• From: Southwest MI
  • Registered: 2006-06-05
  • Posts: 87

Topic: John Mayer

I just wanted to post this since I have been guilty of dogging John for no good reason. I really have had a change of heart concerning John's music over the last month or so. It started with me walking in my guitar lesson hearing my teacher playing "Waiting on the world to change" I went into dogging John and my teacher told me "shut up play it then". So I did and well it was fun and a good song for working on bar chords. This caused us to take a closer look at the whole album and it really has a lot going on and it's very well done. John really has a great sense of melody and makes great use of the 5 different positions on the fret board. So, I was wrong and I'm man enough to admit that and since I dogged him on this forum I post this here. The kid got skill's!

I heard a very cool song by John at the end of the movie Car's, anybody know what it is? Also, the way he played Gravity on Ellen today was very cool.

Redhouse

  • Jess
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  • Registered: 2006-04-21
  • Posts: 312

Re: John Mayer

He covered the song "Route 66" on Cars.

iN 2004 John did alot of "secret" blues shows which I think featured his best guitar playing. he has sort of changed his style a bit over the last couple of years and I don't think hes as good a guitarist as he was. If you like I could email you a few mp3s of some of his live stuff, sure hes nowhere near the level of guys like Joe but hes a good songwriter and a very entertaining live performer with some good chops to boot.

If you'd like any mp3s just give me your email.

-Jess
Check out my band Beth and The Black Cat Bones http://www.myspace.com/bethandtheblackcatbones
Also my own page for my guitar playing http://www.myspace.com/jesszub
  • Jess
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  • Posts: 312

Re: John Mayer

Heres some examples of his playing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89L86yWdWk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gya94ScUKPc

Nice acoustic techniques in this tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzsEzD2fVwE

-Jess
Check out my band Beth and The Black Cat Bones http://www.myspace.com/bethandtheblackcatbones
Also my own page for my guitar playing http://www.myspace.com/jesszub
  • From: Upper Yukon, Alaska
  • Registered: 2006-12-05
  • Posts: 128

Re: John Mayer

Ya know what I really like about Mayer?  When I throw in his dvd, wife and kids like it; ya; and I really like his bit on crossroads too.

I played around with the first lick on Another Kind of Green but never finished entire song  as usual.

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: John Mayer

Get the John Mayer Trio Try! cd -- really good blues.
I was with JM since sept'02 when he was on the cover of guitarOne mag with JoeB. Basically got into both at the same time.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Southern New Jersey, USA
  • Registered: 2006-04-23
  • Posts: 2,966

Re: John Mayer

I recently bought Continuum and I think it's really good...I think Mayer is getting better all the time. (didn't mean to sing the Beatles)  Even his voice has grown on me and I think he's a very good songwriter.

I was wondering if any John Mayer fans know anything about this and it's probably coincidental... Friday night Diane Sawyer did a special on 20/20 entitled "Waiting on the World To Change", which is the title of the first song on Continuum.  The song wasn't playing or anything, but I was just wondering if ABC got the name from Mayer's song?

StringsforaCURE~Helping cancer patients one STRING at a time.
http://stringsforacure.com/

Angela's Website

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: John Mayer

dont know about that.

i liked continuum but wanted it to be more bluesy. "Bold As love" sounds like kareoke to me...

Pino Palladino & Steve Jordan are a good blues rythm section.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool

8 Reply by 2TSB (edited by 2TSB 2007-02-17 11:38:00)

  • 2TSB
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  • Registered: 2006-04-22
  • Posts: 58

Re: John Mayer

NPB_EST.1979 wrote:

dont know about that.

i liked continuum but wanted it to be more bluesy. "Bold As love" sounds like kareoke to me...

Pino Palladino & Steve Jordan are a good blues rythm section.

Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino are waayy more than a "good" rythm section..

I think he puts a nice spin on bold as love.. wouldn't say karaoke.. but I'm a fan of straight up strat tone as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a81NgSvRAh0

"You jump in front of my car when you.. you know all the time.. ninety miles an hour girl is the.. speed I drive.. "
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: John Mayer

Ya know one of the key elements of acoustic blues is that one guitarplayer/singer can sustain playing the bass note rhythms along with the mid guitar riffs to sound like bass and a guitar in unison. I served the funtion of not needing a bass player, helped stay a one man band, and one less person you'd have to pay. Solo acoustic blues history probably took all those factors into consideration.

John Mayer displays this self proclaimed "blues theory" astonishingly in this video clip.

as posted above "Neon" - acoustic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzsEzD2fVwE

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • A.J.
  • A.J.
  • Gold Member
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  • From: Cary, IL
  • Registered: 2006-04-23
  • Posts: 87

Re: John Mayer

Neon  has been one of my favorites of John's for years- he first recorded it when he was 19 years old... (I think he was 19) it was on his first album, Inside Wants Out, as an acoustic version- great stuff on that album. He also does a great job of this w/ the Police's Message In a Bottle on his Any Given Thursday DVD/ double album...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lamCqHZjOA

some people love his version, some don't but anyway here's the link.

A.J.'s Website

  • Jess
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  • Registered: 2006-04-21
  • Posts: 312

Re: John Mayer

That right hand technique on Neon is tough. It took me a really long time to figure out how to play that, Its all a combination of thumb slaps on the bass note and then alternating between thumb and index finger picking the other notes of the chord. John's acoustic playing and fingerpicking has had a huge impact on my guitar playing, he has influences from guys like Tuck Andress and Charlie Hunter.

-Jess
Check out my band Beth and The Black Cat Bones http://www.myspace.com/bethandtheblackcatbones
Also my own page for my guitar playing http://www.myspace.com/jesszub
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: John Mayer

I still cant finger pick neon.

I can play most of his other stuff though wink

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool