Eric Johnson - Steves Boogie - Second Half - Guitar Lesson

Ah Via Musicom

1990 1:53

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About Steves Boogie - Second Half

The second half of "Steve's Boogie" is a demanding fingerstyle and flatpicking workout that sits at the heart of what makes Eric Johnson such a precise and musical player. At 120 BPM in E Standard, the piece moves at a clip that exposes every hesitation in your picking hand, so clean articulation is the real challenge here, not just speed. The boogie framework sounds deceptively simple, but Johnson layers rapid single-note runs, chord stabs, and melodic fills in a way that requires the right and left hands to stay tightly synchronized. Pay close attention to where the accents fall within each phrase, because the rhythmic feel is what gives the piece its bounce and forward motion. Isolate the busiest run passages with the Practice Toolbar, looping them slowed down until the notes speak evenly before you bring the tempo back up. Tone clarity is a Johnson hallmark, so keep your fretting-hand pressure consistent and avoid any unwanted string noise throughout.

• The piece sits in E Standard tuning at 120 BPM, meaning even moderate speed demands clean left-right hand synchronization throughout.
• Johnson's signature pick attack and precise muting technique are essential for getting the staccato boogie feel to sit correctly.
• Beginners should isolate individual runs and practice them as small loops before chaining the full second-half sequence together.