JOHN MAYER WHAT MAKES HIM SO SPECIAL

Jon Bishop explores the playing of this ever-versatile virtuoso. From subtle acoustic works to screaming, fullblown rock, there is something here for everyone!

He’s a modern guitar phenomenon: a pop star who can REALLY play, with a tone and feel to die for. So check out what makes Mayer so special.

There’s no no denying the sheer talent of singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer John Mayer. Having sold truckloads of albums across the world in genres spanning pop, blues and rock, he clearly knows how to connect with his legions of fans, many of whom we know read GT. The aim of this lesson, therefore, is to learn and apply some of the concepts used by this exceptionably able musician in a career that, so far, has spanned almost two decades.

Connecticut born, John Clayton Mayer trained for a while at Berklee college of Music in Boston but ducked out early to get on with the business of performing. The strategy obviously worked, and while the intervening years have had their ups and downs (controversy, illness, huge critical acclaim and less well-received product), he’s clearly one of the most successful guitarists of all time.

Mayer broke through with his megaselling first studio album Room For Squares in 2001. Since then he has gone on to sell over 20 million, capitalising on his abilities to sing, compose and play with verve in a variety of styles. His vocabulary is anchored in electric blues with obvious tips of the hat to SRV, Jimi Hendrix, BB King and Eric Clapton. But he’s just at home on acoustic as he is electric guitar, with a solid foundation in modern acoustic techniques and approaches.

For this feature we are using Mayer’s versatility as a vehicle to focus on a variety of core techniques and vocabulary. We have recorded six contrasting pieces, each focusing on a key area. The rhythm work showcases both his strumming and fingerstyle techniques, a key ingredient of which is the use of Hendrix-inspired chords and riffing. And with the blues such an obvious source of inspiration we have included two bluesorientated solos; one uses a minor tonality and the other concentrates on a major sound. There is also an emotive acoustic ballad with a 6/8 time signature that uses double-stops for the melody and will be great fun to learn.

For the final track we have opted for a classic John Mayer open tuning. For this we simply drop the sixth string down to C; this gives the acoustic guitar a deep resonance and makes any bass notes sound huge. It can also provide the illusion of multiple musicians playing at once. As ever, the GT audio contains the finished examples, plus a backing track for each so you can jam along. To assist you further, the notation includes details of all the pickup selections and tones used for each track. Once you have mastered the technique or approach in question, be sure to apply it to your own playing and compositions.

Many thanks to Line6 for the loan of the Helix pedal board that was used to process the tones used for both the acoustic and electric guitar performances. Have fun!

MAYER’S VOCABULARY IS ANCHORED IN ELECTRIC BLUES BUT HE IS JUST AS AT HOME ON ACOUSTIC

For this month’s recording I used a Stonebridge acoustic and a James Tyler Studio Elite electric guitar. Both were processed with the Line6 Helix pedal board. All of the pickup and effects selections are notated at the start of each piece for reference. The jam tracks are fun to play along to, so study the notation and, as always, use your ears.