Eric Johnson is a bona fide modern day guitar great, so every time he talks tone and technique, we listen.
In a new interview with Guitarist, the Stratocaster master offered some sage advice for players that feel “trapped in patterns”, and shared a valuable lesson in the quest to achieve total fretboard freedom.
“I think most guitar players, except maybe a few, are still addicted or somewhat trapped in patterns,” he reflects. “But I think the less you are, the better. We’re all trying to get out of that, to become more liquid, as it were, and just be able to just play melodically.”
For Johnson, the best way to break out of a rut and become a more fluid player is to learn the notes on the fingerboard off by heart. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s an exercise that will set you up for success.
“When I started playing guitar, I taught myself by sitting at the piano with the guitar in my hand and taking the notes and moving them over,” he remembers. “So what I had to do with this strange way of learning guitar was I had to learn all the notes on all the frets.
“I think that that helps – if you look at a string on a fret and you immediately know what note it is, you're not so bound by those patterns.
“Sometimes I do these classes, and one of the first things that I say is really paramount is to just sit down and to learn where, without thinking, you can look at any fret on your string and know what note it is.
“It is a daunting task, but it’s not undoable. It’s totally doable. And then once you get it, it’s like breathing. We don’t think about breathing, we just do it. And it really helps free you up, you know, and not be so stuck on the pattern thing like a time.”
Given Johnson’s voice on the guitar is defined by liquid-like melodicism and effortless phrasing, there’s a lot to take away from his guidance here. The ability to recall notes is a priceless ability that will make you both more responsive in improvisation, and more adept at connecting boxes across the neck – not that we’re thinking in patterns.
Like Johnson says, it's a daunting task, but fear not: we have a step-by-step deep dive into mastering the entire fretboard to help you.
And, for those who graduate from this particular lesson, Johnson is also an excellent case study in leveling up your soloing.
For more advanced tutorials, see GW’s lesson on how to create fluid streams of notes by combining economy picking with legato pentatonics, and Joe Bonamassa’s tips on connecting lead phrases like Eric Johnson.
