Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with some John Mayer stuff on the guitar. I’ve always admired his style, and I thought it would be cool to try and learn a few things.
First, I watched a bunch of videos of Mayer playing. He uses a lot of repeating phrases in his solos, which I found really interesting. It kinda gives you something to latch onto, you know? Makes the solo more memorable. They say it’s all about giving the listener a sense of familiarity.
Then I dug around for some lessons, I found this 10-day course thing. Sounded like a good way to get a handle on his style. I started there, and man, it was tough! But also, really rewarding. I spent a couple of hours just trying to get the first day’s lesson down. It covered some basic techniques that Mayer uses a lot, like bending and vibrato.
- I practiced those for a while, just focusing on getting them to sound smooth.
- Then I moved onto some of his easier songs. “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” was a good one to start with. It’s got a simple structure, but it still has that signature Mayer feel.
- I spent another hour or two just playing that song over and over again, trying to get the nuances down.
After that, I started looking into what kind of gear he uses. Turns out, he relies on clean boost pedals to get that warm, thick tone. I don’t have the exact same pedals he uses, but I messed around with what I have to try and get close. It’s more about the technique than the gear, but it’s still cool to know what he’s working with.
Getting the Sound
I tried out a few different combinations of my pedals, trying to find that sweet spot. It’s not perfect, but I think I got pretty close to that warm, clean tone he’s known for. It’s amazing how much difference a few tweaks can make.
By the end of the day, I was exhausted, but in a good way. I felt like I had made some real progress. It’s not like I can play like John Mayer now, but I definitely learned a lot and I feel way more comfortable with his style. It’s a long road, but I’m excited to keep practicing and see where it takes me.
