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, ch... (more)
John currently offers 41 guitar lessons at JamPlay, with 4 song lessons and 37 lessons in our Artist Series.
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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.
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.
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0.0 Difficulty
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.
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
In this lesson, John takes a look at the unique way that George used octaves in his playing.
11:25 Runtime
2.5 Difficulty
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
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
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
Join John as he covers George's country style as exhibited in the 64'-65' time period.
17:59 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
Continue to explore the Beatle's country style as found in their songs, Act Naturally or What Goes On.
26:00 Runtime
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In this lesson, John explores some of George's rockabilly style playing.
17:31 Runtime
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Join John as he continues to explore George's Carl Perkins inspired rockabilly style.
7:12 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
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
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
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
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
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
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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
John continues to explore George's Indian influence, especially focused on recreating the sound of a sitar.
16:52 Runtime
3.5 Difficulty
In this lesson, John continues to explore the Indian/Sitar style as applied to electric guitar.
9:17 Runtime
3.5 Difficulty
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
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
Join John as he explores a few more methods to achieve a backwards or reverse guitar sound.
14:00 Runtime
3.0 Difficulty
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
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
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
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
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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