Show Notes
Noel Johnston joins Playback Sessions for a thoughtful conversation about exploration, 2-5-1 thinking, Mick Goodrick’s influence, and why memorizing licks isn’t enough. This episode dives into curiosity, harmonic awareness, and approaching guitar as a lifelong study.
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📍 Chapters: 00:00 – Intro at The Woodshed Guitar Experience 00:45 – Rethinking Common Progressions 02:30 – Why Exploration Beats Memorization 04:10 – Learning From Listening Deeply 05:50 – Thinking in Harmonic Movement 07:15 – Breaking Out of Scale Boxes 08:45 – Developing Musical Curiosity 10:20 – Teaching Through Demonstration 12:05 – Exploration as Practice 13:40 – Mick Goodrick’s Influence 15:10 – “The Advancing Guitarist” 16:45 – Moving Beyond Patterns 18:20 – Modern Jazz Language 19:55 – How to Study Differently 22:45 – Final Thoughts
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📍 Filmed live at @woodshedguitarexperience - Crossville, TN 🎥 Host: Spencer Handley Guest: Noel Johnston Editors: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser Executive Producers: Spencer Handley Camera/Sound: Mitch Goudy
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