The John Petrucci Guitar Method - Episode 1: Why I Became a Guitarist/My First Riffs

In episode 1 of "The John Petrucci Guitar Method" John discusses why he chose to become a guitarist, and remembers what it was like starting out with absolutely no knowledge of guitar!

[@cuauhtemocmorisco3493]

Love John's personality and humbleness. One of the greatest musicians for me.

[@jfo3000]

Acid Drop Baby lol He's so laid back, all the time. Seems like a good guy to be in a band with.

[@metfan4l]

Such a legendary dude, he's written some truly amazing stuff over the years and also seems like one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.

[@warhumm3l]

metfan4l Yeah Man, super nice humble guy… like Paul Gilbert Have to love him

[@wanik4]

Would make a good Santa Claus, too. Kinda like a Papa Pet

[@cocorico474]

but he's to big n that makes me scare. He'll grab my neck like a chicken

[@nilsolsson1795]

wtf dude i see you everywhere

[@lalhmangaihihmar2947]

Bach Tran 😂😂😂😂

[@vankazanjian3707]

make 100 episodes of john petrucci guitar method because we have a LOT to learn.

[@soubhiz]

Van Kazanjian 😂

[@julioluiz]

you meant 1000000

[@blessed7fold]

Van Kazanjian I second that!

[@lordviewer7305]

I second that idea

[@JohnnySnipshow]

Met john by accident in toronto the day of a show. Offered to get him a coffee . He said ya and we got a coffee and I expected him to take it and say bye, but I shit u not he sat down in a food court with me and had a coffee

[@valebliz]

What you talked about then?

[@JohnnySnipshow]

I just asked about like all the albums lol especially the older ones cuz I love them. Asked a lot about train of thought and if this one story I heard about the solo on as I am was true or not.

[@fourteencrows1244]

Bro.. you lucked out..

[@iwatchyouatnight1550]

@@JohnnySnipshow if i recall, the solo (and the whole song) was a bit of a middle finger to michael from Queensryche for trying to tell Petrucci how to play right? Also what was the answer?

[@JohnnySnipshow]

I watch you at night he said pretty much kinda sorta lol

[@E-MusicProductions]

His beard tuning is Drop J E S U S

[@Duskeroth]

It's Gsus

[@alastairk0159]

D J E S U S

[@paridox4ever]

jesus you are going too far, he give me a rasputin vibe tho

[@yosefelianimusicchannel1070]

He's a Rabbe more like

[@davidyoung8875]

@@Duskeroth that is funny

[@p3r1n1]

John is opening the red sea in the thumbnail

[@srijanmoitra3852]

I was waiting for this series.When I see my hero John Petrucci sir,an electric current runs through my body to practice more.Thank u John sir for teaching and inspiring us so much

[@sorenjones2076]

me too...nuff said

[@DushyantsCHANNEL]

What did you play when you were a beginner? *plays intermediate level licks and riffs

[@OlettaLiano]

John Petrucci is awesome, both as a musician, and more importantly as a person.

[@martindfp72]

Great player but his politics are a bit dubious. He lost a couple of points when he came out as a Trump supporter.

[@MusicWithMarky]

Werd!

[@sumantaselim5661]

@@martindfp72 😢

[@ivanezbeer]

And most importantly as a God!

[@thegamingguy1]

I see John Petrucci, I hit like.

[@pitpride1220]

Dood Ranch Is there any other choice?

[@CortZero]

I see Rihanna, I hit her. *Brown, Chris.*

[@AlejandroKearne]

I see J Petrucci, I hit my fly

[@paulgtarist]

The Rush song was What You're Doing off the first album. But hey, he's John Petrucci. If I had to choose between knowing the name of every Rush tune and being able to play like he does, I'd choose to be able to play like he does. lol

[@brockbaldridge7620]

Paul Young I was gonna say the same thing

[@pedroordonez7031]

I would have said it was a passage to Bangkok. But no, it is what you're doing.

[@paulgtarist]

That's an awesome song, too. One of my favorites.

[@Yumaja]

I'm loving this series! Keep them coming!

[@MadNut321]

YES! ANOTHER SERIES WHERE I CAN LEARN FROM JOHN! THANK YOU! Really can't wait for episode 2

[@citrus7115]

Whenever I hear him talk about music, I get so inspired to practice and make music

[@nicolacopetti5265]

when he talks about music u can see pure happyness in his eyes

[@DimitrisNapasOfficial]

John Petrucci is one of my inspirations! I remember myself learning his guitar methods since day one and trying to create my own, based on his playing. It is so nice to see him say how he started playing the guitar.

[@jpej173]

Very lucky times we live in, having interviews from people like him available to us at the click of a mouse.. thank you Guitar World..!

[@DemysMusic]

Plays like a legend and he still is so down to earth🤙🏽

[@Asirianni82]

The rush reference was from the song what you're doing off the fist Rush album called Rush. Same album as working man.

[@blueblaze5160]

What tuning is that beard in?

[@vondoom2876]

Blueblaze5 it's in drop B.

[@bestboy897]

Its in Standard J E S U S S

[@waldotorres8600]

7 string Open God String tuning

[@stax56]

Blueblaze5 drop B

[@garyofalltrades]

Gsus

[@nethbt]

THE grandfather of technical metal soloing

[@priyadeepgiri4501]

Man the classes are just getting better to awesome !! Steve Joe John Oh yeah !! 🤘

[@xGshikamaru]

It doesn’t get easier, you just go faster. It’s fun that this Greg Lemond quote also applies to guitar playing. I’ve spent countless hours trying to learn Overture 1928 and there’s even faster than that. What I find amazing about Dream Theater is how fast they can play in unison, and yet it doesn’t feel robotic like bands playing with a click track like you see with so many bands these days. By far my favorite track is Blind Faith from the Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence album. Towards 8 minutes into the song there’s a unison duo between Jordan and John which still blows my mind to this day. Maintaining an organic feel with such intricate parts is probably the reason why Dream Theater is still by far my favorite band of all time (but Yes is also right up there in my heart). Sorry to sound like a fanboy but I hope there will be more episodes like this one :)

[@nickshutta8351]

Thank you John, this guy can really explain music, just hits the nail on the head

[@josevillarreal4897]

Awesome! Man he seems like such a nice guy.

[@achrafarf1064]

Jose Villarreal actually he's veeeery very humble and respectful and soo polite

[@JAAHUNGHAAM]

Jose Villarreal he is nice guy

[@rejdu8698]

Yees, he is a very good person! He is very nice and firendly. I got to meet him in the Images Words and Beyond Tour. It was a very amazing experience :D

[@MultiDom20]

John is one of my favorite guitarist

[@paulogp4629]

I Love this interview. Great stuff!

[@MirkoFadda]

Awesome John! Always so inspiring. Long live the King!!! 👑

[@anaojeda4880]

Yes

[@fanson1986]

Zero narcissism, such a humble guy!

[@KeleleHead]

I hope Petrucci serie had those little and secret details like Steve's in his episodes, not only to shred, explain some details that nobody knows about him, stuff like that

[@Evangelos2112]

John is the reason I turned into a rush maniac. Alex and John are true guitar innovators.

[@AndiKravljaca]

I love how they've taped over the Marshall logo on the amp in the background, just so absolutely noone gets the wrong idea about what companies JP is affiliated with.

[@gustavolaurenti]

Everytime I watch him i learn something new. Great player and even greater teacher

[@emmalouise6055]

This brilliant .. great interview.. found this guy very impressive!!!!!

[@dachapple]

Excellent video . All the very best . Alan .

[@yorulaney8563]

Hopefully Paul Gilbert will get a guitar method series. But i Feel like Paul is trying to avoid Spotlight lately for some reason.

[@artemisnite]

Same, man! I draw, write, paint and play! I'm trying to make some music that melds with the novel I'm writing. Creation is a compulsion. Thanks for your lessons! I've been loving your work with Guitar World for decades.

[@luisaodograndao3590]

I dont know how there can be dorks that clicked on dislike this vid, John Petrucci is an outstanding musician and a total example of what one of the most advanced musicians in the world should be!!! ;) Rock on!!!

[@caseyjones952]

As a budding guitarist, it’s great to see that even the Masters, like John Petrucci, struggled and had to start somewhere in the beginning...THANKS FOR THE INSPIRATION!!!!!

[@tillpera9559]

He is so cool! Always sharing his knowledge

[@francescoballetta7945]

great musician and also a great person. i love his guitar working

[@tyler_bt3326]

Videos like this are great. It's good to see people who are considered guitar "gods" talk about being a beginner and being clueless. It's inspiring, like if they started the same as you and got where they are, why can't you?

[@eluherlu]

Such a nice person.. Been a long time fan of him not just because his music, but also his personality

[@Heiteinah]

Seeing Petrucci reset his thought process during figure 5 made me feel so happy. Its good to see that even the great ones can occasionally screw it up ever so slightly. I may be mistaken, but I'm fairly confident he did a "wait something happened here lemme redo it" there. Like, when SRV was performing a guitar solo and a string broke and he reset. Different situations I know but you know? Petrucci is awesome, love this guy to death

[@ifabbott]

It is refreshing to see that a guy of his talent went through the same stages of figuring things out the same way I and all other guitar players have done.

[@Voodeville]

19 years of inspiration as for me. Long live John!

[@rafsoc1613]

I noticed all my favs guitarist have Italian last name: Petrucci, Satriani, Vai, Batio, Di Meloa, Gambale, Braido...

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

Amazing sound, amazing guitarist, I could only pray and hope to become 10% as good as this :)

[@istillsuckatguitar]

Finally Guitar World has stopped posting "guitar models" and started concentrating on the great guitarists. Bravo! Nice comeback!

[@rwl6935]

John seems to be a real down to earth guy who didn’t let fame change him. I learned guitar, as I’m sure many others have the same way, and I’m still learning, and hopefully will never stop learning one of the best instruments ever created.

[@tdz69]

How many guitar players can relate to those a-ha moments when first playing. lol. Before KZbin you had records, figuring things out yourself (frequently incorrectly) and seeing other players live to learn a lot of things. When I was learning to play, I remember seeing a local guitarist play the intro riff to Ratt's "Lay it Down" and my head exploded. Lol. The magic of guitar in the formative years is something very special. Nice to hear guys like John share what they went through also. They are human after all haha.

[@pitpride1220]

Oh John, that riff is "What You're Doing",not "Working Man". LOL He'll be mortified he said that, because he's a proper RUSH fan. I'll forgive you. Their earlier stuff kinda ran together. Even RUSH admits that. You're a brilliant guitarist in a brilliant band. Glad we connect on influences. Thanks for having him on!

[@mauro.campitelli]

it's amazing how he's seated literally as page is on that pic behind

[@jametalboy]

what john petrucci said about learning things in guitar that when you see someone do it or when you stumble upon techniques, its quite similar how I discovered things while learning technical things in a guitar. Good guitar player

[@achrafarf1064]

John is my Guitar God ,please do ep2 🤘

[@mikemiller6628]

Great vid.

[@kcarr1021]

I love this and want more

[@nonparticipant4671]

Saw him play with G3 a couple months ago. I thought his set was the best, mostly due to his incredible imagination and dexterity. Seeing a player live is really where you get to see what they can do and what they're about. If you haven't seen him play live yet, you are missing out.

[@Dcba964]

Genius musician, very kind person.

[@jendi56]

This guitar is the epitome of beauty.

[@alonglkr3216]

You didn't chose the guitar! The guitar chose you! 🤘

[@f93278]

We are so fortunate to have KZbin. What we can watch in 5 minutes , it took 5 months for these guys to learn! That's why they are the guitar Gods.

[@lrdstrahd1]

Modern legend of guitar.

[@icemanlee666]

What a great sound that is

[@kenzijeanis]

My first week of playing guitar, my fingertips were in agonizing pain. They weren't used to constantly being pressed against sharp metal strings, but thankfully would go numb after an hour or so of practice. I wouldn't say I'm a good guitarist by any stretch of the definition a year later, but I try to remember how far I've come any time I feel down about what feels like a lack of progress. Anybody who's still in the beginner stages, don't get discouraged!

[@lindjohn5141]

☯️✌️ Thanks a lot. First time i see a video like that... For me its an easy demonstration👆 i explain more : people are very impressed more by the Rock Sound and Metal Sound... in fact the chords are very simple. You have to practice every day if you want to get the quickness out of your hand. And more you will play with you lightly hand , the more you will get a beautiful guitar riff👆✌️ (Greetings from France)

[@gr8guitarplayer]

For me, that little "secret" was discovering how to properly play the intro to "Whole Lotta Love." That 'Oh Wow' moment when you realize you play the D and open E at the same time, and slightly bend the D. Made all the difference.

[@sabnamlama1154]

Legendary heroic guitar player

[@iancox7874]

Is this seriously going to be an ongoing John Petrucci Lesson Lab??? I see “episode 1” up there.. who authorized this EPICNESS???

[@anonymousguitarist9096]

Hes one of my inspiration in life...

[@jorgesguitar]

Awesome jesus interview!

[@egenc4544]

Moreeee!!

[@e.g.systems6146]

Love hearing anything this man has to say about guitar. Especially relate to the "been playing it wrong, then see someone play it right !" thing. When he gets older, I vote him in for Santa Claus of guitar, maybe the world. Beards rule....

[@geraldpasion3378]

john petrucci.. for so many years of hearing and listening to you.. you still speak calm and slow.. and soft.. hehehe! it is like listening to your guitar lessons all over again. :D

[@jannideler496]

Love it

[@ClubXrock]

Hi all, what’s the name of the song that is used on the introduction? Sounds amazing! Thanks from Australia 🇦🇺

[@kirehj_sm]

I look forward a Tosin Abasi's episode :'v PD: what a nice guy and a excelent guitar player

[@guitarmanbr6762]

que bom que tem legenda em português Brasil, obrigado!

[@cosmicsea89]

I remember discovering tremolo picking (with the help of a friend); was like achievement unlocked lol

[@kentcablinda5175]

The king!

[@Yolocraeter]

This tone

[@nikrogalor5749]

Dojo Dodo inijinjijj i j j

[@js100serch]

Praise the tone \ |T| /

[@Oceansideca1987]

So true !!

[@newlife3669]

Wish.. . there's a dime. N sharing his damn fucking awesome cool stuff knowledge of hell solo.. technique N his old memories.. You r always in our hearts man!! Dammm... Respect..for you.. Coolest guitarist ever...Dime

[@RamboNr5]

0:26 well that is a creative term for these people :)

[@NeilRaouf]

john has a good vibe

[@greenleafycabbage8715]

Because you are born for it

[@rickjohnson831]

Peter Framptom album on the back wall...it just goes to show you..you dont have to shred to be good..still one of my favorite albums...John is one cool guy...

[@wolvros6040]

Holy shit I can relate to so much what you said I had the dreams too

[@sithari6136]

Coolest interview ever

[@GeoffBosco]

He's talking about people who are high in trait openness at the beginning of the video. People who are high in openness are always looking to expand the bounds of their horizons and art-especially music-is the easiest way-though not the only-to do that.

[@maximovargas6471]

THE BEST#1

[@MahmoudALMeligy]

The Guy who put his mic, is a fucking Genuisss!!

[@littmus32ify]

I must be JP's twin. This is exactly how I discovered the guitar and how I learned. Only I didn't slow down the record... I would click pause and rewind on the cassette player.

[@lalhmangaihihmar2947]

Hey guys Could anyone tell me the Name of the Solo which is always played in the beginning I can't find which Dream theater Song it is from

[@brettmarlar4154]

That Rush eiff was "What You're Doing".

[@ingakharlinskaya591]

omg, that's how John did it!!

[@rothenrotlinga9106]

Nang ngei hi lo ni e.. Guitar of God

[@fourteencrows1244]

Ghost bend... cool technique. Cooler name

[@ElDuderino502]

We call them creative people.

[@vitornesello]

that disguised marshall in the back though