Eric Johnson - Steves Boogie Pt.2 - Second Half - Guitar Lesson

About Steves Boogie Pt.2 - Second Half

Boogie playing at 120 BPM in E Standard might sound approachable on paper, but Eric Johnson brings a level of picking articulation and note separation to this kind of material that exposes every sloppy attack. The second half of "Steve's Boogie Pt.2" sits squarely in the Blues Rock tradition, but Johnson's right-hand precision and clean phrasing push it well beyond a simple boogie shuffle. Focus on keeping your pick strokes controlled and even across the strings, because at this tempo any inconsistency in dynamics becomes obvious. The walking bass figures and melodic runs that characterise Johnson's boogie style require your fretting hand to stay relaxed so the notes ring clearly rather than clamping out. Identify the run or turnaround phrase that trips you up most, set up a tight A/B loop on the Practice Toolbar, and work it slowed down until the muscle memory is solid before bringing it back to 120 BPM.

• E Standard tuning keeps the full resonance of open strings available, which Johnson uses to let certain notes ring while moving up the neck.
• At 120 BPM the boogie figures demand consistent alternate picking with clean note separation, so right-hand control is the core technical challenge here.
• Use the Practice Toolbar to slow down any fast scalar or turnaround passages and build accuracy before returning to full tempo.