Help with playing an Eric Johnson solo

Playing Technique
#1

Screenshot_20260227_000134_Samsung Notes
Screenshot_20260227_000134_Samsung Notes1079×298 62 KB

Hiya, these days I wanna put up a challenge for myself. I want to see if I can play Eric Johnson - Austin.

I’m comfortable playing DSX lines at reasonaly high tempo’s (125-130 bpm for complete songs, 145-150 bpm for just shorter bursts in an exercise). Most of the phrases in the solo seem doable with some re-arranging (I’m not a USX player after all), but this particular 1-nps phrase with the string skip is tough.

Any advice in how to approach it? Re-write it somehow so it’s easier for my technique? Use string hopping and hope it will be fast enough? The song isn’t super high paced (around 115 bpm i think).

It’s at 1:23 https://youtu.be/8C16agJN9R4 and also see provided tab :slight_smile:

Ruben

1 Like
#2

Eric would most likely hybrid pick that. I’ve never seen anything from him indicating 1nps capabilities at these speeds. Usx or dsx alone won’t handle that as you’d need something like dbx or 2 way pickslanting if you want to plectrum pick all the notes.

1 Like
#3

Thanks for your reply :). Ah, I didn’t think of that, I never do hybrid picking. How would you tackle it then? which notes are played with pick and which with fingers?

#4

I’d assume the b and e strings will be your hybrid plucks. I’m not an EJ expert, but that’s what I’d do if hybrid picking

1 Like
#5

Hi Ruben,

The USX+hybrid option here for the basic pattern is

D D M R M U

Where M and R are the middle and ring fingers (respectively).

No easy DSX+hybrid option that I can see here, I think the pattern would need to be refingered. I’ll keep thinking on it.

2 Likes
#6

should be pretty doable as

D U M R M Us

where Us is an upstroke that swipes to a lower string, no?

It’s at 1:25 in the recording:

kinda seems like you might be able to get away with stringhopping here, honestly.

1 Like
#7

I think with that solution, there could be an issue getting the pick below the D string for the final up stroke.

In the USX+H version this is automatic, but with a DSX trajectory and that solution the pick is trapped above the D string after the first upstroke. You can get free with some rotation during the hybrid picked notes, but that sort of turns it into a mixed escape type movement, and if you can do that, you probably don’t need the swipe.

DBX on the whole pattern is pretty manageable, too.

I’m exploring ideas that move the first note on the B string to the G and sliding rather than hammering, but nothing is totally natural so far.

2 Likes
#8

Thanks everyone for the replies!

@eric_divers I feel indeed I could get away with stringhopping. It certainly helps to take “a break” from picking by using my middle and ringfinger for the hybrid picking part.

My pattern now is actually: U D M R M D

For some reason, “inside picking” feels much easier for me on the picking part.

@Tom_Gilroy Did you find any other solutions? :slight_smile: :grinning:

#9

He plays it here at 13:41

1 Like
#10

ej-austin
ej-austin1816×1925 93.9 KB

2 Likes
#11

@JBakerman is is awesome. Johnson showing off his genius again. What an elegant solution to avoid swiping on higher string skip

#12

Update:
So far, It’s kinda doable with just picking the notes, and using the hammer ons and pull offs as a time to rest. So now I just do:

D-U-D-Hammer-on-D-U-Pulloff-U

At the moment this is the most comfortable way of playing it including muting the strings. I can upload a video after some practicing :slight_smile: . I could actually play it at 120bpm, so hopefully I can get it to do comfortably at 115