Mark Lettieri's Unconventional Guitar Practice Method

Guitar virtuoso Mark Lettieri (Snarky Puppy, Fearless Flyers) joins Playback Sessions at Carter Vintage Guitars to talk about groove, tone, and the creative mindset behind his playing. From why he doesn’t follow a strict practice routine to how he developed his rhythm-first approach, Mark shares rare insight into building feel, navigating genres, and writing music that grooves. He also breaks down his solo record Can I Tell You Something and the story behind the “Shimmy Tiger”, his latest funky feline alter ego. 🚀 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: Mark Lettieri joins Playback 00:15 – Why he doesn’t have a practice routine 02:45 – Developing groove and timing beyond metronomes 06:20 – Playing with Snarky Puppy & Fearless Flyers 10:30 – Tone talk: his pedalboard and dynamic control 15:00 – Writing process & recording workflow 18:50 – How to build “feel” in rhythm guitar 22:15 – Finding creative flow without overthinking 27:40 – On gear, strings, and chasing tone 30:10 – The story behind his solo album Can I Tell You Something 34:54 – The Shimmy Tiger artwork & his cat alter ego 🐅 35:31 – Closing thoughts + outro jam 🎸 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: Mark Lettieri Editor: Carl Reeverts Executive Producers: Spencer Handley Camera/Sound: Mitch Goudy #PlaybackSessions #SpencerHandley #CarterVintageGuitar #SonoraGuitarIntensive #MarkLettieri #SnarkyPuppy #FunkGuitar #RhythmGuitar #PRSFiore #PRSGuitars #FearlessFlyers #GuitarLesson #GospelGuitar #RnBGuitar #GuitarTone #MusicTheory