He’s played for countless artists. These are the guitar practices John 5 considers most important.
BY JOE BOSSO
ANY GUITARIST WHO can combine country-style chicken pickin’ and hypersonic metal shred is no one-trick pony. Over the course of his career, John 5 has made diversity his calling card, and his six-string services have been called upon by a wide range of artists, including k.d. lang, Marilyn Manson, Wilson Phillips, Lynyrd Skynyrd, David Lee Roth, Rick Springfield and Salt-N-Pepa, among others. Until recently, he held down the spot as Rob Zombie’s ace guitar wizard (during which time he also issued a series of popular solo albums), but in late 2022 John 5 joined Mötley Crüe after founding member Mick Mars announced his decision to quit touring.
“From the time I picked up the guitar, I wanted to learn as many different styles as I could,” John 5 says. “I had my heart set on being a being a session guitarist, so I wanted to be able to play anything that anyone asked. I’ve always been intrigued by people who could do something really well, whether it was in sports or painting or filmmaking or music. There was a certain level of proficiency I set for myself, and I made it a point to study as much as possible.”
But while mastering multiple styles of music has worked for him, John 5 recognizes that such an approach might not be right for everyone. “You’ve got to do what you love,” he says. “Maybe you’re so into the blues that it’s all you want to play, and you don’t care about anything else. That’s great – follow your passion. Be the best blues guitarist you can be. You know what’s in your heart, so go for it.”
Whether you’re looking to be an “anything goes” guitarist or a specialist in one area, check out these choice pieces of wisdom from the Tele-totin’ virtuoso.
1 PRACTICE – BUT MAKE IT FUN
“It’s so important to make practice an enjoyable pursuit, especially when you’re just starting out. Inspiration is key to having fun when learning an instrument. If you’re a guitar teacher, instead of giving students some scales or ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ right off the bat, try to find out what they like. Maybe there’s a student who’s wearing an AC/DC shirt. Perfect! Teach him ‘Highway to Hell’ and watch his eyes light up. He’ll be so excited that he’ll never want to put the instrument down again.
“I’m kind of different from a lot of players, because I was just so obsessed with the guitar when I was starting out – and still am. I wa
