Style of George Harrison

Artist Series Guitar Course from John Auker

John Auker takes a look at the style of George Harrison in the early years of the Beatles' career. From his gear to his influences, John dives into what made George one of a kind.

37 Lessons

Complete course with step-by-step lessons and practice examples.

Multi-Camera

Course filmed with 6 cameras for the perfect angles.

85% Appoval

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Full Course Breakdown

Join John Auker as he dissects what made George Harrison a true rock pioneer.

1

Series Introduction

JamPlay welcomes back John Auker for a series on what made George Harrison such a unique player in the rock pantheon. John's position as "George" in the Beatles tribute band Hard Day's Night gives him a unique perspective on the guitar legend.

5:36 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

2

Gear and Tone

What made George Harrison's early Beatles sound so distinct? John Auker takes a look at some of the gear that George used in the Beatles' early days.

14:38 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

3

Chuck Berry Influence - Part 1

Chuck Berry's playing was a huge influence on George Harrison. In this lesson, John Auker looks specifically at certain Chuck Berry style double stop techniques that George employed.

7:48 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

4

Chuck Berry Influence - Part 2

John continues to explore Chuck Berry's influence on George Harrison's early playing by taking a look at specific melodic lines George might have employed.

9:18 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

5

Country Influence

Another huge influence on George's playing were the country styles of Chet Atkins, Carl Perkins, and Buck Owens. Through an original composition in this lesson, John Auker looks at some of the hallmarks of those influences on George's playing, including sixth intervals and hybrid picking.

12:47 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

6

Combo Techniques

Now, John Auker shows us what it sounds like when George blends a number of his influences into one solo.

10:00 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

7

Beatles Style Riff Building

Ever wonder how the Beatles came up with some of their iconic riffs? John Auker has studied some of the Beatles' most classic riffs, and has discovered some of the keys to helping you build your own!

18:47 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

8

Indian/Droning Solo Concepts

Indian music influenced George Harrison a great deal. Not only did George play the sitar on a number of Beatles' songs, but it also influenced how he played the guitar. John Auker shows us a simple yet effective way to integrate this sound into our own playing.

7:55 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

9

A Very "Raunchy" Lesson

Have you ever wondered how George joined the Beatles? In this lesson, John tells the story and demonstrates the song that got him in.

6:08 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

10

George's Blues Lick Library, Part 1

In this lesson, we're taking a look at George's bluesy early days, through the eyes of songs such as Long, Tall Sally, I'm Down, Roll Over Beethoven and the like.

17:55 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

11

George's Blues Lick Library, Part 2

In this lesson, John teaches 3 new Harrison style licks over the second section of the 12-Bar Blues.

17:40 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

12

George's Blues Lick Library, Part 3

Moving on to the last section of the 12-Bar Blues, John teaches 3 new licks that can be used over the turnaround.

13:49 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

13

Mixing and Matching the Blues Lick Library

Taking the licks learned in the last few lessons, John demonstrates how to mix and match them over 12-Bar Blues.

4:34 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

14

Using Octaves in Beatles Pop Tunes

In this lesson, John takes a look at the unique way that George used octaves in his playing.

11:25 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

15

In the Style of "From Me to You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

Taking our octaves into the world of the Beatles, we are going to learn a song reminiscent of From Me To You an I Want To Hold Your Hand.

16:05 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

16

More Options for Octaves

We aren't done with octaves! In this lesson, we'll look at how to incorporate open strings in with octaves to create an even richer sound.

11:41 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

17

Beatles Ballad in the Style of "And I Love Her"

George especially excelled at playing ballads. In this lesson, John walks through some arpeggios and melody lines in the style of "And I Love Her."

12:37 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

18

Beatle's Country Style, Part 1

Join John as he covers George's country style as exhibited in the 64'-65' time period.

17:59 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

19

Beatle's Country Style, Part 2

Continue to explore the Beatle's country style as found in their songs, Act Naturally or What Goes On.

26:00 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

20

George's Rockabilly Style, Part 1

In this lesson, John explores some of George's rockabilly style playing.

17:31 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

21

George's Rockabilly Style, Part 2

Join John as he continues to explore George's Carl Perkins inspired rockabilly style.

7:12 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

22

Boys Will Be Boys

In this lesson, John explores a George's more aggressive rock style. Think Mersey beat era with a little surf rock mixed in.

8:46 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

23

George's Jazzy Solos

In the show tune vein of Till There Was You, John explores the jazzy side of George's playing.

10:25 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

24

Going Nowhere

In this lesson, John takes a look at the chord soloing style found in mid-Beatle's era songs, primarily the style found on the album, Rubber Soul.

12:54 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

25

Complimentary George

Rhythm guitar never gets as much attention as lead playing, but it's just as vital to the musical landscape. In this lesson, John examines some of the background work that George did when he wasn't playing the lead part.

8:58 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

26

George's Chord Shapes

Bring some new flavor to your favorite chords by exploring some of the possible shapes used by George Harrison and the Beatles.

7:41 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

27

George's Integration of Indian Scales

In this lesson John teaches a mixolydian pentatonic scale, similar to a minor pentatonic scale, that is reminiscent of an Indian music sound.

8:53 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

28

Indian/Sitar Basics - Part 1

John continues to explore George's Indian influence, especially focused on recreating the sound of a sitar.

16:52 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

29

Indian/Sitar Basics - Part 2

In this lesson, John continues to explore the Indian/Sitar style as applied to electric guitar.

9:17 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

30

More Indian Style

In this final lesson focused on George's Indian influence, John continues to demystify the Indian scales and explore how they fit within George's playing.

14:30 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

31

Backwards Guitar - Part 1

In this lesson, John examines some methods for achieving a backwards, or reversed guitar sound, primarily in a live setting.

12:59 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

32

Backwards Guitar - Part 2

Join John as he explores a few more methods to achieve a backwards or reverse guitar sound.

14:00 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

33

The Later Era: Style of Back in the USSR

In this lesson, John takes a look at some of George's later work, in the vein of the White Album.

9:29 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

34

The Later Era: Rhythmic Arpeggios

In this lesson John examines George's use of arpeggios, in the style of songs such as I Want You, She's So Heavy, or Badge.

9:05 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

35

The Later Era: It Shall Be

In this lesson, examine some more of George's later work in a melodic style reminiscent of the song Let It Be.

18:05 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

36

Something Like George

The song, Something, contains what may be George's most iconic solo. In this lesson, John is going to explore what makes it great and how to reproduce it.

16:50 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

37

George's Slide Work

Continuing to look at George's later work, John examines his slide guitar style as heard in the song Marwa Blues.

19:57 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

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Hard Days Night

  • Columbus, OH
  • Playing since 1990
  • 72 lessons at JamPlay
John Auker began studying music at the age of ten, starting on violin and moving to guitar two years later. His parents enrolled him in guitar lessons at age 12, and they luckily found a great teacher from the start. They stuck with his first instructor, Shawn Bradshaw for six years. At first, Mr. Bradshaw guided John through his favorite songs by Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Nirvana, Santana and Stevie Ray Vaughan. After a couple years the lessons got tougher, challenging John to expand his knowledge of scales, chord shapes, music theory and improvisation, ultimately priming him for study at the collegiate level. As his passion for music developed throughout his teens, John found opportunities to play guitar with his middle school orchestra, his high school jazz band, indoor drumline, and church worship bands, where he was additionally called upon to play bass. In 2001, Auker continued his musical training with Stan Smith and Karl Wohlwend at the Capital University Conservatory of Music. The years spent with Stan and Karl at Capital made John into a complete, professional and mature musician. Shortly before graduating Cum Laude with a B.M. in Jazz Studies/Contemporary Guitar performance in 2005, he received outstanding recognition from the Elmhurst Jazz Festival for his performance with the Capital University Big Band. In the summer of 2009, John auditioned for the role of George Harrison in Hard Day’s Night, landing the job just in time to play his debut show in November that year. In addition to his role as George in Hard Day’s Night, he remains an active participant in the Columbus local music community, playing and recording with various groups. Auker has previously played with Vaughn Wiester’s Famous Jazz Orchestra, Stan Smith and Nova Madrugada, Steve Houghton, and Grammy nominated singers, Jeff Anderson and Sarah Kelly. He has appeared with Hard Day’s Night on ABC’s News 8 Daybreak in Dallas, TX. John serves regularly at Grove City Nazarene, Vineyard Columbus, and Upper Arlington Lutheran Church, three of the largest congregations in the Columbus area. Auker has done studio work for Jeff Anderson’s In the Shadow, and Sinclair Broadcast Group’s jingle “Good Day Columbus.” Most recently, John contributed all of the electric guitar parts on Noelle Shearer's 2013 release, Speak to Me. Aside from discovering and listening to new and inspiring music, John enjoys music-related projects such as refinishing/repairing guitars, songwriting and recording. He also enjoys spending quiet time around the house with his wife, Megan and physical activity-exercising, riding bikes or playing on the playground with his daughter, Nora. Offering private instruction for guitar, ukulele, bass and mandolin, Auker maintains a full teaching schedule at Music & Arts Center in Worthington, OH, and the Guitar House Workshop in Upper Arlington, OH. John is happy to join the JamPlay team and hopes that he can help others find joy in creativity as they continue their musical journey.

Reviews & Feedback 85/100 with 66 ratings
philman

Good and clear. Good knowledge of subject.

daveedgeguitar

Love it! We need more George Harrison, lol! How about the Cloud Nine lp. Yes, I said lp, I'm old, lol!

jmarino8

Love the sound of the early Beatles which George Harrison's style of playing really defined.

bpfarman

Nice look at the early chops of rock and roll.

Fallphantom

Very interesting things I did not know.