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> “John Mayer?” he asks. “You don’t see a bunch of kids emulating John Mayer and listening to him and wanting to pick up a guitar because of him.” Sorry, but m

> “John Mayer?” he asks. “You don’t see a bunch of kids emulating John Mayer and listening to him and wanting to pick up a guitar because of him.” Sorry, but my 17 year old son was so inspired by Mayer about 5 years ago that he invested a LOT of time learning how to play guitar and sing like him, and other artists with similar styles. [0] He is now building quite a steady music career even while finishing high school (he was booked for 3 gigs just this weekend). He is also interested in past guitar heroes such as Eddie Van Halen, Mark Knopfler, Angus Young, Andy Summers etc. and spends a lot of time going through 'older' stuff to learn more. While he has a lot of natural ability, there is no arguing that it takes a LOT of hard work. He practices for a minimum of 2 hours a day - sometimes even up to 4 or 5 hours, not counting gigging time. We often have to call him away from his guitar to do school work or eat. I envy the time he lives in though - I started playing when I was 15, back in the early 80's and it was really difficult to find decent gear, and the only way to learn anything new was to try and figure it out by ear or find someone else who knew to teach you. Nowadays, the proliferation of Youtube and other online learning resources, the huge selection of reasonably priced gear, and things like software and hardware modelling amps mean players can dial in ANY sound they want under any situation. Unheard of in my time. It just needs kids who are interested enough to turn it into their passion. [0] - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJK-R3HGG09uGBRDs7fhpZw https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJK-R3HGG09uGBRDs7fhpZw

Hydraulix989 9y ago
That's incredible, thanks for sharing!
aguynamedben 9y ago
Been playing guitar for 20 years, and this is spot on! The John Mayer comment is ridiculous, he's a great guitarist. Even many of John Mayer's biggest pop radio hits have great chord voicings and writing built-in (No Such Thing, Why Georgia, Neon, Daughters). The YouTube factor you mention is also amazing. This article was probably right, but it's so focused on the good ole days that it's sad. Times change. Art changes. Diplo and TSwift are as legit as SRV and Dylan. Rock on.
- cyberferret 9y ago
  LOL, you've just named the top 4 Mayer covers in my son's regular gigging set. I must say when I first saw Mayer play "Neon" with just the acoustic guitar on "Where the Light Is", I was floored and thought that he must have to have two brains to be able to achieve that. [0] When my son said he wanted to learn to play that song solo, I told him it would be nearly impossible. But he learned it and plays it just like John does. I have been playing for > 30 years and there is no way I could do that! :) [0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DfQC5qHhbo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DfQC5qHhbo
  - IAmGraydon 9y ago
    Neon is a pretty simple tune to learn, really. Here's some Guthrie Govan. Play this with ease and you really are a guitar god: https://youtu.be/qfNUY8IrJi8 https://youtu.be/qfNUY8IrJi8
  - tasty_freeze 9y ago
    Singing / playing requires a split brain. If you think the chord + bass on Neon requires a split brain, check out Charlie Hunter. I just picked one of the first videos that I found on youtube, but he always plays guitar & bass at the same time: https://youtu.be/-B7btsk6ASE?t=1m https://youtu.be/-B7btsk6ASE?t=1m
    - SAI_Peregrinus 9y ago
      How about Luca Stricagnoli, who tends to play guitar, bass, and drums all at once, with just the guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJiok_3B-JA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJiok_3B-JA Or with some extra instruments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxHGyqobsbI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxHGyqobsbI Or Mike Dawes, same deal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYksCAhjthk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYksCAhjthk Most of the people Candyrat Records sign, really.
      - luckydata 9y ago
        there's a long lineage of great fingerstyle guitarists in that style, arguably all generated from Tuck Andress of Tuck and Patty. Tommy Emmanuel is another one, and one of the best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPkQn5nDTZs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPkQn5nDTZs
nl 9y ago
“You don’t see a bunch of kids emulating John Mayer and listening to him and wanting to pick up a guitar because of him.” Emphasis on a bunch of kids. As someone who likes guitar it pains me to say that this seems true. My son is 11, in a (very) music-heavy school. When I was his age I think almost every boy (and some girls) in my class learnt guitar - it was the instrument. In my son's class I think there are 2 learning it. The guitar will never die, but the popularity isn't what it was.
- cyberferret 9y ago
  Genuine question: Has your son seen Mayer play? Either on TV or in a live situation? I remember my son being entranced when I brought home the "Where The Light Is" DVD and put it on to watch it myself. He happened to be in the room, and was hooked from the opening song to the last. Not saying that will be the case in every instance, but I do remember the actual video that got BOTH my sons into music was an "AC/DC Live In Germany" video that I put on TV when they were both toddlers. They were duck walking all over the house and begging me to put the DVD on over and over again until I (who am a huge Angus Young fan) was thoroughly sick of it. Many years later, I took them to an AC/DC live concert in Sydney, during their "Black Ice" tour. Exposing kids to such raw energy and musicianship on a semi regular basis is critical IMO. What they don't see, they cannot be inspired by. I also know that they won't always be inspired by what I like, and that is fine. Both my sons went through a 'thrash metal' phase, which wasn't my favourite, but it still formed a large part of their musical journey.
  - bigtunacan 9y ago
    I also saw AC/DC during the Black Ice tour. I've been to many concerts, but never seen anyone else live who could play the guitar like Angus Young. He truly is an amazing guitarist.
    - meggar 9y ago
      Angus rocks, and is underrated even by guitar players. But I would submit that Greg Howe is like one level above Angus.
coldtea 9y ago
>Sorry, but my 17 year old son was so inspired by Mayer about 5 years ago that he invested a LOT of time learning how to play guitar and sing like him, and other artists with similar styles. I'm sure we can find kids into Foxtrot too, but I don't think we'll see a Foxtrot revival. Emulating Clapton, or Hendrix, or Page, etc was a mass phenomenon, which is what the "bunch" alludes to. The last to inspire anything of that kind in a mass way would be someone like Jack White, and even that is was more subdued and fragmented that what it used to be.
- cyberferret 9y ago
  As fragmented as the music world is now, there is still capacity for a groundswell movement I believe. In keeping with the 'guitar sales are dying' theme - back in the 80's Fender Jazzmasters, Jaguars and Mustangs were pariah guitars. They were nothing more than the oddly shaped relics from the 'surf music' craze of the 50's and 60's. Then Kurt Cobain played one on stage in the 90's. And not played like a guitar god either, but all of a sudden, the Jaguar and Mustang offset shaped guitars exploded into popularity again, across more than just grunge bands. My son I mentioned above actually plays a J Mascis Jazzmaster as his main stage electric guitar. On another note, I really wish I could find the thread on a popular guitar forum that I participated in about 7 or 8 years ago. Back then I predicted that the vinyl market would have a small, if temporary blip again. This was before the whole Hipster fad became mainstream too. I was literally laughed out of that thread by other members claiming, similarly as you did in your reply, that vinyl was about as relevant as be-bop or spandex clad lead singers in music. Well, we are sitting in the middle of a vinyl resurgence right now. It will never reach the numbers of the heady days, but there definitely is a renewed interest out there. I couldn't believe it last month when I went to my local electronics and whitegoods store and there were as many turntables in the HiFi section as boom boxes and bluetooth speaker systems.
  - kinleyd 9y ago
    And back in the late 80s when Les Paul sales were flagging, out stepped a young Slash. And Gibson sales took off for another two decades and a half.
manmal 9y ago
You envy him for the available content and equipment, but he should envy kids in the 80s of the ease with which you could build a well-paying career if you played well. Nowadays you better produce songs on your laptop because the money earned with streaming might not suffice for 5 people. The trajectory of what is possible is just way flatter.

Hydraulix989 9y ago

That's incredible, thanks for sharing!

aguynamedben 9y ago

Been playing guitar for 20 years, and this is spot on! The John Mayer comment is ridiculous, he's a great guitarist. Even many of John Mayer's biggest pop radio hits have great chord voicings and writing built-in (No Such Thing, Why Georgia, Neon, Daughters). The YouTube factor you mention is also amazing. This article was probably right, but it's so focused on the good ole days that it's sad. Times change. Art changes. Diplo and TSwift are as legit as SRV and Dylan. Rock on.

cyberferret 9y ago
LOL, you've just named the top 4 Mayer covers in my son's regular gigging set. I must say when I first saw Mayer play "Neon" with just the acoustic guitar on "Where the Light Is", I was floored and thought that he must have to have two brains to be able to achieve that. [0] When my son said he wanted to learn to play that song solo, I told him it would be nearly impossible. But he learned it and plays it just like John does. I have been playing for > 30 years and there is no way I could do that! :) [0] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DfQC5qHhbo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DfQC5qHhbo
- IAmGraydon 9y ago
  Neon is a pretty simple tune to learn, really. Here's some Guthrie Govan. Play this with ease and you really are a guitar god: https://youtu.be/qfNUY8IrJi8 https://youtu.be/qfNUY8IrJi8
- tasty_freeze 9y ago
  Singing / playing requires a split brain. If you think the chord + bass on Neon requires a split brain, check out Charlie Hunter. I just picked one of the first videos that I found on youtube, but he always plays guitar & bass at the same time: https://youtu.be/-B7btsk6ASE?t=1m https://youtu.be/-B7btsk6ASE?t=1m
  - SAI_Peregrinus 9y ago
    How about Luca Stricagnoli, who tends to play guitar, bass, and drums all at once, with just the guitar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJiok_3B-JA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJiok_3B-JA Or with some extra instruments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxHGyqobsbI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxHGyqobsbI Or Mike Dawes, same deal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYksCAhjthk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYksCAhjthk Most of the people Candyrat Records sign, really.
    - luckydata 9y ago
      there's a long lineage of great fingerstyle guitarists in that style, arguably all generated from Tuck Andress of Tuck and Patty. Tommy Emmanuel is another one, and one of the best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPkQn5nDTZs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPkQn5nDTZs

nl 9y ago

“You don’t see a bunch of kids emulating John Mayer and listening to him and wanting to pick up a guitar because of him.” Emphasis on a bunch of kids. As someone who likes guitar it pains me to say that this seems true. My son is 11, in a (very) music-heavy school. When I was his age I think almost every boy (and some girls) in my class learnt guitar - it was the instrument. In my son's class I think there are 2 learning it. The guitar will never die, but the popularity isn't what it was.

cyberferret 9y ago
Genuine question: Has your son seen Mayer play? Either on TV or in a live situation? I remember my son being entranced when I brought home the "Where The Light Is" DVD and put it on to watch it myself. He happened to be in the room, and was hooked from the opening song to the last. Not saying that will be the case in every instance, but I do remember the actual video that got BOTH my sons into music was an "AC/DC Live In Germany" video that I put on TV when they were both toddlers. They were duck walking all over the house and begging me to put the DVD on over and over again until I (who am a huge Angus Young fan) was thoroughly sick of it. Many years later, I took them to an AC/DC live concert in Sydney, during their "Black Ice" tour. Exposing kids to such raw energy and musicianship on a semi regular basis is critical IMO. What they don't see, they cannot be inspired by. I also know that they won't always be inspired by what I like, and that is fine. Both my sons went through a 'thrash metal' phase, which wasn't my favourite, but it still formed a large part of their musical journey.
- bigtunacan 9y ago
  I also saw AC/DC during the Black Ice tour. I've been to many concerts, but never seen anyone else live who could play the guitar like Angus Young. He truly is an amazing guitarist.
  - meggar 9y ago
    Angus rocks, and is underrated even by guitar players. But I would submit that Greg Howe is like one level above Angus.

coldtea 9y ago

>Sorry, but my 17 year old son was so inspired by Mayer about 5 years ago that he invested a LOT of time learning how to play guitar and sing like him, and other artists with similar styles. I'm sure we can find kids into Foxtrot too, but I don't think we'll see a Foxtrot revival. Emulating Clapton, or Hendrix, or Page, etc was a mass phenomenon, which is what the "bunch" alludes to. The last to inspire anything of that kind in a mass way would be someone like Jack White, and even that is was more subdued and fragmented that what it used to be.

cyberferret 9y ago
As fragmented as the music world is now, there is still capacity for a groundswell movement I believe. In keeping with the 'guitar sales are dying' theme - back in the 80's Fender Jazzmasters, Jaguars and Mustangs were pariah guitars. They were nothing more than the oddly shaped relics from the 'surf music' craze of the 50's and 60's. Then Kurt Cobain played one on stage in the 90's. And not played like a guitar god either, but all of a sudden, the Jaguar and Mustang offset shaped guitars exploded into popularity again, across more than just grunge bands. My son I mentioned above actually plays a J Mascis Jazzmaster as his main stage electric guitar. On another note, I really wish I could find the thread on a popular guitar forum that I participated in about 7 or 8 years ago. Back then I predicted that the vinyl market would have a small, if temporary blip again. This was before the whole Hipster fad became mainstream too. I was literally laughed out of that thread by other members claiming, similarly as you did in your reply, that vinyl was about as relevant as be-bop or spandex clad lead singers in music. Well, we are sitting in the middle of a vinyl resurgence right now. It will never reach the numbers of the heady days, but there definitely is a renewed interest out there. I couldn't believe it last month when I went to my local electronics and whitegoods store and there were as many turntables in the HiFi section as boom boxes and bluetooth speaker systems.
- kinleyd 9y ago
  And back in the late 80s when Les Paul sales were flagging, out stepped a young Slash. And Gibson sales took off for another two decades and a half.

manmal 9y ago

You envy him for the available content and equipment, but he should envy kids in the 80s of the ease with which you could build a well-paying career if you played well. Nowadays you better produce songs on your laptop because the money earned with streaming might not suffice for 5 people. The trajectory of what is possible is just way flatter.