John Mayer can play the guitar

Its not his playing so much as he's only bin around for a short time. He does'nt seem to half to pay his dues like other guitar player's have had to do. And i'm sure has borrowed a lot from other guitar players. He's had real easy.

anyone who is saying he is good and maybe will great someday.... hah... hasn't listened to Covered in Rain from Any Given Thursday (I believe this is from way back in 2003)... he has been incredible for a long time...

just look at the youtube comments for it... they are all along the lines of "I just jizzed my pants" lol

If there are any questions over Mayers ability just watch some videos of him playing. His eyes closed and fully engrosed by the blues.

The amazing thing about John is that he knows how precious the blues are and whilst playing he gives full recognition the to not only the genre but the legends fallen or not

Ultimatly everyone has there oppinion but if guys such as Clapton and BB and Buddy are so amazed by his abilty and respect him so much, WHO ARE WE TO QUESTION THEM AND MAYERS ABILITY?

I think rolling stone magazine made a big mistake by leaving John Mayer out of the top 100 of the best guitar players. I think he should even be in the top 50 cause man he could play al lot of people out of that list

This article was dead on. I was one of the many who considered John Mayer a lightweight simply because I'm not a big fan of soft music. My wife coerced me into seeing him live, and I was blown away. This guy can frickin' PLAY, and I'm a pretty tough critic. I could go on, but you get the idea.

John Mayer is so good. Where I think he is totally overlooked is what he does as an arranger. Everyone knows he can write a killer pop song with an acoustic guitar, and now everyone knows that he can rip it up when he plays the blues, but when I saw him a couple of years ago, he had his full 6 or 7 piece band and there was such a deep groove, and so much sonic space. The musicians were so tasteful. Robbie McIntosh was actually the highlight of the whole show for me.

Anyway I just posted a lesson of the intro to "Say" if you're interested check it out.

www.conorsearl.ca

John Mayer is coming into his own, i believe he's getting close to SRV and Jimi.. believe it.

In my peersonal opinion, i thinkn john mayer is a great guitarist and especially like his bluesy style he conveys in the john mayer trio album 'try!'. And his tone is amazing, i really like his sound and try to model mine on his.

In time i think john mayer will rise up to one of the greats. And also, being young myself and listening to blues guitar players such as stevie ray vaughan, bb king etc it's great to see a more modern say guitarist having a bash at the blues. And you can tell that he does have this 'feeling' for the blues everyone goes on about.

I'll tell you one thing though, i hate to see him get put down about his ability as a guitarist. If anyone says he can't play you need to check out his gravity solo at the crossroads festival couple of years ago or whenever it was. it was sweeeettttt!!

He went to Berkley School of Music.. He's obviously an extremely talented musician who doesn't deserve any kind of criticism regarding his musical knowledge

john mayer is one of the best blues guitarist.
Many people still thought he is a sell pop musician. Deep in his heart, he is the true blues musicians. watch his LA live, for "wait until tommorrow". you will be amazed.

There will probably always be a lot of people arguing of Mayer's blues ability, since he's young and pretty and plays softer music too.

I know Mayer can play. I know he's a fairly good blues guitarist.
But what annoys me is when his fans take it too far.
I've heard people say that he in his own right is a better guitarist than Jeff Beck, Joe Satriani, Django Reinhardt, Paul Gilbert, Paco de Lucia, and various others, who obviously posses (or possessed) far more skill.
While his music is good, and so is his guitar playing, he does not yet deserve to be considered such a legend, for his own skill has limits.

No direspect Rob(on the comments),
But This really shows the lack of Blues Knowlege YOU have!
Give it a rest,"No Feeling" ?
Are you saying YOUR comments validate better than BB King?Eric Clapton?
Whoever the artist is,In the end,its all about the blues!And boy can I feel it in his music with the trio!
No wonder Steve Jordan(THE) and Pino Palladino(THE) jammed with him and immediatly formed the trio!
~Mahesh

I've gotten to the point in my life (time sure does fly) where I don't care who anyone is from the standpoint of "fame". If he can play, I'll listen gladly. I was given Mayer's DVD last year as a birthday present from a really great guitarist. I watch it often. Nice...really nice playing.

I agree with the choices of songs here. They show him at his best. There is a better version of belief though, the one that he did at where the light is. The solo there after David Ryan Harris does his part is what really got me into both his and other blues artists music. He's a true performer not like the rest of the modern artists who rely on autotune to make them sound like they do on their albums

I respect fans of eric clapton and all the leginds but to be honest, when i first listened to the older blues from the 60s, i was not impressed because of the aged sound. I am a blind musician and have been playing for 10 years and John Mayer is something of a guitar master to my ears. Listen to the song neon acousticly, i would love some of you fellow guitar players to say thats no tallint. Give the man credit, you don't have to like his pop image but i would urge you all to respect what he is doing. He is an amazing guitarist that can indeed play good blues with feeling with out a shout of a dout, those who disagree should open thier ears to good music. All mayer bashers need to listen to where the light is, his live album from 2007. Amazing cover of Tom Pedy's Free Falling. John taught me to respect classic rock, and has changed my musical interests from heavy medal to blues and jazz. Give the man a chance he is great!

That is funny.... I appreciate the most the same two songs from JM as you mentioned. He played those on the Crossroads 07. I also like "slow dancing in the burning room"

I think he is very decent guitarist, singing is ok, can't blame him. When I sing, I sound similar just bit lower. Loved the trio stuff on the "where the light is" concert.

It seems that all the critics on this blog act like it's a bad thing to sound like SRV and Hendrix. They are 2 of the greatest guitarists in the history of music! I would feel pretty pumped up if people were comparing me to those guys.

Also, I really like John's ability to capture you by just playing a single note. He has a way of putting feeling into his music. His recordings certainly do not show off all his God-given talent, but they do capture your soul just by how smooth he plays. For me, quality is definitely better than quantity. Great job John, I can't wait to see what you have for us in the future!

I agree with the hack part his guitar playing is sterile.
there are a 1000 players out there that can play better blues,better ballads,better love songs and the singing is real bad worse than his playing
Max

I respect the fans of John Mayer on this post and I hope that the John Mayer haters on here can get off of the paparazzi bandwagon and see John in light of the musician that he is. He not only has respect and admiration for all of the past guitar heroes and legends that are undeniably pioneers of blues and rock, he has the ability to create his own style and blend of rock, blues etc. His tone is incredible, created from a combination of great playing, master built custom shop strats, other vintage gear and boutique amps (Two-Rock).

The disconnect that exists between guitar fans and mainstream pop fans is that John has the ability to create songs that have great melodies and lyrics, along with great guitar riffs and extended solo's. Anyone who has heard a live performance of his knows that he uniquely bridges the gap between a mainstream song with pop influence to a soulful, musical, guitar driven performance with an extended solo that musically fits the song, and gives the audience an unforgettable display of guitar talent.

John has not performed "Your Body is a Wonderland" in ages and is no longer seen as a teen pop icon. Guitar fans who view him in this light owe it to themselves to check out a live performance of his (Where the Light Is, TRY! JM Trio, etc.) and with open ears, re-evaluate their opinion of someone who is becoming a guitar legend.

- Chris Lammert

I personally love the way he has his own signature sound that blends classic blues, jazzy chordal and triad sounds, soul, funk, and R&B elements. His guitar tone is easily in my top 5 of all time favorites. I love guitar, and I love the blues, and I've listened to a wide swath of blues masters. I have absolutely no problem with giving John Mayer his due as a great guitar player, and one who really "gets" the blues.

He certainly has elements of Hendrix, Clapton, and SRV in his playing. However, it's the fusion of those elements with interesting progressions and melody lines etc. that makes him a great player and not just a copycat. Saying John Mayer just regurgitates SRV or Hendrix is like saying SRV was "just an Albert King rip-off". And hey, there are some people out there who do just that, so I guess you just can't please everyone ;)

I thought it might be neat to share also the first clip I ever saw of John Mayer playing the blues. It's from a live set recorded for Yahoo! Music with the Trio, performing Out of My Mind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qla13aWrNP4

mayer is a good young player with the ability to be a great player. only time will tell!

Wow guitar players saying this? i really hope not.Mayer is a 2nd rate hack at best. No feeling in his playing just nothing in it that i even get. If it was not for ripped off badly played SRV licks he would have nothing.i just can not believe people are starting to put him even in the same breath as SRV and Hendrix just shows the lack of blues knowledge out the right now.

I love Johns playin. And to say he´s not comparable to stevie and jimi is just not true. He makes me sweat when i listnen to him. The same happens when I listnen to jimi and stevie. Also, listnen to how earily simiular his voice is to stevie in Voodoo Chile..

The slide player on belief is Robbie McIntosh.

Hmm, as a blues player and enthusiast, I have to disagree with this article in some ways. I think Mayer has great etchncial ability as a blues player, but i think he plays the blues very weakly, his prhasing is usually over the top, his tone is very weak and overall he plays with no fire to my ears. Blues is not about technique, and so I think he is way over-rated as a blues player, there are many players with just as good technique and more feel who go unrecognised. As for being seriously compared with Hendrix, early Clapton or SRV, thats silly, he's not in the same league, he's good, but godly? I think not. Playing quietly is not the same as playing with intensty. I actually think his tone and phrasing were better on his pop stuff. But if he brings more people to the music I love, then i will be happy enough.

I think what Antonio said is unfair. You play like your influences, I'm sure someone influenced his acoustic playing as well. So take those influences away and you get a guy who doesn't know how to play. My main influences are SRV, Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer and Eric Clapton and if I didn't have those influences then my playing would be emotionless guitar playing (if you could even call it guitar playing)

I trully admire his skills. but u gotta admit it: heplays SRV and hendrix. Take that away, you get a guy playing acoustic, heart of life. So yes, he's a very good HENDRIX and SRV player. Give him all the credit for that.

Amen to that! John Mayer is a future legend, he just can do anything, from pop to rock to blues, and do it all right. I'll see him live this July and I can't wait!

Robert,

I definitely agree with your assessment of John Mayer's guitar skills. I love that he acknowledges SRV in his style of playing and Hendrix in his choice of covers. Mayer's choice of recorded Hendrix covers seem to showcase Hendrix's lyrical talents (something that a lot of Hendrix fans overlook). On the other hand his choice of tone and gear point to his great love of SRV. This is a great combination for fans of both.

I love his playing and wish him well.

Wow! Had no idea that John Mayer was gifted in the Blues. I've been a closet admirer, do enjoy his accoustic guitar and finger picking, now i have more to learn. thanks.

Robert,

I played acoustic guitar at my church this morning, and the electric guitar player and myself were competing the whole time to see who could do more John Mayer ripped off licks in a set. I steal so many of his licks.

Just wanted to say I loved the videos you chose to post with this article. What I've noticed about many professional musicians (as obvious in "Belief") is that those guys totally know what NOT to play. There is so much space. From about 3:10 - 4:20 is awesome. Nothing flashy, nothing sloppy, a LOT of space. I love watching guys that know how to play, and how not to play.

-Rylan

Robert,

I couldn't agree with you more. I remember back on NYE of 04 to 05. My daughter had just been born the previous October. I was up with her for a late night feeding. I was watching Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival from 2004 on PBS.

All of a sudden, John Mayer comes out and tells the crowd he'd like to play his guitar for them. I was thinking, "What's THIS GUY doing on the stage?" After that first song, he had very thoroughly answered my question and he had a new fan! I went right out and picked up his John Mayer Trio CD.

The kid can play that's for sure. Thanks for recognizing him and perhaps turning some of your fans onto him. They won't be disappointed.

~Mike