Playback Sessions

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Six-time Grammy Award winner and legendary producer John Leventhal joins Playback Sessions in New York for a rare look behind 40 years of instinct-driven production. A masterclass on restraint and finding your musical identity, he breaks down the hard lessons he learned along the way.

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00:00 – Intro

1:19 — The Hardest Record He's Ever Made

5:01 — Making a Solo Album During the Pandemic

7:42 — Being the Artist for the First Time

9:05 — Why He Deleted His Best Guitar Take

13:11 — How He Learned to Do Less

18:39 — Performance: Original Hymn

25:40 — I Never Practiced

29:44 — The Epiphany That Changed His Career

35:28 — Why Chasing Hits Always Fails

40:04 — Hybrid Picking and Vintage Acoustics

45:36 — Good Time Trumps Everything

52:22 — Playing Behind Ry Cooder

1:00:38 — The 8-Year Broadway Musical That Got Killed

1:03:08 — Thoughts on AI and Modern Music

🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials:

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions

-YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions

-Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast

-Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast

🎥 Host: Spencer Handley

Guest: John Leventhal

Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser

Executive Producer: Spencer Handley

Camera/Sound: Moti Margolin

#JohnLeventhal #PlaybackSessions #SpencerHandley #CarterVintageGuitar #SonoraGuitarIntensive #MusicProduction #Songwriting #AcousticGuitar #VintageGuitar #RosanneCash #ShawnColvin #AmericanaMusic #GuitarLesson #MusicTheory

Oz Noy, a Berklee professor and NYC veteran joins Playback Sessions for a masterclass on finding your unique voice in a crowded room. From the terrifying reality of his first nights in the NYC jazz scene to the brutal decision to sell his prized Gibson 175 to survive it, the Berklee professor holds nothing back.

🚀 Book a Free Skills Assessment with Sonora.

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👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more.

https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570

⏱️ Free Tool for looping videos on YouTube and Instagram

https://looper.sonoraintensive.com/

00:00 – Intro

01:36 – The Pat Metheny Show That Made Him Quit School

03:12 – Why He Moved to New York at 24

05:02 – The Intimidation of the NYC Jazz Scene

06:22 – Selling the Gibson 175 to Find His Voice

08:54 – Jamming with Eric Johnson and Warren Haynes

11:01 – The Night He Played Eric Johnson's Rig

14:33 – Early Influences: Al Di Meola & George Benson

17:22 – How He Approaches Harmony

19:12 – The Deepest Lesson from Pat Martino

22:34 – The Missing Skill in 95% of Guitar Students

27:16 – Playing "Outside" vs. Playing Colors

31:18 – Think in Numbers, Not Note Names

38:43 – What a Master Practices Today

40:38 – The Endless Chase for Mastery

🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials:

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions

-YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions

-Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast

-Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast

🎥 Host: Spencer Handley

Guest: Oz Noy

Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser

Executive Producer: Spencer Handley

Camera/Sound: Moti Margolin

#OzNoy #JazzGuitar #GuitarLesson #JazzImprovisation #GuitarTechnique #BerkleeGuitar #MusicTheory #PlaybackSessions #GuitarPlayer #LearnGuitar

Patreon CEO Jack Conte joins Playback Sessions and addresses the existential threat generative AI poses to the creative economy. After facilitating over $11 billion in payouts to creators, Conte details the raw reality of discovering generative models scraping and cloning his band's signature sound without consent, credit, or compensation.

🚀 Book a Free Skills Assessment with Sonora.

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👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more.

https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570

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0:00:00 – Opening

0:01:27 – Creators Have Earned $11 Billion on Patreon

0:02:08 – It Feels Like Resetting the Scoreboard to Zero

0:02:29 – A New Way to Take Advantage of Creative People

0:03:25 – Hopeful for Solutions: Products, Legislation, Demand

0:03:40 – Creators Take a Right Hook and Have to Bleed

0:05:09 – The Batching Secret: 100 Music Videos a Year

0:06:05 – Jack's Superpower: Improvising on the Spot

0:16:39 – Acting in Accordance With What He Believes

0:17:01 – The Silent Films Analogy: 1927 and What It Means Now

0:18:51 – 50,000 Musicians Lost Their Jobs in Three Years

0:19:52 – "Canned Music": The Campaign Against Recorded Sound

0:21:43 – Patreon Will Be Dead in 3 Years. 100%. Dead.

🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials:

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions

-YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions

-Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast

-Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast

🎥 Host: Spencer Handley

Guest: Jack Conte

Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser

Executive Producer: Spencer Handley

##JackConte #PatreonCEO #AIandMusic #CreatorEconomy #PlaybackSessions #Pomplamoose #ScaryPockets #AICreativity #MusicAndTechnology #MusicBusiness #CreatorRights #FutureOfMusic #AITraining #IndependentMusician #MusicPodcast #SilentFilms #Patreon #MusicianLife #AIDebate #JackConteInterview # Sonora

Guitar legend Al Di Meola joins Playback Sessions to deconstruct the surreal launch of his career: from the LSD-fueled demo tape, to a sold-out Carnegie Hall debut at just 19 years old. He breaks down his strict compositional rules, explains why modern technology is destroying guitar progress, and reveals the untold history behind the legendary Guitar Trio with Paco de Lucía and John McLaughlin.

🚀 Book a Free Skills Assessment with Sonora.

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👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more.

https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570

⏱️ Free Tool for looping videos on YouTube and Instagram

https://looper.sonoraintensive.com/

00:00 – Opening

0:01:01 – Al Was a Berkeley Student Who Loved Return to Forever

0:03:52 – Slipped Acid on New Year's Eve: The origin of the legendary demo

0:04:52 – Michael Finds Chick Corea's Management With One Phone Number

0:05:20 – Chick Calls Al at Berkeley: No Tryout. Just Come.

0:06:55 – Practice Practice Practice? No — Acid Acid Acid

0:07:11 – I Was 19 and Definitely Not Ready

0:09:31 – Imposter Syndrome Playing With Jazz Legends

0:11:12 – Recording Next Door to John Lennon

0:16:03 – Finding Paco de Lucía in a Madrid Record Shop

0:20:33 – Forming the Guitar Trio With McLaughlin and Paco

0:24:48 – Hybrid Picking: How Al Developed His Right Hand

0:48:11 – "You Can Never Start With A Melody"

1:04:19 – The Problem With Modern Shredders

1:17:15 – Bruce Springsteen Surprised Everyone in Minneapolis

1:20:30 – Searching For The Unreleased Acid Tape

🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials:

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions

-YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions

-Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast

-Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast

📍 Filmed at Al Di Meola's home studio

🎥 Host: Spencer Handley

Guest: Al Di Meola

Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser

Executive Producer: Spencer Handley

Camera/Sound: Moti Margolin

#AlDiMeola #ReturnToForever #ChickCorea #PacoDeLucia #JohnMcLaughlin #FusionGuitar #GuitarInterview #PlaybackSessions #JazzGuitar #GuitarTechnique #HybridPicking #FlamencGuitar #MusicHistory #GuitarPodcast #CarnegieHall #FridayNightInSanFrancisco #GuitarLegend #SpencerHandley #CarterVintage #GuitarCulture #Sonora

Mentor: Robb Cappelletto who taught Billy Strings joins Playback Sessions to share the teaching philosophy behind one of the greatest players alive and why most guitar teachers are wasting their students' time.

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https://www.learnwithsonora.com/skills-assessment?source=robb-video

👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more.

https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570

⏱️ Free Tool for looping videos on YouTube and Instagram

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00:08 – Opening: Billy Strings' Secret Teacher Revealed

00:21 – Robb: I Practiced More for Billy's Lesson Than My Own

01:22 – Goal: Teaching Students to Teach Themselves

02:25 – Good Teachers vs Bad Teachers

04:07 – I Am Both Your Boss and Your Student

05:18 – Nothing Bothers Me More Than "Because I Said So"

08:17 – Billy's First Lesson: What Rob Discovered

10:38 – Robb's Morning Practice Routine

16:02 – How Robb Structures Billy's Learning Journey

18:13 – The Spiral Method Explained

22:23 – The Biggest Misconception About Practice

28:49 – Why Theory as a Starting Point Creates Boring Players

30:44 – Time Is the Most Important Thing on Any Instrument

33:13 – The 8% Speed Rule: Ego Is What Stops You

🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials:

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions

-YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions

-Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast

-Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast

📍 Filmed live at Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee.

🎥 Host: Spencer Handley

Guest: Robb Cappelletto (Billy Strings' Guitar Mentor)

Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser

Executive Producer: Spencer Handley

Camera/Sound: Mitch Goudy

#BillyStrings #GuitarLesson #PlaybackSessions #GuitarTeacher #GuitarTechnique #LearnGuitar #GuitarPractice #MusicEducation #EarTraining #GuitarTips #BluegrassGuitar #TimeAndTone #GuitarPhilosophy #MusicPodcast #GuitarImprovisation #PracticeRoutine #SonoraGuitarIntensive #SpencerHandley #CarterVintage #GuitarCulture #RobbCappelletto

Patreon CEO Jack Conte joins Playback Sessions and reveals the brutal reality of navigating a multi-billion-dollar tech platform through an era of total disruption. After building a network that has paid out over $11 billion to online creators over the last 13 years, Jack pulls back the curtain on the chaotic operational realities of executive leadership.

🚀 Book a Free Skills Assessment with Sonora.

https://www.learnwithsonora.com/skills-assessment

👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more.

https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570

⏱️ InstaLoop Pro:

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00:00 – Intro

01:04 – Welcome: Jack Returns to His Old Stomping Grounds

01:41 – Life Now: Patreon, Pomplamoose & Scary Pockets

02:40 – The Reality of CEO Burnout (Feeling Underwater)

04:50 – Jack's "Brain Dump" System to Not Lose His Mind

06:28 – The EA Firewall That Makes Everything Possible

07:40 – Batched Production: 100 Music Videos a Year

10:55 – Jack's Superpower: Improvising in the Studio

19:19 – Band vs. Boardroom: What Actually Translates?

23:05 – I Feel Like I Broke Out of Jail

27:36 – Going to War With the Algorithm

30:17 – "We Are Lab Rats" (The Social Media Crisis)

43:15 – Why Jack Switched From ChatGPT to Claude

46:55 – How AI Dropped Jack's Cholesterol 40 Points

57:57 – The Silent Films Analogy & What AI Means for Music

1:03:08 – Survive or Die: Why Creators Must Adapt to AI

🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials:

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions

-YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions

-Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast

-Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast

🎥 Host: Spencer Handley

Guest: Jack Conte

Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser

Executive Producer: Spencer Handley

#JackConte #CreatorEconomy #MusicBusiness #AI #Patreon #ScaryPockets #MusicProduction #SocialMediaAlgorithm #IndependentArtist #PlaybackSessions #TechCEO #MusicPodcast #PlaybackSessions #Pomplamoose #JackConteInterview

Jedd Hughes, one of the most respected songwriter-players in the business joins Playback Sessions for a cinematic conversation behind the career nobody fully knows.

🚀 Book a Free Skills Assessment with Sonora.

https://www.learnwithsonora.com/skills-assessment

👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more.

https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570

⏱️ Free Tool for looping videos on YouTube and Instagram

https://looper.sonoraintensive.com/

00:00 – Intro

02:11 – Guitar Party: The Night That Almost Broke Me

04:52 – Selling Out NYC & Chicago Through YouTube

07:26 – Guitar Party Songwriting: One Song a Day

11:48 – Moving to Nashville With $800

13:07 – Bought All 10 Patty Loveless Albums for the Audition

16:30 – The Hootenanny Tour & Meeting His Heroes

23:51 – How Jedd Got the Vince Gill Gig

31:49 – What Playing With Vince Gill Taught Me

40:27 – Night Shades: Making a Record in Isolation

41:42 – Writing With Guy Clark for 10 Years

43:50 – Live Performance: Love and You Is the Only Way to Fly

48:07 – The Songwriting Process Explained

55:38 – The D-Tuning Trick That Unlocks New Ideas

1:22:55 – Vince Gill Gave Me Danny Gatton's Guitar

🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials:

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions

-YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions

-Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast

-Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast

📍 Filmed live at Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee.

🎥 Host: Spencer Handley

Guest: Jedd Hughes

Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser

Executive Producer: Spencer Handley

Camera/Sound: Mitch Goudy

#PlaybackSessions #SpencerHandley #CarterVintageGuitar #SonoraGuitarIntensive #JeddHughes #VinceGill #Songwriting #AcousticGuitar #NashvilleSessions #DannyGatton #GuitarLesson #AIinMusic #RodneyCrowell #GrandOleOpry

Marty Schwartz, possibly the most-watched guitar teacher on the planet joins Playback Sessions for an honest conversation about what it really takes to learn guitar, build a career from scratch, and why 30 years later he's still going back to the pentatonic scale.

🚀 Book a Free Skills Assessment with Sonora.

https://www.learnwithsonora.com/skills-assessment

👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more.

https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570

⏱️ Free Tool for looping videos on YouTube and Instagram

https://looper.sonoraintensive.com/

0:00 - The Joy of Playing Guitar

1:25 - The Biggest Mistake Beginner Guitarists Make

6:10 - The "Five Minutes a Day" Practice Rule

11:45 - The "Land of A7" and Chord Substitutions

20:25 - Top 5 Pentatonic Blues Licks

26:20 - The "Rockstar Bend" and Extending the Scale

28:45 - The Dickey Betts Transition Lick

31:40 - Why Marty Stayed Independent (And Producing Masterclasses)

40:00 - The Search for Inspado & Marcus King

46:40 - Seeing His Picture on the Carter Vintage Wall of Fame

49:05 - The Unbelievable Encounter with Slash

🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials:

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions

-YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions

-Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast

-Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast

📍 Filmed live at Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee.

🎥 Host: Spencer Handley

Guest: Marty Schwartz

Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser

Executive Producer: Spencer Handley

Camera/Sound: Mitch Goudy

#PlaybackSessions #SpencerHandley #CarterVintageGuitar #SonoraGuitarIntensive #MartySchwartz #MartyMusic #GuitarLesson #PentatonicScale #BluesGuitar #Slash #GunsNRoses #BeginnerGuitar #GuitarTheory #DickeyBetts

Corey Congilio joins Playback Sessions for a masterclass in the one concept that unlocks more interesting blues playing. Plus the real story of how Corey went from getting fired in Nashville to building a career entirely on his own terms.

🚀 Book a Free Skills Assessment with Sonora.

https://www.learnwithsonora.com/skills-assessment

👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more.

https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570

⏱️ Free Tool for looping videos on YouTube and Instagram

https://looper.sonoraintensive.com/

📍 Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

02:13 – Getting Into Music at Age 13

05:19 – Surviving Cancer & Choosing Guitar

08:33 – Nashville Baptism by Fire & Getting Fired

10:26 – The Fishman Demo Breakthrough

21:54 – Forced Into Being an Artist

24:50 – The Blues EP & Recording at Blackbird

28:06 – Advice for Musicians in 2026

33:51 – Arpeggios: The Pass Key to Everything

36:00 – Mixing Arpeggios With Pentatonic

37:26 – Arpeggio Substitutions Over Dominant Chords

40:07 – D Minor 7 Over G7 Explained

49:47 – Applying It to Funk & One-Chord Grooves

53:16 – Barry Harris Pivot Technique & Robben Ford

54:11 – Working Class Guitar & What's Coming Next

🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials:

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions

-YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions

-Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast

-Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast

📍 Filmed live at Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee.

🎥 Host: Spencer Handley

🔥Guest: Corey Congilio

Editor: Carl Reeverts

Executive Producer: Spencer Handley

Camera/Sound: Mitch Goudy

#CoreyConglio #BluesGuitar #PlaybackSessions #SpencerHandley #CarterVintageGuitar #SonoraGuitarIntensive #GuitarLesson #BluesImprovisation #GuitarTechnique #WorkingGuitarist #MusicCareer #GuitarPodcast #Arpeggios

Megan and Rebecca Lovell of Larkin Poe join Playback Sessions for one of the most honest conversations we've had on the show. Two sisters, one band, fifteen years of label deals, genre pivots, and near-breakdowns on the road

🚀 Book a Free Skills Assessment with Sonora.

https://www.learnwithsonora.com/skills-assessment

👇 Want to go deeper? Join the Playback Sessions community for tabs, breakdowns, and more.

https://www.skool.com/playback-community-9570

⏱️ Free Tool for looping videos on YouTube and Instagram

https://looper.sonoraintensive.com/

📍 Chapters:

00:00 – Intro

01:05 – Touring While Pregnant

05:27 – Early Musical Background

07:00 – Transition from Classical to Bluegrass

10:11 – Going Electric & Finding Their Sound

15:49 – Label Experience & Creative Control

17:43 – Starting Their Own Label

26:18 – Authenticity vs Industry Expectations

28:04 – The "Small Batch" Mindset

34:30 – Writing "Little Bit"

39:42 – AI vs Human Imperfection

43:51 – Imposter Syndrome & Practice

49:48 – Learning Through Covers

54:11 – Grammy Win & What Changed

1:12:06 – T-Bone, Tyler Bryant & What's Next

🎸 Follow Playback Sessions on socials:

-Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playbacksessions/

-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playbacksessions

-YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Playback-Sessions

-Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@playbacksessionspodcast

-Spotify: @ Playback Sessions Podcast

📍 Filmed live at Carter Vintage Guitars in Nashville, Tennessee.

🎥 Host: Spencer Handley

🔥Guest: Larkin Poe (Megan Lovell + Rebecca Lovell)

Editor: Carl Reeverts, Clayton Hopkins, Evan Bowser

Executive Producer: Spencer Handley

Camera/Sound: Mitch Goudy

#PlaybackSessions #SpencerHandley #CarterVintageGuitar #SonoraGuitarIntensive #LarkinPoe #BluesRock #AmericanaMusic #IndependentArtist #LapSteel #GuitarLesson #Songwriting #ElvisCostello #MusicBusiness #RootsRock #GrammyWinner #Megan Lovell #Rebecca Lovell