Eric Johnson - Manhattan - 2nd Solo - Guitar Lesson

About Manhattan - 2nd Solo

The second solo in "Manhattan" sits at 120 BPM in A minor, and it demands the kind of clean, articulate single-note phrasing that Eric Johnson is known for in the Progressive Rock world. E Standard tuning keeps things familiar, but the challenge is entirely in execution: Johnson's pick attack is extremely controlled, and any sloppiness in fretting or picking hand synchronization will stand out immediately against the song's polished backdrop. Pay close attention to how the solo breathes, since Johnson tends to mix flurries of fast notes with more spacious melodic lines, and nailing that contrast is what makes the part feel musical rather than mechanical. The fast runs in particular are worth isolating in the Practice Toolbar, slowing them down until every note is even before bringing the tempo back up. Focus on the cleanliness of each note, especially on string changes, where muting unwanted strings is one of the trickier aspects of playing in Johnson's style.

• Johnson's picking technique requires very deliberate muting of adjacent strings, making this solo a strong exercise in right-hand string control.
• At 120 BPM in A minor, the solo blends fast scalar runs with lyrical phrasing, so practice both feels separately before combining them.
• Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the busiest passages slowed down, ensuring each note speaks cleanly before pushing back toward full tempo.