The term is PLAY! Playing guitar means to PLAY...which is to have fun with it. The way the lion or the dolphin become capable hunters is to roll about with their mates developing their moves...speed, coordination, variations.... Many animals achieve proficiency with their survival skills by exercising them in a game-like manner. Have FUN with it. For example, you could have PLAYed with that scale to the rhythm of that tune "Ain't Nobody" in groups of 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or going forward then going forward and backwards or skipping notes keeping to the rhythm... Playing is about challenging oneself while being creative and focused. If one is not having fun, it is not likely that one will not wake up with that craving for picking it up and doing it again and again and improving! Get high on what you're doing and you'll want to do it forever!!! And what your audience connects with is seeing someone else getting high on what they are performing! You may have to stop at the point at which you get hungry for a medium rare burger with fries and a shake... But if you've had a taste of loosing/finding yourself to your music, you'll want to play again.
But playing and practicing is different you can play and noodle around have fun with it but that's not practicing you're having fun in your comfort zone practicing is playing with intention and there's a motive and lots of mistakes
Seriously, thank you for this. I did my UG degree in studio music and jazz guitar because I loved to play. I would sit down and easily spend 3-7 hours on a fulfilling musical journey. Then I went to university for it and hardly played after completing my degree. I'd lost the love and no one reminded me to foster this along the way. I recently got excited about playing a bit again--now nearly 20 years later--and your videos inspired my to pick up a Quad Cortex and get going again. This video is just another layer of wonderful inspiration and a great grand perspective! Again I say thank you Mr. Cordy for helping to bring the joy of creating music on the guitar back into my life!
Fellow wedding band gigger here - feeling it after a 4am return home last night 😂 But I love this, I remember pre-pandemic I’d borderline lost the love for guitar for a number of reasons…but that was because I was trying to practice what I thought other people wanted me to get better at However since covid first happened and took all the work pressure off I found myself again and am now funding my own originals project with the wedding band money…feels like a much more enjoyable and rewarding way to do it! Great video and playing as always :)
Great video! It cracks me up the lengths you’ll go to to avoid complimenting yourself - yes, you are definitely getting “slightly less bad” at playing guitar! It’s people like you that help keep me wanting to play guitar.
I think it's Steve vai that talks about there being push and pull when it comes to learning. The pull happens when you have a gig and need to learn xyz very specifically. Your objectives are driven by needs. The push is the approach of finding gaps in your knowledge and working in them. This is where I've found myself during the pandemic and I find it much more difficult because it requires my internal motivation. We all hit plateaus along the way and those cane be very tough. Your legato lessons have been a breath of fresh air. Renewed my desire to work on 3NP scales which I learned years ago and had decided we're useless 😅. So thanks for that, cheers.
John I hate to be so redundant. But just listening again to you explain and play I am overwhelmed with how incredible that Revstar and the pickups just sing and sustain so beautifully
Very good sir! Everything you said plus you needed to be able to dedicate yourself to spending HOURS every day - of you are young, to the exclusion of almost all else. This is much harder for an older person - not to mention the loss in dexterity, prior commitments, and the loss of having "an edge" and learning issues. (So much easier when you are young.) My age is to the point that learning to play guitar well will be one of the last great accomplishments of my life. So I'm counting on you John!
Great inspiring stuff John ! I've seen a lot of 'teachers' on TH-cam---all great players---but you have struck me with your melodic choice of notes, but moreover--your explanations which just make sense---to me anyway ! Keep up the great vids man ! Luv it
For me I have to find the music itself fun. While I mostly listen to either incredibly dour or heavy music, when it comes time to play, I gotta have that pop fix. I'd rather play along with some "bad" 80s chart topper or something else. Finding humor in the music, for me, important long term. Avoiding burnout also requires mixing it up.
Instant LIKE both literally, and TH-cam button. I Love listening to the fragments you start with when you build a jam loop on a classic tune like that. It's like unwrapping a present you are not expecting at all, until the box is opened you can only guess what it is. And what it is in this case is a huge nostalgic and musical digging it smile.
Just stumbled over this, and somehow I'd missed it.. but thanks for helping crystalise some of the elements of what you were covering, and were scattered around the back shelves of my guitar player mind ,and you helped me tie together what I was actually looking fir in what is also not only also my favourite scale degree, but also my favourite number(9) It's great when someone can articulate for you something that you were subconsciously hunting down but didn't know how to consciously execute or define. Thank you!!
I have been working on a video on my small channel about this subject, and it branches off into related stuff. I returned to guitar after a while off, and something was missing. It was playing for a purpose...band, videos, jamming, just plain fun, whatever it is you have to have purpose behind your playing if you want to get the most out of an instrument, IMHO....great video man, keep rockin 🤘
Thank you John for being your humble self and sharing your gifts. Very recent to my collection is a Variax Standard (couldn't wait for a Revstar Variax to come out) and I would love a video from you on creative ways to use the Variax with a regular amp and especially the use of the Variax through the Helix Floor using snapshots, etc... Thanks so much for sharing your abilities.
You are an amazing player. If you are "less bad" then I need to sell all of my gear and move into a cave somewhere! I do tend to play the 7 over 3 and 5 chords and the "avoided" 4 over 2 and 4 chords since they are chord tones outside the major pentatonic scale. Your suggestion of using the 9 (2) and 7 is compelling since it omits one of the cantankerous half-step notes. I gotta try that out. Thanks!!
Have fun and try to learn something new, works for me. Rhythmic variety within lead lines will help prevent them from sounding like tedious , uninteresting scales and noodling. Rhythmic variety makes a sequence of notes sound much more musical. Wide interval skips sound cool if you can land them.
John...thank you for consistently sharing your passion for guitar playing! It's pretty clear that you put it out and take artistic risks all the time. Perhaps your personal example as a guitarist is the greatest guitar lesson you could provide! I've only seen Eric Johnson, one of your mentors, once at the Blue Note playing jazz and what amazed me was that after demonstrating all his technique and reflexive musicality, he went even further and pushed himself beyond anything I've heard on his records when I didn't even think that he had anything left! You play as though you are intent on really saying something that means something and that's why I follow this channel!
Cracking lesson John. Really great for me to think outside the box without, as you say, of going through mechanical drills. I need to be enjoying playing in the first 5 minutes to continue to play for 30mins plus. This way of making music and making the brain work if just fab for me. Will you be putting it on Patreon with a PDF of the little riffs?
Your insights are precious, thank you for sharing your knowledge. Love your playing and i will practice hard to get that fluency and tasteful choice of notes. What model is that Revstar? Sounds so great.
Lari Basilio's number one tip : " my tip is not related to any technical aspect or any musical theory. My number one tip is to never lose the joy of playing the guitar or your instrument. that's the most important thing for me."
At some point on the scale of goodness. "Slightly less bad" becomes "Actually quite good" the trick is not to notice when it happens so the strive continues
I noticed you playing has that distinct sound that I don't get when I'm focusing on chord tones alone! Hopefully targeting the 7th and 9th might just be what I'm missing! I notice you slid in to those scale degrees forwards and backwards I think I might have been sliding past them and only sticking to the pentatonic notes, thanks for this video I'll give it a Go .
I hear this & makes me remember Plini & Eric Johnson… I don’t improvise soloing well at all but im torn between wanting to learn about music/theory but i dont want to end up like… boxed up by the knowledge… if anyone understands what i mean? I guess i need help finding the best learning approach. If anyone is well versed on this i guess, HELP
Mate, you're a total guitar monster John, I OUGHT to have subbed asafp when your gr8 channel lobbed into my feed. Your intro on this is the 🦆's 🥜's 🤯wow. I wasn't wrong when I suspected for far too long I'd ignored this channel, to my gr8 loss! 🎸🦖Guitarcheopteryx, Didjabringyabongalong Station, Central QLD🪃 ignore JC, not.
![What is the Point of Improvising [and how to get better at it]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/pxso9vU6IgM/mqdefault.jpg)
![What is the Point of Improvising [and how to get better at it]](/img/tr.png)
“ Noodling with intent“ I will take that to the grave! It’s all I have ever strived to do! Thank you for the wonderful gift! You’re the bomb John!
The term is PLAY! Playing guitar means to PLAY...which is to have fun with it. The way the lion or the dolphin become capable hunters is to roll about with their mates developing their moves...speed, coordination, variations.... Many animals achieve proficiency with their survival skills by exercising them in a game-like manner. Have FUN with it. For example, you could have PLAYed with that scale to the rhythm of that tune "Ain't Nobody" in groups of 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or going forward then going forward and backwards or skipping notes keeping to the rhythm... Playing is about challenging oneself while being creative and focused. If one is not having fun, it is not likely that one will not wake up with that craving for picking it up and doing it again and again and improving! Get high on what you're doing and you'll want to do it forever!!! And what your audience connects with is seeing someone else getting high on what they are performing! You may have to stop at the point at which you get hungry for a medium rare burger with fries and a shake... But if you've had a taste of loosing/finding yourself to your music, you'll want to play again.
Hey! So true. Check out Victor Wooten's book, "The music lesson" a fiction book for artists.
But playing and practicing is different you can play and noodle around have fun with it but that's not practicing you're having fun in your comfort zone practicing is playing with intention and there's a motive and lots of mistakes
Seriously, thank you for this. I did my UG degree in studio music and jazz guitar because I loved to play. I would sit down and easily spend 3-7 hours on a fulfilling musical journey. Then I went to university for it and hardly played after completing my degree. I'd lost the love and no one reminded me to foster this along the way. I recently got excited about playing a bit again--now nearly 20 years later--and your videos inspired my to pick up a Quad Cortex and get going again. This video is just another layer of wonderful inspiration and a great grand perspective! Again I say thank you Mr. Cordy for helping to bring the joy of creating music on the guitar back into my life!
That P90 Revstar is the bomb
I am a big fan of Chaka - and her guitarist back then (Snuffy Waldren). Great job on that tune!
Fellow wedding band gigger here - feeling it after a 4am return home last night 😂
But I love this, I remember pre-pandemic I’d borderline lost the love for guitar for a number of reasons…but that was because I was trying to practice what I thought other people wanted me to get better at
However since covid first happened and took all the work pressure off I found myself again and am now funding my own originals project with the wedding band money…feels like a much more enjoyable and rewarding way to do it!
Great video and playing as always :)
Great video! It cracks me up the lengths you’ll go to to avoid complimenting yourself - yes, you are definitely getting “slightly less bad” at playing guitar! It’s people like you that help keep me wanting to play guitar.
^^ THIS ^^ 100 percent :-)
Love the sound of p90’s.
Wonderful my man.
I think it's Steve vai that talks about there being push and pull when it comes to learning. The pull happens when you have a gig and need to learn xyz very specifically. Your objectives are driven by needs. The push is the approach of finding gaps in your knowledge and working in them. This is where I've found myself during the pandemic and I find it much more difficult because it requires my internal motivation. We all hit plateaus along the way and those cane be very tough. Your legato lessons have been a breath of fresh air. Renewed my desire to work on 3NP scales which I learned years ago and had decided we're useless 😅. So thanks for that, cheers.
John I hate to be so redundant. But just listening again to you explain and play I am overwhelmed with how incredible that Revstar and the pickups just sing and sustain so beautifully
Very good sir! Everything you said plus you needed to be able to dedicate yourself to spending HOURS every day - of you are young, to the exclusion of almost all else. This is much harder for an older person - not to mention the loss in dexterity, prior commitments, and the loss of having "an edge" and learning issues. (So much easier when you are young.)
My age is to the point that learning to play guitar well will be one of the last great accomplishments of my life. So I'm counting on you John!
My practice is definitely in a rut. Thanks for the vid
Great lesson!! I agree the 4th interval can get you into some tricky areas! Have a blessed day!
This is by far the most beautiful soloing I’ve heard for a very long time. I’m always astounded at your phasing, melodic choices and technique
Great inspiring stuff John ! I've seen a lot of 'teachers' on TH-cam---all great players---but you have struck me with your melodic choice of notes, but moreover--your explanations which just make sense---to me anyway ! Keep up the great vids man ! Luv it
For me I have to find the music itself fun. While I mostly listen to either incredibly dour or heavy music, when it comes time to play, I gotta have that pop fix. I'd rather play along with some "bad" 80s chart topper or something else. Finding humor in the music, for me, important long term. Avoiding burnout also requires mixing it up.
Killer intro and improvisation! Ain't Nobody is one my favourite songs !!! Great tones. Thank you for sharing this
That was a great tune. Instantly bought that Album when it came out. Great Rendition.
Instant LIKE both literally, and TH-cam button. I Love listening to the fragments you start with when you build a jam loop on a classic tune like that. It's like unwrapping a present you are not expecting at all, until the box is opened you can only guess what it is. And what it is in this case is a huge nostalgic and musical digging it smile.
I’m always astounded at your phasing, melodic choices and technique. And in General Great personality.
Just stumbled over this, and somehow I'd missed it.. but thanks for helping crystalise some of the elements of what you were covering, and were scattered around the back shelves of my guitar player mind ,and you helped me tie together what I was actually looking fir in what is also not only also my favourite scale degree, but also my favourite number(9) It's great when someone can articulate for you something that you were subconsciously hunting down but didn't know how to consciously execute or define. Thank you!!
As always there is just so much honesty and feel good factor to your intros ... big fan mate
Oh yes!! Ain't nobody!!! Love that track!? Good choice fella!
Ain’t Nobody. One of my favorite songs.
I have been working on a video on my small channel about this subject, and it branches off into related stuff. I returned to guitar after a while off, and something was missing. It was playing for a purpose...band, videos, jamming, just plain fun, whatever it is you have to have purpose behind your playing if you want to get the most out of an instrument, IMHO....great video man, keep rockin 🤘
You had me at Chaka. Such a great groove. Good choice man.
Thank you John for being your humble self and sharing your gifts. Very recent to my collection is a Variax Standard (couldn't wait for a Revstar Variax to come out) and I would love a video from you on creative ways to use the Variax with a regular amp and especially the use of the Variax through the Helix Floor using snapshots, etc... Thanks so much for sharing your abilities.
Wow! Great solo John....really enjoyed it
Amazing Guitar🎸💯🎸
Awesome intro😎💯
You are an amazing player. If you are "less bad" then I need to sell all of my gear and move into a cave somewhere! I do tend to play the 7 over 3 and 5 chords and the "avoided" 4 over 2 and 4 chords since they are chord tones outside the major pentatonic scale. Your suggestion of using the 9 (2) and 7 is compelling since it omits one of the cantankerous half-step notes. I gotta try that out. Thanks!!
Love this one John! Can’t wait to give it a go! Never thought of soloing over Chaka Khan but the grove on this is amazing.
Very nice work on that piece John. Knocking it out of the park man!
Really helpful lesson. Right now for me the challenge is to think less while playing…
You are the best ❤
Always stunned by this virtuosity. Keep up the great work.
I needed reminding of this
Man your another David Gilmore. You have your own unique sound and it’s really classy. Great intro 💯🎸
Have fun and try to learn something new, works for me. Rhythmic variety within lead lines will help prevent them from sounding like tedious , uninteresting scales and noodling. Rhythmic variety makes a sequence of notes sound much more musical. Wide interval skips sound cool if you can land them.
John...thank you for consistently sharing your passion for guitar playing! It's pretty clear that you put it out and take artistic risks all the time. Perhaps your personal example as a guitarist is the greatest guitar lesson you could provide! I've only seen Eric Johnson, one of your mentors, once at the Blue Note playing jazz and what amazed me was that after demonstrating all his technique and reflexive musicality, he went even further and pushed himself beyond anything I've heard on his records when I didn't even think that he had anything left! You play as though you are intent on really saying something that means something and that's why I follow this channel!
The is so inspiring and cool. Wow.
Said it before, but you're well good. Fabulous playing. 👌
Amen. Preaching love all the way... ;)
Tasteful and oh so melodic. 🙏 (p.s...did I recognize a bit of "Ain't Nobody"? in there...😉)
That was helpful! Thank you.
Cracking lesson John. Really great for me to think outside the box without, as you say, of going through mechanical drills. I need to be enjoying playing in the first 5 minutes to continue to play for 30mins plus. This way of making music and making the brain work if just fab for me. Will you be putting it on Patreon with a PDF of the little riffs?
This was great. Thank you.
my 👍 is number 500 ! 😎😉 ... Amazing impro 😍😍
John, can you do a sweep picking lesson:)
Your insights are precious, thank you for sharing your knowledge. Love your playing and i will practice hard to get that fluency and tasteful choice of notes. What model is that Revstar? Sounds so great.
Lari Basilio's number one tip : " my tip is not related to any technical aspect or any musical theory. My number one tip is to never lose the joy of playing the guitar or your instrument. that's the most important thing for me."
Cool looking guitar! what type of guitar is it??
At some point on the scale of goodness. "Slightly less bad" becomes "Actually quite good" the trick is not to notice when it happens so the strive continues
Hello Johnathan...awesome lesson and tips.Thanks. Killer tone...which preset are you using?
Is it included in your preset packs.Continued success.
Hi John! What do you use to add drums to your loops? Are you adding them from your DAW?
Thanks for the great video!
Sounds like that 80s song Ain't Nobody
I noticed you playing has that distinct sound that I don't get when I'm focusing on chord tones alone! Hopefully targeting the 7th and 9th might just be what I'm missing! I notice you slid in to those scale degrees forwards and backwards I think I might have been sliding past them and only sticking to the pentatonic notes, thanks for this video I'll give it a Go .
What was your set list at the gig?
It sounds like Chaka may have gotten some inspiration for Ain’t Nobody from Eminence Front by The Who. A lot of similarities to my ear.
Hey Hey. When will this backing track be available on your Patreon? Thanks
Uploaded it this morning!
Would love to know how to create this backing track
Really beautiful playing. We make music for the release. If your not enjoying yourself your not making music.
Do you do private lessons?
Must work more on slightly less bad,,,,,,,!!! I must.
Dude time to make a record for us guitar
nerds….pls. Your jams are super dope.
I have music out - johnnathancordy.bandcamp.com - people don't listen to it hahah
I wish I had it so easy so get out there with the link you dropped,much love always J C 🤞🏻
sneaking in the lick at a little over 1 minute.. thought no one would notice, huh? hahaha
and playing it again at 3 minutes..:)
I hear this & makes me remember Plini & Eric Johnson…
I don’t improvise soloing well at all but im torn between wanting to learn about music/theory but i dont want to end up like… boxed up by the knowledge… if anyone understands what i mean? I guess i need help finding the best learning approach. If anyone is well versed on this i guess, HELP
Better than Chris Buck!!
Hey John, Patreon link isnt connecting, thanks
Hey! Seems Patreon server is being worked on or something?
Hahahhaha awesome
Mate, you're a total guitar monster John, I OUGHT to have subbed asafp when
your gr8 channel lobbed into my feed. Your intro on this is the 🦆's 🥜's 🤯wow.
I wasn't wrong when I suspected for far too long I'd ignored this channel, to my gr8 loss!
🎸🦖Guitarcheopteryx, Didjabringyabongalong Station, Central QLD🪃 ignore JC, not.