Eric Johnson is one of those guitar players who has a super-classy gourmet playing style that everyone wants to learn. Even the best admit to learning from the Texan virtuoso, with Joe Bonamassa recently admitting that every time he runs into Johnson he apologizes for stealing his style.
But that’s okay, because Johnson is cool with all that; he wants to share the wealth, his knowledge in electric guitar tone and technique, and now, he has hooked up with online guitar lessons platform TrueFire to offer an interactive video masterclass in his technique and tone.
The class is called Tone, Melody & Truth, and it takes you deep into Johnson’s signature techniques, and the tones behind his most beloved tracks. As per the house style on the TrueFire platform, you get multi-angle, multi-perspective shots of Johnson demonstrating each piece, with tab accompanying the audio and video.
“In this masterclass, we’re going to explore how I shape my signature tone and dig into some of my favorite technical and creative approaches,” says Johnson. “I’ll take you through my picking technique and we’ll look at how I craft melodies, and solos using arpeggios. Also, I want to show you some unique chord voicings that will enhance your own rhythm [playing].”
Johnson’s Tone, Melody & Truth masterclass is joined by an In the Jam segment, a video comprising 10 different tracks that allow you to take your guitar and join in with the jam. The TrueFire platform includes an onboard mixing console that allows you to mute or isolate any instrument in the mix.
The masterclass comprises dozens of video lessons in total, starting with the fundamentals, picking technique, then workshopping that with country-style picking and lessons in how you can take those approaches and make them your own.
Speaking to Guitar World last year, Johnson said that’s what he’s been doing all these years – learning from his heroes.
“It’s just a process that you refine over the years,” he said. “You learn from all your heroes. If you have varied heroes from different styles, you take a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and then you build this recipe with a lot of ingredients. That’s what I did, and I guess I wound up with something that’s different and, I guess, probably a little unique.”
Maybe that will be the biggest takeaway from this lesson, or from any lesson; how we can learn from the best and then squirrel it away for later, molding it into something that’s unique to us. Besides, there is already one Eric Johnson. There will only ever be one Eric Johnson.
These Eric Johnson x TrueFire lessons are available to pre-order (and for early access) and officially drop September 1.
There are discounts for early birds. Individually, the masterclass and In the Jam package are priced $69 (down from $79), with bundles available for $99. Head over to TrueFire for more details.
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