. Even my open-back enclosures use air to the optimum. It's an ongoing process; I'm still finding out things that are useful.

There's a definite technique to developing enclosures. Instead of increasing the output all from the front by feeding more watts in, I designed a special series of open-back enclosures so that there's actually an air pole inversion process – I make the air respond in an in-phase relationship, both in front and in the rear of the enclosure. So, from the same amount of speakers, it's almost a doubling of sound.

Does that change the tonal quality?

Yes. The low end is absolutely luscious. You feel like you're floating on a football field filled with marshmallows. And it gives a singe to the midrange that puts solos right out there. It works great for chords and solos, but especially well for slide. It's the kind of enclosure that Lindley and Lowell George used.

Is there a single emotional aim you're shooting for, or many?

It's a whole panorama. I don't believe in being confined. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands or millions, of valid guitar tones. When the air becomes electric, that's the right sound, no matter what the one is. It's that sound exciting the senses.

We recently asked some of the world's top guitar players to choose their favorite solos. There was, however, one catch: They had to refrain from the obvious choices. In other words, no Hendrix, Clapton, Gilmour, et cetera.

Here’s what Eric Johnson had to say…

1) Wes Montgomery | “Caravan” from ‘Movin’ Wes’

GUITARIST: Wes Montgomery

“It’s classic Wes Montgomery – totally swinging and improvising over the changes. It’s part chords and a lot of single-note sections, and it’s all great. It’s hard to pick just one Wes solo, but this one is particularly smokin’.”

2) Albert King | “Crosscut Saw” from ‘Born Under a Bad Sign’

GUITARIST: Albert King

“Albert King always knocks me out. He gets such a great tone in this solo, and his phrasing is extraordinary. I know Eric Clapton is a fan. He’s covered this song and plays the solo almost note for note.”

3) John Lee Hooker | “Boogie Chillen’” (single)

GUITARIST: John Lee Hooker

“Check out the original 1948 version of this song. It’s incredible that this was recorded before rock and roll, because John pretty much set the foundation for everything that was to follow. The playing is flat-out extraordinary.”

4) The Electric Flag | “Texas” from ‘A Long Time Comin’’

GUITARIST: Mike Bloomfield

“Mike Bloomfield is so fiery on this cut. He’s hitting on all cylinders. I was very influenced by Mike Bloomfield. I used to listen to him a lot.”

5) The Monkees | “Valleri” from ‘The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees’

GUITARIST: Louis Shelton

“He worked a lot during the Wrecking Crew days, and this is one of his best solos. Here in the middle of a pop song that got on the radio, he slipped in this blazing, fleet-fingered solo that just shines.”

You might think that the vast majority of rock riffs are in minor keys, but not so! A close study of the rock and pop guitar repertoire over the decades discloses a multitude of major tonality-based riffs.

The major scale and its close relative, the Lydian mode, are terrific sources for creating captivating and mostly bright-sounding riffs that can evoke all sorts of emotions, ranging from love, elation and triumph to mystery and even melancholy.

In this lesson, we’ll explore, arrange and deconstruct various riffs based on both the major scale and the Lydian mode.

Ionian (Major-Scale) Riffs

Throughout this lesson, the major scale will be referenced by its modal name, Ionian. As such, the C major scale (C D E F G A B) can also be called the C Ionian mode.

1950s – ‘70s

First up is a rollicking riff inspired by “La Bamba,” the smash hit by 1950s rock and roll star Ritchie Valens (Ex. 1).

The riff is based on the chord tones of the I-IV-V progression (C-F-G7) and hits every note of C Ionian. An early example of a bona fide guitar riff, it undoubtedly influenced future guitarists and riff writers. You’ll hear echoes of the original in later hits such as Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman.”

Ex. 2 is based on “Funk Brother” Robert White’s iconic intro to the Temptations’ classic Motown hit “My Girl.” Also in C Ionian, the melody cruises along the structure of the C-to-F chord cycle courtesy of C major pentatonic (C D E G A) and F major pentatonic (F G A C D) phrases. (Both of these five-note scales are diatonic to C Ionian, containing common notes.)

In this example, the major seventh, B, is thrown in to sweeten the pot. To achieve the desired tone, pick the strings with your thumb, using a strong attack.

Ex. 3 demonstrates how the sweet R&B stylings of the 1950s and early ’60s were transformed in classic rock. Equal parts Jimi Hendrix (“Angel,” “May This Be Love” and “The Wind Cries Mary”) and the Beatles (“Sun King” and “Don’t Let Me Down”), this riff in E Ionian (E F# G# A B C# D#) is fortified with sliding-fourths intervals and hammer/pull dyads that are scattered across the fretboard. This style, which pays homage to R&B pioneers like Curtis Mayfield, Cornell Dupree and others, is challenging to master.

Although it’s not generally recognized as a guitar riff per se (multiple instruments double the line on the original recording), the intro to Brian Wilson’s “California Girls” – a 1965 hit for the Beach Boys – signifies a shining moment in the ’60s Ionian repertoire. The offset rhythm of the melodic passage alone is worth the price of admission. Cast from B Ionian (B C# D# E F# G# A# ), Ex. 4 is a subtle reimagining of this classic riff, embellished with a bluesy half-step bend.

Jumping ahead to the ’70s, Ex. 5 is a twangy, folk-rock riff inspired by Mike Campbell’s 12-string rhythm work in “Listen to Her Heart” by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Drawing from the groundbreaking 12-string riffs of the ’60s as crafted by such players as the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn and the Beatles’ George Harrison, it’s primarily chordal, outlining A, Asus4 and Asus2, all of which live within the A Ionian mode (A B C# E D E F# G#). It kicks up a notch in bar 2 with a driving single-note bass line played on the A string.

Ex. 6 epitomizes Eric Clapton’s mid-1970s blues guitar pop stylings. G Ionian (G A B C D E F#) by nature, it’s an amalgamation of his main riff lines in “Wonderful Tonight.” Voiced high on the neck for ease of bending (Clapton played most of the riff in seventh position), the melody avoids the major seventh degree (F#), relying chiefly on G major pentatonic note choices (G A B D E), with an added C note in the conclusion of the phrase.

Paul McCartney and Wings’ smash 1974 hit “Band on the Run” may hold the record for the longest guitar introduction comprised entirely of fourths dyads. (Nile Rodgers’ riff that kicks off David Bowie’s “China Girl” would come in a close second.) Ex. 7 serves up a slice of the aforementioned iconic intro, then caps it off with a pair of inverted Em and F# m triads.

Let’s close out our ’70s segment with a riff so infectious, the composer felt the need to transpose it to five different keys over the course of the arrangement! We’re talking about John “Cougar” Mellencamp’s late-’70s hit, “I Need a Lover.” Ex. 8 offers a variation on the riff in an E Ionian setting. As a musical exercise, you may want to try your hand at transposing the phrase to other keys. Staying true to the original song, try to hit the keys of A, Bb, B and F#.

1980s and Beyond

The dawn of the 1980s ushered in the era of MTV and jangly-riff songs built around open chords. Cashing in big time on both trends, the unstoppable Rolling Stones hit the decade running with “Waiting on a Friend.”

Not only does the main riff jangle in a way similar to Ex. 9, the song also produced one of the most popular MTV videos of that time period. Be sure to throw on a chorus pedal or a touch of light flanging to up the sparkle factor on this C Lydian riff.

Journey are another group that benefited in a big way from the onslaught of the fledgling MTV network. Ex. 10 blends elements from two of the group’s most popular major-mode-based songs, “Any Way You Want It” and “Don’t Stop Believin’,” into an E Ionian single-note riff enhanced with bold finger vibrato (a signature element of lead guitarist Neal Schon’s style) and chords.

You probably wouldn’t associate AC/ DC with the Ionian mode, yet there it is, firmly ensconced in the chord/melody-style intro to “You Shook Me All Night Long.” Granted, Angus Young throws in a couple of chromatic passing tones, but he makes liberal use of the G Ionian mode, including the major seventh. Ex. 11 reimagines the original riff in the key of A Ionian, mainly so that the open A string can fortify the key center. Keep your index finger barred across the top four strings throughout the entire passage.

Few guitarists, or musicians for that matter, have as sensitive a touch as Jeff Beck, who is revered for his ability to interpret a melody in a variety of emotive ways. The intro to his 1985 hit cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” (originally recorded by the Impressions in 1965) exposes the fingerstyle electric guitarist’s uncanny chord-melody instincts. His lead fills that complement Rod Stewart’s vocal phrases throughout the song are downright stunning, but the intro riff is a definite standout.

Ex. 12 offers a similarly styled phrase based on the D Ionian mode (D E F# G A B C#) and meant to be performed fingerstyle, much as one would on a classical acoustic guitar. Play this passage with a lot of expression and dynamics.

Ex. 13 is a lovely acoustic example that springs from another rather unexpected source, namely Zakk Wylde. Inspired by the burly guitarist’s cascading intro riff to Ozzy Ozbourne’s 1992 hit single “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” it’s an E Ionian–based melody that similarly descends the G string and is interwoven with open B and high E notes. The original figure walks straight down the scale, but this derivative phrase mixes in a dash of George Harrison’s down-up-down melodic contour from the early Beatles hit “Please Please Me.”

Texas-born guitar virtuoso Eric Johnson has been at the forefront of modern high-tech electric guitar for the past three decades. Ex. 14 pays tribute to the Lone-Star Tone Czar with an arpeggio-laced example crafted from C Ionian. You’ll hear Johnson play similarly styled lines in his Ionian-based tour de force, “Cliffs of Dover.”

Lydian Riffs

Everyone knows what it feels like when they don’t get enough sleep the night before. Things seem just a little bit “off.” In a way, that’s what the Lydian mode is like when compared to Ionian. While the two scales are almost identical in structure, Lydian has a raised fourth degree (C Ionian: C D E F G A B; C Lydian: C D E F# G A B).

Subtle but significant, the raised fourth degree gives the Lydian mode a dreamlike, mysterious and wistful quality. Perhaps that’s why many film score composers use it in scenes of childhood innocence, dream sequences and reflection. (Check out the soundtrack to the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird.)

Let’s now explore some guitar riffs and musical passages that employ this emotion-evoking mode.

Based on the A Lydian mode (A B C# D# E F# G#), Ex. 15 illustrates a common occurrence in Lydian progressions – the establishment of a I major chord (in this case, A) coupled with a II major (B) and often fueled with a droning tonic pedal tone, in this case provided by the open fifth string. Essentially a loose composite of Mike Campbell and Tom Petty’s guitar figures in “Here Comes My Girl,” the passage casts an anticipatory mood, as they did in support of Petty’s spoken verses.

Ex. 16 is inspired by Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham’s acoustic intro to Stevie Nick’s song “Sara.” Harmonized from E Lydian (E F# G# A# B C# D#), it’s also set against a tonic drone (in this case, the open low E string) and is driven by a I-II (E-F#) chord sequence. Also included is an arpeggiated G# m chord (G# -B-D#), which is the iii chord in E Lydian. Notice how the passage evokes a wistful, melancholy mood that befits the lyrics of the song itself.

Ex. 17 brings to mind the rhythm riffs in Joe Satriani’s Lydian showcase, “Flying in a Blue Dream.” (Satch had employed an alternate tuning on the original recording, while this example is presented in standard tuning.) The first two bars are in F Lydian (F G A B C D E). The Fsus2(add#11) chord suggests a partial G triad over an F bass note that gives way to an F major chord, thus establishing the toggling I-II chord sequence (albeit backward this time) that we’ve discussed.

Bars 3 and 4 modulate directly to C Lydian, where once again the chords suggest a I-II trade-off, here in the new key. In Satriani’s original composition, the creative guitarist improvises corresponding Lydian melodies over each new set of chord changes: C Lydian over the C chord types, F Lydian over the F chords, Ab Lydian over the Ab chords and G Lydian over the G chords.

Ex. 18 is inspired by one of several Lydian passages in Journey’s arena rocker “Escape.” Based on A Lydian, it also features a driving tonic pedal tone that reinforces the ubiquitous I-II chord sequence (A-B). This example also includes a V-chord triad (E is the V chord in A Lydian). Strive to “wiggle” the marked triads with aggressive finger vibrato. Don’t be afraid to shake the guitar neck.

The octave-doubled melody line in Ex. 19 recalls the distinct E Lydian-based interlude in the Who’s “Who Are You.” Be careful to mute the unused string that lies between the two notes of each fretted octave. This is effectively accomplished by using the fleshy underside of your fret-hand index finger to mute the B string in the first four shapes and the G string on the remaining ones.

Based on A Lydian, Ex. 20 is inspired by Joe Walsh’s hypnotic intro to “Theme from Boat Weirdos,” an instrumental track from his 1978 hit album, But Seriously, Folks… Walsh is a master of crafty guitar figures, wherein the use of strategically placed open strings facilitates the performance of unusual chord voicings that would otherwise be unplayable using fretted notes alone. The picking pattern is the key to unlocking the melodic puzzle here and offers a creative springboard for devising similarly styled creations of your own.

Ex. 21 is the shortest and perhaps most straight-ahead offering in this lesson so far. An endlessly cycled riff cast from C Lydian, it brings to mind XTC’s 1989 hit single “Mayor of Simpleton.” The riff’s quirky charm is mainly due to the ringing open-G string, a technique used to great effect in Blue Öyster Cult’s similarly styled minor-key riff for “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper.”

Ex. 22 is also in C Lydian and is a rearrangement of the intro and outro passages of Christopher Cross’s yacht-rock smash hit, “Sailing.” Cross had employed an alternate tuning for that song, which is in the key of D, but this arrangement and new key make for similarly haunting riff that’s playable in standard tuning.

Ex. 23 is in the style of Police guitarist Andy Summers. Essentially a composite of the bubbling piano and synthesizer parts heard on the verses of “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” (which cycles around the G Lydian mode: G A B C# D E F#), it’s highly representative of the unique parts that the ground-breaking guitarist played during his tenure in the iconic band.

Ex. 24 heralds the Lydian mode’s “Big ’80s!” style. Inspired by the way-huge synth intro to Tears for Fears’ “Head Over Heels,” it drops straight down the C Lydian mode in bars 1 and 2. Bars 3 and 4 are inspired by the “answering” guitar line heard on the original recording.

Our final example, Ex. 25, is a fun mash-up that’s equal parts Jimmy Page (inspired by his playing on “Over the Hills and Far Away” and “Dancing Days”) and Steve Howe (recalling his solo break in “Sound Chaser”). An open-position, G-Lydian extravaganza, it makes good use of the technique of using single and double hammer-ons and pull-offs in various combinations with open strings, something for which innovative and exciting guitarists are known.

With guest spots from Vernon Reid, John McLaughlin, Kirk Hammett and Carlos Santana, drummer Cindy Blackman Santana’s latest album – Give the Drummer Some – has its focus firmly on guitarists.

It might surprise people that your wife, a drummer, created such a weighty electric guitar record.

Perhaps, but I can see it quite clearly because of the core principles of who she is. She’s Tony Williams Lifetime, so that’s John McLaughlin. But there’s also Cream and Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix. She’s all of that.

Is there any difference in how you two work when she’s playing in Santana or when you’re playing on her music?

You know, it’s different for me, because for the last 25 years I’ve been the director or the producer. Playing on Cindy’s album was very relaxing for me, because all I had to do was listen to the music and do my best to complement each song. I wanted to please my wife and the music, so that came easily. [laughs] It was a privilege. And I mean that with honor and with zest and joy. Cindy’s record was presented before me as a gift, and I liked being in a position to be directed or pointed toward something.

Your playing throughout is spectacular, particularly what you did on “Imagine.”

That track blew me away. I had no idea what was going to be coming out of the speakers when they played it for me. I had no preconceived thoughts about what I was going to do. So when they turned it up, I immediately felt like a kid who could jump up and down on a bed. I looked at it like, Okay, I’m in AC/DC or Led Zeppelin. I’m in Queen! I was given the chance to tear it up, and that’s what I did. I brought the energy. I mean, we have reverence for the Beatles and John Lennon, but I wasn’t thinking of those confinements

Can you talk a little bit about playing with Vernon Reid on “Black Pearl”?

Oh, that was great. I loved Vernon from the beginning. I think one of the main things that Vernon and I have in common, besides playing the guitar, is that we both love Dionne Warwick and Sonny Sharrock – Dionne for the way she carries a melody, and Sonny Sharrock for how he was this tornado, a force of nature.

One thing I’m looking to do is make an album that honors his music. I would have Sonny’s band but also invite different musicians – Vernon, Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson, Kirk Hammett – just playing nothing but Sonny Sharrock music. It’s a dream I have.

It’s interesting that John McLaughlin is on Cindy’s album. You guys go back a long way, to at least 1973, when you recorded Love Devotion Surrender together.

That’s true. I’d love to do something else with him in the future. Maybe I’ll invite him to participate in this Sonny Sharrock adventure. But I love what he did on Cindy’s record. Everybody played so beautifully.

And you know, something else I want to say: Thank you for having the passion to keep the six strings alive. Your spiritual frequency, the frequency of this magazine, is very much needed. We need to create a whole new army of guitar players – not guitar heroes, not that. We need real guitar players. I’m watching a new wave of youngsters, under 12 years old, coming out with some divine, mean intentions. So that’s encouraging.

Visit Cindy Blackman Santana's website to order Give the Drummer Some.

*** Before you start, we recommend bookmarking this page for easy return ***

As a teenager, during the “bedroom practice rat” phase of my musical development, I pored obsessively over videos of my favorite electric guitar players, hoping to glean any tips that would help me achieve their level of musical and technical mastery.

Watching the likes of Steve Vai or Eric Johnson glide through complex phrases at breakneck speeds was both inspiring and mystifying. The most beguiling element of their playing was their picking technique.

While I observed that much of their phrasing was rooted in alternate (down-up) picking, some phrases seemed to involve less picking, even though they sounded as if they were picked faster. This made me wonder: How are these guys picking so fast while looking like they’re barely picking at all? The answer, as it turns out, was that they were employing a useful technique commonly referred to as economy picking.

Used for playing single-note lines, economy picking combines alternate picking and sweep picking. Alternate picking is used when playing consecutive notes on the same string, but when crossing to the next higher or lower string, a mini two-note sweep – down-down, or up-up – is employed. Economy picking utilizes efficiency of motion – the minimal movement principle – and produces a relatively smooth note attack, compared to the more defined, “popping” articulation of alternate picking.

Alternate picking requires the most back-and-forth motion in the picking hand, whereas the mini-sweep transitions from string-to-string in economy picking require less movement overall while still enabling you to pick the same number of notes.

In this lesson, I’ll show you how to use economy picking to add new technical capabilities and phrasing options to your lead playing. Let’s begin by breaking down the mechanics of economy picking.

Three-Notes-Per-String Phrasing

Economy picking is most commonly used for performing scale- and mode-based melodic picking runs with three notes on each string in a given fretboard position. This is due to the fact that these odd-numbered note groupings result in the first and third pick strokes matching when using alternate picking. 

For example, when ascending, the pattern will be down-up-down on one string. Then, instead of continuing to alternate pick when you cross to the next higher string, with an upstroke, you instead simply sweep into it with a continuation of the previous downstroke, which begins another down-up-down sequence on the higher string. The longer repeating pattern then becomes down-up-down, down-up-down, etc.

The opposite approach may be employed to play a descending scalar or modal run and crossing to a lower string: up-down-up, up-down-up, etc. Ex. 1 is a simple, three-notes-per-string chromatic exercise that utilizes a symmetrical fretboard pattern (to enable you to focus more on your pick hand), for which you will ascend, then descend across all six strings in fifth position, using the same compact shape on each string.

When ascending, pick down-up-down on each string, sweeping down when crossing to the next higher string. Then, when you descend, switch to up-down-up, up-down-up, etc., sweeping up when crossing to the next lower string.

To transition smoothly from one string to the next, you may rest your pick on the new string after picking the third and final note on the previous string. This is commonly referred to as a rest stroke. Applying rest strokes to economy picking is a technique often referred to as gypsy picking, named for gypsy jazz guitarists like Django Reinhardt, who first popularized the technique. This will prevent you from “hopping” your pick from string to string, and make each transition as smooth and efficient as possible.

While the even, familiar meter of alternate picking may feel intuitive, the sweep transitions may initially throw you off your rhythm and sense of timing, so be sure to practice this and all of the following exercises slowly at first and with a metronome, while tapping your foot on each downbeat to ensure rhythmic accuracy and acquire the proper, desired muscle memory.

Now let’s look at some melodic patterns that are commonly featured in economy-picking licks and runs. Ex. 2 shows a series of two-string, six-note scale fragments and fretboard shapes that are found throughout the modes of the major scale. Each fragment begins on the note G, on the fifth fret of the D string. Playing each scale fragment from the same starting note will help you familiarize yourself with and compare the various shapes.

Ex. 3 arranges these scale fragments in ascending order, moving up the fretboard through the G major scale (G A B C D E F# G) on the top two strings. Starting on D, the fifth degree of the scale, located on the B string’s third fret, you will ascend Pattern 1 from the previous example, using a down-up-down, down-up-down picking sequence to play the first six notes across the two strings.

After you play the final note in the sequence – the high B on the E string’s seventh fret – shift up one fret to C and descend Pattern 2, picking up-down-up, up-down-up as you cross back over to the B string. Continue ascending then descending in this manner through each of the remaining six-note scale fragments while gradually moving up the fretboard. The result is an extended ascending economy picking lick reminiscent of shred gods like Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai.

Let’s now explore how economy picking works when moving through a scale across all six strings. Ex. 4 shows an ascending and descending G major scale (also known as the G Ionian mode) run spanning over two octaves in a three-notes-per-string formation, starting on the low G root note at the third fret on the bottom string.

Employ the repeating down-up-down, down-up-down picking pattern as you ascend the scale, working your way across all six strings until you reach the high C note on the top string’s eighth fret. Then, shift up to the 10th fret with your pinkie and begin descending the G major scale’s second mode, A Dorian (A B C D E F# G), using the repeating up-down-up, up-down-up picking pattern until you get to the low A note at the fifth fret on the bottom string. After you pick that note, shift back down to G and repeat the entire sequence.

Once you feel you have mastered it, try adapting it and applying it to other pairs of consecutive modes, such as Lydian and Mixolydian, or Aeolian and Locrian. If you’re feeling really ambitious, try tackling all seven modes of the major scale in alternating ascending and descending patterns.

Ex. 5 has you playing a series of repeating scale patterns based on the E natural minor scale, also known as the E Aeolian mode (E F# G A B C D E), starting on the B note at the seventh fret on the low E string. From there, you’ll ascend the scale using the repeating down-up-down, down-up-down picking sequence through Pattern 5 (see Ex. 2) until reaching the A note at the seventh fret on the D string. You’ll then backtrack down the A string, playing G and F# at the 10th and ninth frets, upstroking on G and pulling off to F# .

After that, repeat the nine-note sequence, this time starting on E on the A string’s seventh fret, and so on from each successive string until beat three of bar 2. At this point, you’ll be starting the sequence from the B string, on G at the eighth fret. From there, ascend through Pattern 1 across the top two strings. Upon reaching the high E at the 12th fret, quickly shift your pinkie (finger 4) up to G at the 15th fret, then descend Pattern 5. The run concludes with a whole-step bend from D to E on the B string’s 15th fret.

Mixing Picking Techniques

Part of the challenge of employing economy picking lies in transitioning between it and other picking techniques. Since economy picking itself is a hybrid of alternate and sweep picking, it’s all too easy to inadvertently trip yourself up when switching from economy picking to straight alternate or sweep picking.

Let’s now take a look at some exercises that mix these different techniques. Ex. 6 is an ’80s shred-style run that weaves through the E natural minor scale using both economy and alternate picking. Start by alternate-picking the first six notes of bar 1 on the high E string, as indicated. From that final upstroke, keep the pick moving in an upward sweep toward the B string and descend the scale using the repeating up-down-up, up-down-up sequence, through to the D string. From there, switch back to alternate picking through the first two beats of bar 2. Similar to bar 1, you’ll finish out beat two of bar 2 on an upstroke.

Next, descend the A string, up-down-up, then sweep up to cross to the low E string, using another up-down-up sequence. Next, sweep down across the low E and A strings before finishing the run on the 12th-fret E root note, picked with an upstroke. Practice the entire two-bar exercise slowly at first, both to make sure each stroke is correct and to pinpoint and eliminate any extraneous, wasted movement.

Remember, economy picking is all about efficiency, so keep each pick stroke tight and even.

Now let’s look at economy picking paired with sweeping. Ex. 7 begins with an Am (A C E) arpeggio sweep across five strings, starting at the 12th fret on the fifth string. From there you’ll hammer-on to C at the 15th fret, then perform a downstroke sweep through the ascending arpeggio until you get to the high E at the 12th fret. Then, reach up with your pinkie to fret A at the 17th fret, picked with an upstroke, and pull off back to E. Sweep up as you descend the arpeggio back to C at the 15th fret of the A string.

This is the point where you’ll switch to economy picking.

Ascend Pattern 2 (see Ex. 2) using the repeating down-up-down, down-up-down sequence. Pick the final two notes of the exercise, on the G string, using a downstroke followed by an upstroke, then repeat the entire pattern. Since the sweep arpeggios and the economy picking line are rhythmically different – the sweeps on beats one and two are played in a sextuplet rhythm (six notes per beat), and the economy-picked notes on beats three and four are played as straight 16th notes – take care when “switching gears,” both technically and rhythmically. To help ensure accuracy, be sure to use a metronome and tap your foot as you play.

Ex. 8 begins with two ascending three-string sweeps across an Am7 arpeggio (A C E G), connected by a legato finger slide. The first arpeggio begins on A on the low E string’s fifth fret and slides into another sweep beginning in eighth position. Upon finishing the second arpeggio sweep, you’ll use economy picking to descend the A Dorian mode with the flatted fifth (b5) added, the Eb note at the eighth fret on the G string, which lends the line a slick, jazzy sound.

You’ll start descending from G on the B string’s eighth fret and use the repeating up-down-up, up-down-up sequence across the third and fourth strings until landing on G at the 10th fret on the A string. From there, proceed through two more Am7 arpeggio sweeps in higher positions, this time starting from A on the 12th fret of the fifth string.

At the peak of the second arpeggio, on the high G note at the 15th fret on the top string, you’ll once again use the repeating down-up-down, down-up-down economy picking sequence as you descend the A Dorian mode from that note down to G on the 12th fret of the third string.

Finish the run with a short chromatic ascent, from G to G# to A. Pay close attention to string transitions when moving from the sweep arpeggios to the scalar economy picking lines in this example, and try to utilize the momentum from the sweeping motions to keep your pick hand on track when switching picking techniques.

Our final example is inspired by Eric Johnson’s brilliant lead playing and use of economy picking when applied to the minor pentatonic and blues scales. Ex. 9 emulates his use of odd-numbered rhythmic subdivisions and note groupings and economical phrasing over a descending C minor pentatonic scale (C Eb F G Bb), through bar 1.

Starting on Eb, on the 11th fret of the high E string, you’ll descend the scale in quintuplets, or “fivelets,” meaning five evenly spaced notes played within the space of one beat. The first sequence will be Eb C Bb G F. Since the first four notes are played two-notes-per-string, in keeping with the standard pentatonic “box” pattern, you’ll alternate pick down-up-down-up.

Economy picking comes into play on the fifth note of each five-note group. After the upstroke on the fourth note of each phrase, sweep up into the fifth note, which falls on the next lower string. The full five-note picking sequence then becomes down-up-down-up-up. You’ll play three of these sequences, then jump back up to the C root note on the D string’s 10th fret.

In bar 2, you switch to a note pattern based on the C blues scale (C Eb F Gb G Bb), while still retaining the fivelet rhythmic structure. While the picking pattern for each fivelet in bar 1 is consistent, the patterns in bar 2 change, depending on the phrasing, so everything becomes a little more challenging as the exercise progresses. If you have difficulty counting fivelets or feeling where they land as you play, try subdividing each grouping; instead of thinking “1-2-3-4- 5,” think of them as smaller groupings of 2 + 3, or 3 + 2. This would make the count for each grouping “1-2,1-2- 3” or “1-2-3, 1-2,” with no pauses. Use whichever counting method works best for any given note and picking pattern. Be sure to accent the first note of each fivelet to help you keep track of where the downbeats land throughout.

Incorporating economy picking into your technical vocabulary will not only help you refine and expand upon other techniques, it will also help you forge new inroads into melodic phrasing.

Good luck, and have fun!

Playing blues guitar is as much about attitude as it is technique. If you’re suffering in either department, put some power back into your playing with this advice from electric guitar blues heroes of the past and present.

Stevie Ray Vaughan

“Your sound is in your hands as much as anything. It’s the way you pick and the way you hold the guitar, more than it is the amp or the guitar you use.”

Roy Buchanan

“Use circle picking to play faster. Start by playing with your pick at an angle. Hit the string with one edge of the pick and you’ll find that you’re in position to come back on the upstroke with the opposite edge. Then, alternate pick with a rotating motion in either a clockwise or counterclockwise circle. The pick, while not changing its angle in relation to the string, is circling that area of the string. It’s not done with the wrist, but with the fingers holding the pick.”

Bonnie Raitt

“Incorporate the feel of what someone plays into your style, rather than the actual notes. You just want to nail the emotion of how an artist’s singing and playing is making you feel, and how those feelings transform your own playing.”

Jack White

“If you want to keep things raw, try limiting yourself to only two guitars on a track.”

Rory Gallagher

“You must perform for an audience, because the real crunch happens when you get in front of people. You may discover that some things you played in rehearsal don’t make any sense because you fooled around too much with the frilly stuff and forgot the basic drive of the song. Playing live also teaches you to deal with situations like dropping your pick or breaking a string – as well as forcing you to project.”

Eric Johnson

“Remind yourself that you’re free to feel great instead of reserved or insecure. When you’re feeling good, you’re more apt to take chances onstage, and if you make a bunch of mistakes, it won’t matter. It’s almost like you’re the instrument, and the music is flowing through you like electricity.”

Ry Cooder

“Play a new thing every day. Learning one new passing chord, or a note combination, will get you moving towards something that will serve you later on. Someday, a song will come along that all of those things will relate to.”

Hubert Sumlin

“Take a note from me, put it with your own notes, and make it you.”

John Lee Hooker

“Forget about the fancy chords and just concentrate on a funky beat.”

Jeff Beck

“Overindulgence in anything is wrong – whether it’s practicing 50 hours a day or eating too much food. I’ve tried to keep it so that I’m able to execute the ideas that come out, but practicing too much depresses me. I get good speed, but then I start playing nonsense because I’m not thinking. A good layoff makes me think a lot. It helps me get both things together – the creativity and the speed.”

“Some songs take forever to write. You labor over them for so long, and you start to wonder if there’s a point to continuing,” Eric Johnson explains. “Then there are those other songs that just come to you like magic. When that happens, it’s like you’ve just been sent a sort of gift from the universe.” 

The Texas virtuoso puts “Cliffs of Dover” in the latter category. As guitar instrumentals go, it’s hard to beat – four minutes of cascading melodies that flood the senses and impart a sensation of total joy. 

It became Johnson’s signature song after propelling his second solo album, 1990’s Ah Via Musicom, to multi-Platinum status and a Grammy win for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. 

But “Cliffs of Dover” almost didn’t see the light of day. As Johnson recalls, “I wrote it quite a few years before I recorded it, and I wanted to put it on my first album, Tones. But some of the people who were presiding over that record thought the song sounded like a game show theme. I was like, Okay, whatever. I’ll just keep it in my arsenal.”  

Mother Knows Best

Before signing his first major-label deal, with Reprise Records, Johnson supported himself as a session and touring guitarist. In 1983, after coming off the road from backing up Carole King, he was between homes and moved in with his parents.

“They had a music room, so I would use that to practice,” he says. “One day, I started playing this descending-arpeggio pattern. It just came to me – right place, right time. I didn’t have to overthink it. My mom popped her head in and said, ‘That’s a good song. I really like that one.’”

The rest of the song came easily. “I was just having fun connecting the dots,” Johnson says. “In five minutes, I had the whole song down. If there was any craft involved, it came from this ethos of mine that I don’t want to play a bunch of notes; I want to play music. And this music was pure enjoyment.”

Calling his new song “Cliffs of Dover,” Johnson made a quick four-track demo and started playing it live. “It kind of stayed in my back pocket for a few years,” he says. “Audiences liked it, but I didn’t know if I would ever do anything with it.”

“The Spirit is There”

After signing with Capitol Records in 1989, Johnson decided to finally record “Cliffs of Dover” in a studio. Before the main song, he included a freeform improv section that he had always played live.

“It varied every time I played it live,” he says. “In the studio, I tried a few versions until I got something that sounded right.” His band blazed through two or three takes of the track before arriving at a keeper, but Johnson was unhappy with his guitar sound.

As he explains, “I played it all the way through with my Strat, but the solo didn’t sound as clear and elegant as I wanted, so I punched in an ES-335 for the main solo. Then it goes back to the Strat for the end. You can hear the tone difference, but that’s okay – the spirit is there.”

Guitar effects were minimal: “It’s just an Echoplex into a Tube Driver, and that went into a 100-watt Marshall with a 4x12 cabinet.” 

Johnson was ecstatic with the job mastering engineer Bernie Grundman did on the EQ (“He really got the track to sound perfect”), but he was dismayed at Capitol’s initial reaction. 

“They were like, ‘Whatever,’” he remembers. “They didn’t think the record would do anything.” However, one of the label’s promo men, Jeffrey Shane, loved Ah Via Musicom and thought “Cliffs of Dover” was a single. “Jeff worked it tirelessly. He wanted people to hear the song, and he did everything he could to make it a hit.”

“They Really Like Me”

Shane’s work paid off when “Cliffs of Dover” became one of the most-played rock instrumentals of its day, hitting No. 5 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart. Johnson took his newfound fame and Grammy nomination in stride. 

“I had been nominated a few times before and never won,” he says, “so when ‘Cliffs of Dover’ was nominated, I didn’t go to the show. I figured, All these other people are better known than me. I’m not going to win.” He laughs. “And wouldn’t you know it – that’s the only time I won! It’s kind of funny. That’s always the way, isn’t it?”

• Eric Johnson's Ah Via Musicom is available now via Capitol.

A few weeks back, Brian May Guitars turned quite a few heads with the announcement of its first non-Red Special guitar, the Arielle signature model.

Though it's not set for an official release until March 28, some big-name guitarists have already gotten their hands on the Austin, Texas-based singer/songwriter's signature model – including Brian May himself and Eric Johnson, both of whom demoed the guitar for May's YouTube channel.

You can check out May's melodically-rich, whammy bar-heavy demo above and Johnson's demo – replete with the sort of Louvre-worthy clean tones only he can produce – below.

The Arielle model features a Korina/Limba body, a one-piece mahogany neck with 24 frets, and a 24-inch scale length, same as the Red Special.

Sonically, the guitar's outfitted with May's Tri-Sonic single-coil pickups – controlled by master volume and tone knobs – and the same phase-switching system found on the Red Special. The six-switch system allows each pickup to be engaged and have its phase reversed independently. 

Elsewhere, the Arielle signature model features a Wilkinson two-point tremolo – with six individual saddles – and Grover 406 Series Mini Locking Rotomatic tuners.

It will be available starting March 28 for £662 (~$900.)

For more info on the guitar, stop by brianmayguitars.co.uk.

To mark the 30th anniversary of Stevie Ray Vaughan's death, Guitar Player ran a long-lost interview with SRV. The interview, conducted by Tom Nolan in 1988, found Vaughan in optimistic mood. 

Vaughan talked about his recovery, about his influences and experiences playing blues in clubs when he was too young to get in, and of his enthusiasm for new projects. 

To accompany the piece, we reached out to some of the guitar world's best players for their thoughts on Vaughan's playing, and their tributes reflect a talent that influenced generations of playing and changed how we think of blues guitar. 

Eric Johnson

“Stevie was one of the rare guitarists who was a complete musician. Great guitar playing, excellent singing and great songs – the whole package. I remember when he was playing in Paul Ray and the Cobras many years ago, there would be the wonderful moment where Stevie took center stage and would start singing, ‘Well, it’s flooding down in Texas, all the telephone lines are down…’ And the rest of his musical journey is beautiful history. I loved it, and he was a very kind human being.”

Tommy Shaw (Styx)

“SRV was one of those originals who you couldn’t watch for just a minute and then move on to something else. His genuine ‘lost in it’ presence when he played makes you want to go there too. His groove on ‘Pride and Joy’ is so universal and timeless. 

“It’s a great one to remember him by. He was a year younger than me and we never crossed paths, but I always admired his amazing talent, like everyone, left only to imagine the music he would have created.”

Richie Kotzen

“Stevie Ray Vaughan was and still is a very important musical figure in my life, and played a huge role in my development as a guitarist. I remember when I was still living at my parents’ house, my friend and I would sit for hours in our barn – which had two rooms that were converted into an eight-track recording studio – and jam over the chord changes to ‘Lenny,’ over and over and over.

“As a youngster, I was very much into soul and R&B music, as well as heavy metal, but I had very little knowledge about the blues. It was Stevie Ray Vaughan who introduced me to blues, and from there I discovered other artists, like Robert Johnson and Albert King. I was about 15 years old when my band had the privilege of being direct support to Jimmie Vaughan’s band, the Fabulous Thunderbirds.

“I can remember the devastation I felt when I learned of Stevie’s passing. It was unthinkable to me that someone that special, unique and important could be taken from us so soon. Legend, icon, guitar genius… Those words only scratch the surface in describing the impact and influence of Master Stevie Ray Vaughan.”

Steve Stevens

“New York City in the early ’80s was a hotbed of recording studios, producers and great musicians. We were all aware of what each other was doing. In 1983, Billy Idol, producer Keith Forsey, myself and our band were camped out at Electric Lady Studios, the house that Hendrix built. 

“Somehow, word got to us that producer Nile Rodgers was over at the Power Station with David Bowie and a stunningly great guitarist named Stevie Ray Vaughan. That record was Let’s Dance. As soon as the single was released that March, I knew there was a new and important guitarist in town.

“What was truly amazing about that record was that Stevie was able to keep his blues soul intact in a musical setting that was anything but. That is really a mark of greatness. His playing on that record is so supportive of the songs, yet still lets you know this guy was a monster player with deep roots. It was certainly no surprise that it launched him into a massive solo career of his own.

“‘Crossfire’ just might be my favorite SRV tune. The live interplay between his vocal and guitar really pulls you through the song. Obviously, the solos are ripping. Stevie, like Hendrix and all the legends of electric blues guitar, has that ability to hang on a note and, through vibrato and sheer will, bend it in and out of shape in an almost microtonal way. 

“The end result is more like the human voice than a guitar. He was a bona fide real-deal American blues guitar player, complete with the pain and sorrow to make his every note sound like his life depended on it.”

Joe Satriani

“I loved how Stevie would play melody, rhythm and lead guitar all at the same time. His timing was so good that he could not only pull it off but also put you at ease and make you feel exhilarated at the same time! 

“He was brilliantly gifted in that way. It never sounded like he missed a note or played too many. With his own unique brilliance, his influences and his 10 fingers, he reinvented how to play blues on a Fender Stratocaster.”

Steve Morse

“SRV’s band was playing at a Texas club where the Dregs were also booked. Everybody loved his playing, and I admired his powerful left-hand bends and vibrato. Smooth as silk, but mighty at the same time. 

“Years later, I was on my last legs from illness, too weak to travel, and SRV’s bus driver and road manager offered me a spare bunk to lay on while they repositioned the bus from West Texas to Atlanta, where I made it home.

“Bottom line is that he was a straight-up great player who created a Hendrix-y blues style that is still imitated today. I never heard a bad solo from him, and every one was full of passion.”

Steve Vai

“Stevie Ray was the gold standard for contemporary blues. He gave no excuses and did his thang in the most powerful of ways. God bless you, sir.”

Kirk Hammett

“My first exposure to Stevie Ray Vaughan was probably in 1984. I remember that [former Metallica bassist] Cliff Burton and I were in a hotel room and the MTV video for ‘Couldn’t Stand the Weather’ came on.

“At the time, I thought, Okay, just another blues player, but of course Cliff instantly jumped on it. He said, ‘Wow, this guy is amazing!’ and then pretty much ran out and bought the first couple of Stevie Ray Vaughan albums.

“I mean, hindsight is 20/20, but I didn’t really pay much attention to him until he passed away. I still regret that. I regret I didn’t pay attention while he was alive, because I would’ve tried to see him as much as possible.

“So, after he passed, someone gave me a VHS tape of one of his shows. I threw it into the VCR to give it a shot and was completely blown away. Up to that point, my only visual exposure to his playing had been the MTV video, but this was a whole concert. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I had been so wrong about this guy.

“He was so damn special, so good, and I hadn’t noticed. I was hit with that regret and felt really bad, wishing I could have been more exposed to his music and been able to understand what he was about when he was still here. Maybe even talked to him, played with him.

“After that concert tape, I became obsessed with Stevie Ray Vaughan. I tried to find all the live performances that had been filmed, and, of course, I bought all the albums and started learning the songs. From 1990 to 1996, he became probably one of the most listened-to guitar players of my life.

“What really blows me away is that Stevie Ray Vaughan is the complete package. By that, I mean someone who competently plays his instrument, understands music theory and melody, but also understands attitude, tone and performance.

“And all the subtleties! Stevie Ray Vaughan was all about subtleties. Those little things added up to such huge overall results. He could write, sing, perform and improvise. That’s the complete package. You could tell he was playing from the heart 99 percent of the time. 

“Even the songs he had to play every night were still being played with 100 percent conviction. And that conviction, where he was with his musicality – well, you don’t just wake up and find yourself there. You get there by hard work.

“That means practicing and practicing and practicing. Playing with other musicians as much as you can. Pushing the limits and expanding your musical horizons. You can tell that Stevie Ray Vaughan did that. And that inspired me to do the same.

“The thing about Stevie Ray Vaughan is that he didn’t just turn on his generation; he turned on a much younger generation as well. After those first few albums hit, all these young blues players started showing up, and that was an anomaly.

“Up to then, all of the ‘new’ blues players were in their 30s or 40s, but now you were getting young kids like Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang and John Mayer, who were breaking the model of what a blues player is supposed to be.

“They were young white kids who were totally committed to blues, and not just mixing it up with rock and roll. They were true to the genre, and that was a phenomenon that came about thanks to Stevie Ray Vaughan.”

We all know Jimmy Page's solo on Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." In fact, if you find yourself reading this, chances are pretty good that you know it note-for-note. 

Chances are also fairly high that you've heard plenty of other guitarists - in Guitar Center, or onstage at your local bar, restaurant, etc. - take their own stabs at the high-flying display of compositional virtuosity. 

Have you ever wondered, though, what the solo would sound like through the lens of a different, instantly identifiable rock legend? Someone like Eddie Van Halen? Or Eric Johnson?

It's a question that recently consumed Rick Beato. So to answer it, Beato called up a couple of pals - Bon Jovi guitarist Phil X and Johnson himself - to lay down their own versions of the solo.

You can check out the fascinating results in the video below.

Phil X - who knows a thing or two about Eddie Van Halen's tone - offers his EVH-ified take on the solo with a Frankenstrat. 

“My approach came from, I was thinking 1981, 1982, after Fair Warning," Phil said. "Less phaser, less gain. I didn’t want it to sound like a quilt of Eddie Van Halen licks. It had to have a flow and everything had to make sense.

However, he added, "If you listen closely you will recognize licks. You recognize, this is from 'Push Comes to Shove,' this is from 'Eruption,' this is from 'Beat It,’ stuff like that."

Beato himself also offers a Peter Frampton-esque interpretation of the solo, before allowing Johnson to close out the proceedings with an unsurprisingly gorgeous, unmistakably his, version.

Anyone else curious about what a "Johnson Plays Zeppelin" album would sound like now?

For more of Beato's videos, head on over to his YouTube channel.

The fact that hip-hop/pop superstar Post Malone is an impressive guitarist is no state secret at this point.

However, it's one thing to flash some chops here and there, and another entirely to tackle Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover," the instrumental masterpiece that remains one of the most beautiful, and difficult-to-perfect, guitar workouts of all time.

Not one to back away from a challenge, Malone recently took to Instagram to demonstrate some of the song's trademark licks with his Les Paul. You can check out his version below.

Malone posted the video as a challenge of sorts to his producer and musical partner in crime, Andrew Watt, who manned the boards and played lead guitar on Ozzy Osbourne's Ordinary Man.

In response, Watt posted a video of his own, tearing into his solo on Osbourne's "Take What You Want," which also happens to feature Malone on vocals.

You can check out his solo in the video below.

Every week for the last three months or so, Eric Johnson has gifted us with a wonderful, informative video mini-lesson. 

The latest of his lessons is a particularly helpful one, covering a topic for which he is very well-known already: tone. 

In the lesson - which you can check out above - Johnson discusses "working the dynamics of tone, coming from when you fret the string, through the sound, through the amp,” and how to generate a harmonious connection between your fingers and your gear.

“For lead playing it’s important to find a congruent setup that matches your intention and the dynamics of your inhaling and exhaling of your playing,” Johnson says. “You want the amp to respond with you in the same harmonious polarity.”

He offers some string-stretching and vibrato tips, before adding “But however I want to negotiate the thing – picking it, stretching it, vibrato – it’s going to be within the congruency of the way the amp responds to you.

“So it’s important to find the right amp. Otherwise you’re going to fight the amp and you’re never going to be able to achieve where you want to go.”

Johnson - who began the video series to help raise money for Feeding America - ends the video by encouraging viewers to donate to the organization, or to their local food bank. 

Fender launched its Stories Collection this year to pay tribute to legendary musicians and the modified Fender guitars they’ve used to achieve their signature sounds. So it was appropriate that the first model out of the gate would be a replica of the 1954 Stratocaster nicknamed Virginia that Eric Johnson used on the groundbreaking albums Tones and Ah Via Musicom.

As to how Virginia got into his hands in the first place, Johnson explains that he spotted the guitar leaning against a wall at J.R. Reed music store in Austin, Texas, when he was in his early 20s. 

He tracked down the owner and worked out a trade for the guitar, subsequently nicknaming it Virginia after finding the name and the date 6-18-54 written on a piece of masking tape inside the control cavity.

Johnson and his techs modified Virginia, and he toured with the guitar extensively before eventually selling it. That might have been the end of the story had it not been for the Stories Collection project. 

Conceived and spearheaded by Fender vice president of product development Joey Brasler, it took on the challenge of recreating Virginia as accurately as possible, based mainly on Johnson’s recollections and the specs he’d kept of the guitar, since the original was not available for Fender’s typically intense inspection.

One of the standout features of the replica Virginia is its two-piece, offset-seam body made from sassafras, an uncommon guitar-building material. Although ash was the spec for Fender solid-bodies in the early ’50s, Leo Fender received some boards of sassafras and built a few Strats with it. Johnson only discovered that detail after the guitar was long gone.

The information helped to explain why he hadn’t been able to find another ’54 Strat that sounded quite like it, something Johnson has referred to as “a particular kind of smooth, sustain-y tone.”

The Stories Collection Virginia has all the mods that were made to the original guitar, including a fingerboard radius widened to 12 inches, jumbo frets, slightly hotter late-’50s pickups of the same polarity to replace the stock neck and middle pickups, and a DiMarzio HS-2 stacked humbucker in the bridge slot, which is opposite polarity and wired so that only the top coil is active.

The second tone knob was also moved from the middle pickup to the bridge pickup, and a 500k-ohm volume pot replaced the stock 250k-ohm unit so that the highs would be less affected when the volume was turned down.

To reduce brightness on the high E string, Johnson used a block-type saddle from a ’70s Fender and added a small piece of Delrin where the string contacts the metal. This is the only area where, with Johnson’s approval, Fender deviated by using a Graph Tech saddle with a graphite coating on the surface.

Otherwise, the Virginia is exacting in its accuracy, right down to the late-’50s-style string tree (which Johnson preferred over the stock circular type) and old-style cloth- covered wiring for all the connections.

The replica Virginia has a great playing feel, thanks to its relatively thick neck, rolled fingerboard edges and nicely worked and polished jumbo frets. The factory setup provides low action and tuneful intonation up and down the neck. 

The guitar arrived with the vibrato adjusted to seat flush to the body with five springs installed. It won’t go out of tune if a string breaks, but some readjusting is necessary to use the vibrato as intended.

Played acoustically, the Virginia sounds resonant and sustaining, and these characteristics are prominent when it’s amplified. Tested with a Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue and a MojoTone BlackOut British combo, the Virginia proved an inspiring guitar that offers cool tones at every notch on the five-way switch.

The pickup choices seem ideal for this guitar, as they’re hot enough to give muscle to the tones and yet remain clear and defined. The neck setting excelled at anything from clean jazz, with the tone knob rolled down a bit, to gutsy blues, with some grind from a pedal or overdriven amp.

The contrast is amazing in position two, where the neck and middle pickups combine to create the thin “koto” sound Johnson uses so tastefully, and which he attributes to the pickups being out of phase. Pretty cool to experience those plucky timbres that Johnson used so effectively on Tones back in 1986!

Due to its location, the middle pickup (which doesn’t have a tone control) is a little twangier than the neck unit and another good choice for rhythm work, as is the middle/ bridge combination in position four, which yields a more typical chiming Strat sound.

The last stop is the bridge pickup, which sounded badass for lead playing when fired up with a pedal or the MojoTone’s JCM800-derived Drive channel, and with the highs trimmed back for browner response. It’s also nice that a good clean sound is right there when the volume is rolled down.

Fender’s Stories Collection Eric Johnson 1954 “Virginia” Stratocaster is an impressive guitar for players, collectors and anyone else who wants to get as close as possible to the Stratocaster that Eric Johnson used to create game-changing music more than three decades ago.

The challenges of reverse- engineering a long-lost instrument are significant, but with Johnson’s assistance, Fender got the details exactly right. In doing so, the company has created a masterful Strat unlike any other.

Specifications

CONTACT fender.com
PRICE $2,499 street, G&G tweed hardshell case included

NUT WIDTH 1.625”
NECK One-piece maple, soft V shape
FRETBOARD Maple, 25.5” scale, 12” radius
FRETS 21 jumbo
TUNERS Vintage style
BODY Two-piece, offset seam sassafras
BRIDGE Six-saddle American Vintage Synchronized Tremolo with Graph Tech saddle on the high E string
PICKUPS Fender Original ’57/’62 Strat single-coil (neck and middle), DiMarzio HS-2 with only the top coil active
CONTROLS Master volume, tone (neck), tone (bridge), 5-way blade selector
FACTORY STRINGS Fender NPS .009–.042
WEIGHT 8.28 lbs (as tested)
BUILT USA

Over the last couple of weeks, Eric Johnson has gifted us with a couple of great video lessons, focusing on how to demystify chord improvisation and how using open strings can improve your leads.

Now, EJ has shared another great lesson video, where he goes over how you can improve your string stretching and vibrato.

“I feel like those are a couple things that can add personality to what you’re doing,” Johnson explains, as he demonstrates examples of both techniques, and how best to achieve them and fit them into your own playing. 

You can follow along with Johnson's teachings in the video above. 

Just as he did with the last two lessons, Johnson is encouraging viewers to take time to donate to Feeding America or their local food bank.

To donate to Feeding America, step right this way.

Last week, guitar maestro Eric Johnson gifted us with a video mini-lesson, focusing on using open strings in licks, and how they can improve your own leads. 

Now, Johnson has followed that up with another fantastic video lesson, in which he aims to demystify chord improvisation. 

Citing the strategies he uses while improvising during live performances of his most famous track, "Cliffs of Dover," Johnson gives more insight into the construction of that song, while also offering a crucial tip for guitarists who might feel stuck in their leads. 

"One of the most important things that you can do for all types of music on the guitar is to try to learn all the notes on the fretboard, of every string," Johnson says.

"It's a lot of learning, but it's like learning a language, and if you practice enough to figure out where all the notes on all the strings are, to where it gets like breathing to you, it helps you get out of playing patterns on your leads - you start to think more melodically."

There's a lot to unpack in the lesson, but Johnson's a great teacher, and makes all of the concepts he goes over surprisingly easy to follow. You can follow along with the lesson above.

Just like last time, Johnson is also encouraging viewers to donate to Feeding America or their local food bank.

To donate to Feeding America, step right this way.

Eric Johnson was all set for a very busy 2020, before the coronavirus struck.

Between the release of his stellar new album, the largely acoustic EJ Vol. II, and his new signature Fender Stratocaster, the "Virginia," Johnson certainly had a lot on his plate. 

Even as the pandemic has wrecked his - and every other touring musician's - plans though, Johnson has found a way to keep busy, recently gifting us with a new YouTube mini-lesson.

The lesson, the first of what appears to be a new series, focuses on why Johnson prefers to use open strings in licks whenever he can, and why using more open strings can improve your own leads. 

"Any time I can get away with an open string it affords me a couple of things," Johnson says. "It keeps the glissando of the lick going, and it gives you a chance to get to another part of the fretboard - and it also has a cool sound."

Johnson mentions that he also prefers to move notes to different strings whenever possible. The combination of using more open strings and moving notes to different strings than usual, Johnson says, "gives you a totally different freedom to create the voicing you want and utilize your hand position."

You can check out the full mini-lesson above.

Of course, Johnson is also filming these lesson videos for a good cause, encouraging viewers to donate to Feeding America, or help out their local food bank with a donation.

To donate to Feeding America, step right this way.

Are you an electric or acoustic guitar player? The majority of our readers are both, but there’s no denying that the acoustic side resonates more robustly in the culture these days. Electric shredders simply aren’t generating as many streams, sales and tour tickets as rootsy singer-songwriters and country pluckers.

One cat who bridges the gap first graced our cover in May 1986 with the infamous headline “Who is Eric Johnson and why is he on our cover?” Nearly 35 years later, there’s no need to ask why Eric Johnson is on our cover again. He was, and still is, a unique breed of guitar hero. 

Although he’s from the shredder era, and even sported an impressive spiked mullet, Johnson didn’t surrender to every tapper trapped in Van Halen’s wake, so he doesn’t suffer the deadly levels of contempt attached to many of his contemporaries. His style reflects his deep affection for roots music, owing as much to Chet Atkins as Jimi Hendrix.

With Americana and country music ruling the day, Johnson’s technique and more traditional take on tone are as relevant as ever. Over time, he turned his focus toward the acoustic, touring with Andy McKee and Peppino D’Agostino on the Acoustic Masters tour in 2010. 

In 2016, he went all acoustic on the EJ solo album and tour. The album was a blend of song-oriented originals and choice cover arrangements that also showcased Johnson’s piano skills, most notably on his stellar arrangement of Hendrix’s “One Rainy Wish.”

He continues down a similar path on EJ Vol. II (Provogue), an album with an acoustic heart, colored by his signature violin-toned Stratocaster, which sings more melodically than ever in select spots. Several tracks, including the opener, “Waterwheel,” feature Johnson on acoustic and electric guitars, piano and vocals.

When Guitar Player presented Johnson’s sold-out show at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco during a week that also saw him perform at Anaheim’s City National Grove during the Winter NAMM Show, we wondered how the man who’d never toured with a second guitarist would cover all the bases live.

Add Dave Scher to your list of names to know. The multi-instrumentalist played a bit of everything, including the requisite Johnson-style Strat licks when Johnson focused on piano. But the proof of Scher’s true grit came when he stood toe to toe with the maestro to trade lead breaks. Kudos to Johnson for having the guts to truly serve the songs and for bringing the up-and-comer along.

It’s particularly fascinating to witness Johnson - who still totes around his usual triple half-stack electric rig - maintain his signature style during the acoustic portion of the show. On any guitar, Johnson’s chords are his chords. The kick is that he transforms from a pick-wielding electric guitarist with awesome hybrid technique into a full-blown acoustic fingerstylist.

Still evolving after decades in the spotlight, the always humble and hardworking guitarist is ever inspirational. He took some time to talk with us about everything from Tommy Emmanuel’s indelible acoustic influence to his new signature Virginia Stratocaster from Fender’s Stories Collection.

Why are more players and fans today appreciating the acoustic guitar?

The acoustic guitar summons players to bring expression to the table without a lot of sonic sidestepping, such as using five million effects that mask what’s truly going on musically. 

There’s less in the way between the idea of making music and actually making it. Playing straightforward acoustic is a pretty honest palette, and I believe people appreciate that, whatever the player has to offer.

Why do you go way down the right-hand rabbit hole to full-on fingerpicking?

I feel like I have to in order to serve the acoustic properly, because I want to incorporate the bass line and everything else. There’s a place for simply sitting and strumming, but I try to use the acoustic orchestrally. 

Certainly, there are other players taking it further by using all sorts of fancy techniques, but fingerpicking well is challenging enough and opens up plenty of possibilities for me to feel like I’m delivering more of a full musical expression.

What are your thoughts on two-hand percussive fingerstyle? 

When done well, it’s awesome. If it’s not done musically, it can be a bit of a novelty, and the same is potentially true for other techniques. To a certain extent, you have to decide on a direction. 

My plate is full trying to get better at a whole sea of fingerpicking styles, from bluegrass flatpicking to Travis-style and classical-style fingerpicking. I’ll throw in a tiny bit of the two-hand thing every once in a while just for effect, but I think I’d have to go back to being 12 years old again to really commit myself to get two-handed together. [laughs]

Do you pay attention to new acoustic tech, and did you have a chance to check out much at NAMM? 

Not really. I wish I had more time at NAMM to see the new gear, because I never close the door on anything that has to do with acoustic electrification. I’m always on the search for ways to make it sound more realistic. I don’t use acoustic effects onstage, other than the reverb onboard the AER Compact XL. Once I saw Tommy Emmanuel, I figured I might as well go that direction as well.

Your setup is noticeably similar, with a Maton acoustic-electric running into an AER Pocket Tools Dual Mix 2 and an AER amp. So the guy with the infamous electric rig looked at an acoustic menu and said, “I’ll have the Tommy Emmanuel”? 

Yeah, because when it comes to that modern electrified acoustic sound, nobody does it better than him. The only other direction I’d like to try is going completely the other way with an old-school folk sound. But the Maton is great for getting that loud, hyper-enhanced tone.

Do you use it like Emmanuel does, with the internal mic cranked up and a feedback buster in the soundhole? 

Pretty much. I’ve tried a million other things, and nothing sounds as good. I’ve got two Matons that they made custom for me: one with a cutaway, and one without. 

Frankly, I don’t know much about them or the electronic system, because they basically sent me those guitars saying that I might like them, and I did. Maton has a proprietary system with a bridge transducer and an internal mic. I back the mic signal down a hair, but it’s almost wide open. 

By itself, the mic signal sounds pretty ridiculous, but it’s really interesting when paired with the pickup. It adds a natural air, and it’s addictive. Once you’ve heard that, going back to just the undersaddle piezo doesn’t quite get you there. But you need that feedback buster in the soundhole, or it will feed back on you like crazy.

Emmanuel sends one signal from the Dual Mix straight to the house and another to the amp for monitoring, but is your setup slightly different? 

Yes, I essentially use the Dual Mix as a preamp to bolster the signal into the AER, and then I use the amp’s direct out to the house. I’m considering having a custom preamp built. Actually, I found the Frets interview with Molly Tuttle interesting, where she described having custom images for each guitar stored in… What was that device called?

ToneDexter, by Audio Sprockets.

Right. It’d be cool to have something dialed in for each acoustic on the road. 

Are you playing all the acoustic stuff on tour with the cutaway Maton, except “Black Waterside,” which is essentially your take on Zeppelin’s “Black Mountain Side”? 

Yes. I thought it would be neat to play that tune, so I started working up the Zeppelin version. Then I decided to add some little parts to make it my own. One day while watching YouTube, I noticed that Bert Jansch had done a version with vocals way back in the ’60s that’s really great. Finally, I realized that it’s an old folk piece that’s been done in lots of different ways. 

For that tune I use the thicker-sounding, non-cutaway Maton, with the top and bottom strings tuned down a step, to D. I actually used the Maton for the album version of that as well, because we recorded it live at some gig, whereas I tracked most of the album with my 1980 Martin D-45. I keep that at home and don’t think I’ll ever put electronics in it. 

But I did recently get a “sinker mahogany” Martin D-18 from Gruhn Guitars. That’s the acoustic I’d like to find electronics for that would deliver a folky James Taylor–style sound, with a very flat EQ - not hyped at all.

What was the thinking behind choosing an M-style body for your signature Martin MC-40 from the early 2000s?

I wanted to try something a little smaller than a dreadnought and a little bigger than a triple 0. The M size is interesting, because it kind of splits the difference. It’s thinner than a dreadnought but bigger than a triple 0. I don’t know if it’s quite the utopic size or not, but that was the experiment. 

I’d probably lean more toward the triple-0 size today. I don’t have that out on the road with me because I haven’t been able to figure out an electrified system for it yet either.

During soundcheck at SFJAZZ, you dialed the acoustic rig in quickly, then did a lot of tweaking to make sure the Fender Bandmaster had the right headroom and the Two-Rock Classic Reverb Signature had the right amount of gain for dirty rhythms. And then you even swapped in an entirely different Marshall Plexi head for your lead tone. What were your thought processes?

With solid-state electronics on the acoustic side, there’s more of an even keel. In most places, I can pretty much set up my stuff and play. A particular P.A. can be difficult sometimes, but there’s a pretty wide berth, whereas on the electric side, with tubes and voltage and everything else, the margin is much more narrow. 

It’s easy to get caught up into thinking that electric gear can account for a huge percentage of your tone. But when you step back, you realize that it accounts for maybe 12 percent of your tone. The rest is up to you. 

It boils down to the intention, art and technical execution of the player. It’s about getting things to work to the point that you feel you have the wind at your back, so that you can play your best, whether it’s on an acoustic or an electric.

Why didn’t you play your signature Thinline Stratocaster during the show?

It has an interesting sound that’s a bit more floaty and airy, but I didn’t use it on the new record or this tour because I’m either playing acoustic or going for that endless sustaining electric tone, and the solidbody is better for that purpose.

What’s the workhorse electric on the new album and tour?

On the album, I mostly played a vintage Strat, but on tour I’ve been playing and loving my new signature Fender Virginia Strat. It’s designed to be a copy of my ’54 Virginia that I modified quite a bit and used a lot back in the day. Unfortunately, I eventually sold my original, and even though I’d tried lots of different ’54 Strats since, none of them sounded quite the same. 

Around the same time that we started talking with Fender about their Stories Collection - which is all about artists who have modified their Strats - I found out that my original Virginia was one of a small number of Strats and Teles from ’53 and ’54 made out of sassafras, which was unusual. 

So we went ahead and tried a prototype with a sassafras body, and all of a sudden the heart of that Virginia sound was there. It’s got a lot of the extra rattiness, or fizz, that’s part and partial to having a really twangy clean tone.

But then something magical happens when you turn it up. As it takes on more gain, some of those spurious outer frequencies that can wreak havoc with a good lead tone seem to fall away. You get more of that inner core tone as you turn up to lead.

The other key to the combination is having a DiMarzio HS-2 pickup in the bridge. I don’t use the stack underneath; I just use the single-coil, but it has a little more gain, and the combination of that pickup with the sassafras body works well for me.

Can you detail some of the other key modifications from your classic ’54 that are represented on the new Virginia?

The radius is modified down to 12 inches to accommodate having lower action without fretting out when you stretch the strings, and it’s got jumbo frets to make those big bends happen more easily.

It’s interesting to look back on modifications other guitarists made that you never did, such as a locking tremolo to facilitate huge whammy bends, or even techniques you didn’t adopt, such as two-hand tapping.  Have the choices you made early on served you well as the singer-songwriter side of your style becomes more prominent? 

Yeah. I’ve always loved that kind of music. I’ve always played it, studied it and wrote songs that way. Earlier on, I was having so much fun doing the guitar thing, and since that’s what people were noticing, I just kind of went with it. 

Two things from both ends of the spectrum come to mind: I didn’t really showcase my other side to the point of where it was accepted, and I honestly didn’t spend enough time developing it to the best of my ability. I wanted to put those two ends together.

How did you go about achieving that on EJ Vol. II?

I wanted to put the songs first, so I started recording each track by myself, miked up with a pair of Neumann KM-56s in front of my acoustic guitar, or U87s on the piano, often singing along into another mic. Then we’d add the drums, bass, lead guitar or other elements later, as overdubs.

I wanted to develop the songs in a way that would support them but not take away from them. The intention was to preserve the emotional connection to the song, and that’s an area I needed to work on.

It can be tempting during the orchestration to go nuts playing guitar and making sure every note is spot on - the kind of thing I’m known for - but I wanted to readjust that priority, because while it can be impressive, it can also take away from the song, especially upon repeated listening.

It’s like eating a meal that tastes good as it goes down, but then there’s the aftertaste, and how it makes you feel. The realization is that maybe you don’t want to do that all the time.

Some of the most interesting orchestration happens on the country instrumental showcase, “Charldron’s Boat.” What’s happening on that track? 

It originally had vocals, but I couldn’t get the lyrics right, so I played the vocal melody on a Supro lap steel with skinny strings through a Twin Reverb. 

Doyle Dykes is one of my favorite acoustic players of all time, and he’s on that track as well. What sounds like a Dobro is actually him fingerpicking a steel-string guitar, but now and then he reaches behind the nut and stretches the strings in a way that sounds like a Dobro.

Dave Scher is in your band now. How nice is it to have a multi-instrumentalist who is also an ace lead guitarist?

Dave is such a natural multi-instrumentalist and singer that it allows me to play more piano and gives me more harmony to play off throughout the show. He’s starting to get in demand around Texas, where he leads his own group and gets hired to do all kinds of different gigs on different instruments. His ear is so good that if you show him a part once or twice, he’s got it.

Has playing a lot of acoustic guitar influenced your electric playing?

It’s made me think about ways I can articulate on the electric, such as using it for orchestration on this project, and all that acoustic fingerpicking has led to playing more notes at once on the electric to depict harmony as well.

What are your acoustic and electric guitar dreams of the future?

I have some more acoustic stuff I’d like to do. I also want to make an album of what I consider pop songs that would be acoustic and electric. Plus, I’ve got another project in mind. I have a batch of bluesy tunes that I’d like to do with a guitar plugged straight into an amp. I’m very interested in trying to strip it down to see what music comes from keeping it as simple as possible.

If you had to give up all your extra gear tomorrow and could choose to keep one or the other, would it be an acoustic, or a Strat and a rig to rock it through?

That’s a heavy one. I suppose it would be the Strat. And then I’d put an acoustic-style undersaddle pickup in it.

• Eric Johnson's new album, EJ Vol.II, is out now via Vortexan Music

Even if we had 48 hours a day to do so, we'd never have enough time to highlight all of the great guitar work that lands in our inboxes here at Guitar Player. This video, however, was an immediate "drop what you're doing and tell everyone about this" situation. 

In it, L.A.-based guitarist Dre DiMura nails Eric Johnson's instrumental classic, "Cliffs of Dover" - blindfolded! You can check it out above. 

The Diamante guitarist - good-looking Schecter in hand - gets just about everything spot-on, no easy task even with your eyes open! Personally, after this, we'd love to see a DiMura/Johnson "Cliffs of Dover" guitar duet...

For more of DiMura's videos, follow him on YouTube.

Eric Johnson is sitting in the kitchen/lounge of his new studio, Saucer Sound, considering the question just posed to him—specifically, why he chose to build his own recording studio. 

“Ever since I was a kid and discovered that Jimi Hendrix had a studio called Electric Ladyland, I’ve dreamed of having my own place,” he says. The guitarist’s dream has now become a fully operational facility, situated in the hills just west of downtown Austin.

It’s here that Johnson recorded his soon-to-be-released new album, the provisionally titled Up Close. Judging by the rough mixes for the lively blues “Vortexan” and a sweet ballad with the working title “Arithmetic,” the guitarist is comfortable enough in his new digs to take more musical chances and elicit more real emotion from his instrument than ever before. Johnson says, “I think that a lot of my songs had this potential that they didn’t quite ever realize because they were being stifled by my being too cerebral about it. Now I’m trying to play the stuff live and give it more of an organic energy. I’ve listened back to a few of my records and realized that they’re not really inviting to listen to. It’s more like you observe them rather than feel them.”

Johnson remains best known for “Cliffs of Dover,” a track from the 1990 album Ah Via Musicom, that earned him a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance and established his legend as a painstakingly meticulous and tone-conscious guitarist. But if Johnson’s new studio has freed him from an overly analytical approach to his craft, his newfound desire to rely more on sense than science is also demonstrated in the way that he chose to design and fine-tune Saucer’s large, linoleum-tiled live room.

“We definitely tried to create a specific vibe here,” Johnson says. To do so, he took a cue from Bill Putnam, “the father of modern recording” who in the Fifties created much of the equipment and established construction standards that defined studio technology and design for the post-War recording industry. Johnson says, “Putnam designed a lot of old rooms, like Ocean Way in Los Angeles, where the Beach Boys always used to record, and that facility had floors like this. And when he was fine-tuning a room, Putnam would just come in and use his ears and instincts, which is what we tried to do too. I mean, the acoustic treatment at Carnegie Hall was done that way 150 years ago. I think eventually they redid it the ‘correct’ way and they didn’t like it as much.”

Johnson certainly seems at ease when ensconced in Saucer, a refuge from the world’s distractions. There he is surrounded by his favorite amplifiers (a stunning array of late-Sixties Marshalls and blackface Fender combos) as well as his collection of beloved vintage guitars and several examples of both his maple- and rosewood-necked Fender signature Stratocasters.

Of late, Johnson has thinned his collection, in part to cover the expense of building the new studio but also because he feels that, at this point in his life and career, he has neither the time nor inclination to be encumbered by superfluous possessions. “I’ve gotten rid of a lot,” he says. “I just think that I’m not as interested in having a bunch of stuff I don’t use anymore. Any guitar that I keep is like a transparent vehicle that’ll just take me where I want to go and make music for me.”

And these days, making music, not chasing an elusive perfect sound, is Johnson’s top priority. In the two decades following Musicom’s release, he has completed studio recordings at a glacial pace and now seems intent on making up for lost time. Johnson notes, “I’m going to be 55 in a few months. At a certain point, you have to sit and be really honest with yourself and say, You know, the only person who’s keeping me from realizing these dreams is myself. We can become so diffused in the world that it’s essential to get clear and focused on what we really want, because then we have a better opportunity to be expedient or efficient and realize our dream.

“So I asked myself, What is it I wanna do; what is it that I wanna focus on? Because you can’t do it all. So me? I’d like to try to learn to make better music. And for that, I only need a few nice guitars.”

1967 Flying V

“I was at the Dallas Guitar show about 13 or 14 years ago, and even though I wasn’t really looking for a V at the time, I stumbled on this one, and it just sounded great. The guy who had it would only trade it for a Thirties Dobro, so while I was trying to figure out how to get this guitar, my friend Eugene Robinson went and bought a Dobro at one of the other exhibitors’ booths and sold it to me so I could get the V. I love that show. It’s always got a great swap-meet vibe to it. The frets on this guitar are still original, and they’re pretty gnarly.”

1964 Gibson SG

“I had a couple of really, really old pinstripe Marshall cabinets that I wasn’t using and decided to unload. This guy offered to trade me his SG for them, and until then I really wasn’t that into SGs because every single one I played wouldn’t stay in tune for more than five minutes. But this guitar stays in tune, and it sounds great. You plug it in and it’s instant Wheels of Fire.”

1962 Fender Stratocaster (left, below)

“I only had this guitar for a year when it was stolen from my apartment back in 1982, along with several other great guitars. It was missing for 24 years. Then one day, I was looking for a good old Ibanez Tube Screamer for a friend down at Austin Vintage Guitars and they showed me a few instruments that an old lady had brought in that had belonged to her husband. I started playing them and was suddenly like, ‘Oh my god, these are my guitars.’ I had a record of all the serial numbers, so I ran home to check them, and these were all the guitars! The pickups in here are actually Fender Mustang pickups that I’d had rewound by Seymour Duncan to be a little hotter than Strat pickups. I think they read out at something like 6.5 ohms.”

1957 Fender Stratocaster

“This is one of the two old Strats I have left. I was out on the road with my side project, Alien Love Child, about 10 years ago, and a guy brought this guitar to a soundcheck at a show in Florida. I was like, ‘Sorry, man, I’m not interested,’ and he was like, ‘Just plug it in.’ I did, and it totally blew away the 1960 rosewood-neck Strat I was touring with at the time. So I bought it and sold the ’60 when I got home.”

Vincent Bell Electric Sitar

“This is one that my father found for me. He had no idea how rare it is. I used it on the new record. It’s a very early model with no serial number and a Patent Pending sticker. The only other person I know who has one of these is Steve Miller.”

1966 Fender Bass VI

“When my guitars were stolen in ’82, one of the things that went was an early Sixties Bass VI. I was really bummed about losing that. About a week later, I walked into a pawnshop and saw this one, and was like, ‘Well there’s my replacement!’ A lot of engineers hate me for using this thing because it sounds more like a guitar than a bass, so they have to add a lot of equalization to make it work. But it does work! I used this on my last studio album, Bloom, on the track ‘Tribute to Jerry Reed’ and also on a country piece on the new record.”

Martin D-45

“Back in the late Seventies and early Eighties, Ray Henning at Heart of Texas Music Store here in Austin had Martin make several pre-war D-45 copies for him, and my dad bought me this one after all of my other stuff was stolen. This is a very sentimental guitar to me. I was really pretty traumatized by that burglary at the time. I guess everyone is pretty naïve until something like that happens to them.”

1964 Gibson ES-335

“I bought this guitar from George Gruhn in Nashville 10 or 12 years ago when I was on tour with B.B. King, and it’s my favorite Gibson that I own. I personally favor the block-inlay, stop-tailpiece 335s to the earlier dot-necks. The pickups aren’t quite as hot, but I prefer their sound. This guitar was spotless until Max Crace, the photographer who is shooting me and the guitars for this very story, dropped a loupe on it and dinged the top while he creating the still life that’s in the gatefold of the Venus Isle record.”