Allan Holdsworth A style apart Guitar Player, December 1982 Tom Mulhern ouncin!

"rom one band to another, album by album, was once the rule rather than the e#ception "or Allan Holdsworth$ Moments o" brilliance le"t in his wa%e on &Ps by 'a(( and pro!ressi)e roc% artists includin! Tony *illiams &i"etime, Gon!, +$,$, -ean.&uc Ponty, /o"t Machine, and ru"ord created "or Holdsworth a reputation almost e#clusi)ely as a soloist$ His presence on some o" the recordin!s was by and lar!e similar to that o" a sa#ophonist0 sittin! out and waitin! until it was time to "ill a certain number o" bars with a "lurry o" creati)ity$ Holdsworth1s chordal abilities were rarely showcased, and because strict limits o"ten !o)erned his approach, he !rew tired o" his role as a mercenary soloist$ Allan1s renown was "airly limited as well0 *ith the e#ception o" Ponty and +$,$, "ew o" the musical amal!ams in which he participated e)er recei)ed much attention in the +$/$ Despite )irtual in)isibility in the pop music world at lar!e, Allan, throu!h his uni2ue sound and stron!ly independent approach, became a touchstone "or many !uitarists$ Amon! lead players, 3Allan Holdsworth3 had ele)ated to a bu(( word .. i" you wanted to per% your ears up, he was the one to listen to$ 4e!ardin! his sheer indi)iduality, one mi!ht concei)ably cate!ori(e Allan Holdsworth with the li%es o" 5huc% erry, 6ric 5lapton, -imi Hendri#, or -ohn Mc&au!hlin$ Althou!h no artist is utterly without in"luences, these !uitarists in"used their wor% with so much ori!inality that they created whole new styles$ *hile Holdsworth has certainly not yet achie)ed the worldwide commercial success o" the others, his musical )oice is so uni2ue that it may be best de"ined in terms o" itsel"0 More than 'ust a !i"ted artist popular amon! his "ellow musicians, he ori!inated what has become the Allan Holdsworth school$ 7either a roc% !uitar wildman nor a limeli!ht.see%in! sta!e strutter, 89.year.old Holdsworth is instead an intense de)otee o" the !uitar$ His lead style is immediately stri%in! as "ast, "luid, )ibrant, and deadly accurate$ +pon closer e#amination, eni!matic melodies with lar!e inter)allic leaps and rhythmic syncopations and ambi!uity emer!e$ Hand tremolo plays a stron! part in his style as well, lendin! a shimmer to passa!es to add depth and immediacy to e)en seemin!ly inconse2uential passin! tones, rather than actin! as a tool "or creatin! hal".octa)e bends and s2uealin! "eedbac%$ As a soloist, this 6n!lish !uitarist is certainly uni2ue$ Howe)er, as his abilities to play lead became better and better %nown and e#ploited, he "ound himsel" trapped into a one.dimensional mode: his chordal and melodic talents were lyin! "allow$ This musician, who has drawn praise "rom 6ddie ;an Halen, /te)e Morse, and many other well.%nown e#ponents o" the electric !uitar, "elt that he had more to o""er that 'ust "lashy embellishment to other people1s son!s$ And in order to )ent his ideas, he decided to "orm his own band$ <n 198=, Allan teamed with bassist Paul 5armichael and drummer>pianist Gary Husband to "orm a trio in &ondon %nown as ?alse alarm$ 6#panded later to include )ocalist Paul *illiams @"ormerly o" -uicy &ucy and Tempest, a band in which he and Holdsworth had wor%ed to!ether in 19A8B, the !roup became %nown as <$C$+$ <n a Guitar Player inter)iew in the December 198= issue, Holdsworth ori!inally described the music as ha)in! 3some elements o" 'a(( and roc%, but we try not to be o)erly tric%y$3

Gi)en the "reedom to pursue his chordal, melodic, and soloin! abilities with the new band, Holdsworth de)eloped material he had written o)er the pre)ious "ew years, and with <$C$+$ be!an per"ormin! in 6n!land$ Accordin! to Allan, thou!h, the climate wasn1t 2uite ri!ht "or the type o" music the band was per"ormin!$ Pun% and new wa)e were the ra!e, ma%in! <$C$+$1s music less desirable to the !eneral public$ Holdsworth and company recorded in early 1981, and "ound their music met with less than enthusiastic response by record companies$ y 1982, the band decided to try their luc% in the +nited /tates, and released their &P, <$C$+$, independently$ <t showcased "or the "irst time the side o" Allan Holdsworth1s !uitar playin! that had only been hinted at on pre)ious wor%s0 comple#, densely )oiced chord melodies includin! unusual harmonic arran!ements that sounded as i" they came "rom neither !uitar nor %eyboard$ Ambient, shimmerin!, and at times !hostly chordal swells, rather than harsh rhythm choppin! !uided the son!s$ /olos were sharply "ocused, the rhythm section o" Husband and 5armichael pumped li%e a power"ul machine, and Paul *illiams1 )ocals pro)ided a "amiliar re"erence point "or the son!s$ Accentuated by the band1s a!!ressi)e, 'a((.in"luenced.but.roc%.rooted arran!ements, the music indeed captured a di""erent side o" the !uitarist$ ?or se)eral months Allan and <$C$+$ played !i!s mostly on the *est 5oast, and in Au!ust a dramatic uphea)al in the band "ound Gary Husband and Paul 5armichael out, and bassist -e"" erlin and Drummer 5had *ac%erman @who accompanied ?ran% Dappa on a "ew toursB in$ A"ter a "ew wee%s o" wor%in! to!ether, the new lineup went out on the road, hittin! ma'or cities on the *est 5oast .. mostly in 5ali"ornia$ 7ew material by -e"" erlin and Holdsworth combined with new approaches to the older son!s yields a hard.char!in!, spellbindin! concert "or !uitarists as well bassists$ 5urrently, <$C$+$ plans to record a new album this month "or *arner ros$ As sel".e""acin! as he is uncon)entional, Allan Holdsworth doesn1t belie)e he has tapped his "ull potential as a !uitarist, nor does he "eel there will come a time when he has$ 5onstantly chan!in! and updatin! his e2uipment, he is a per"ectionist who lo)es to e#periment, and "inds music the most rewardin! pursuit he can ima!ine$ *hy did you choose to record an independent albumE < didn1t choose$ *e 'ust couldn1t !et anybody interested in our music$ <n "act, we tried "or about three years to !et a record deal .. with no luc%$ *e had to borrow the money to do the album because we couldn1t !et anybody interested$ And rather than disappear .. 'ust wilt away .. < "i!ured it mi!ht be worth a shot to do it on our own$ The album1s almost two years old now, and it1s ta%en more than that amount o" time to !et anybody interested$ How lon! did it ta%e to record the albumE < thin% we too% about "i)e days to record it, and it was mi#ed in two e)enin!s$ 4ather 2uic%$ <t was recorded on The ar!e, a studio in 6n!land, which is actually a real boat$ <t "loats, but it doesn1t mo)e much because it1s )ery hea)y$ And luc%ily, the water where it1s doc%ed is usually )ery still$ *hat %ind o" !uitars did you useE < 'ust used my old "aith"ul /trat that < had bac% then$ <t had two humbuc%ers on it0 one by the brid!e and one by the nec%$ < chan!ed them a lot$ ?or a lon! time < had a couple o" old Gibson Patent Applied ?ors that < too% o"" o" some old 1F=s /G 5ustoms that < owned pre)iously$ < didn1t li%e the middle pic%ups on the /Gs .. they always !ot in the way .. so < too% them out and sa)ed them$ < used them "or a lon! time, and then < chan!ed to the old DiMar(io PA?s, and then < "inally chan!ed to a pair o" /eymour Duncan G9s$ < "ound that there was a little bit o" di""erence between the /eymour Duncans and the PA?s$ /o < sold all the PA?s "rom the /Gs and 'ust bou!ht /eymour Duncans$

Did you lea)e the ori!inal ?ender sin!le.coil in the middleE 7o$ ecause < used to use pretty thin strin!s, and < didn1t li%e pic%ups li%e those, which had a lot o" Hma!neticI strin! pull, because they too% away a lot o" the )ibration$ How was your !uitar recordedE Did you mi%e it or !o direct into the boardE < 'ust mi%ed it, out in the room where the whole band was$ <t was actually a tiny place, so we couldn1t !et much isolation$ The drums were in the middle o" the room, the !uitar amp was tuc%ed away in one corner, and the bass was practically in the toilet at the other end o" the boat$ <t probably would ha)e sounded better i" we had recorded it in a bi!!er place, but we didn1t ha)e the money to do it anywhere else$ Actually, it sounds as i" it were recorded in a much bi!!er place$ That was 'ust the help o" Trident Hstudio, were the album was mi#edI$ And we probably could ha)e !otten it to sound a lot better i" we had had more time to mi#$ ut we didn1t$ *hat %ind o" mi%es did you select "or your ampsE <1m always e#perimentin!, but "or the most part < used 7eumann +.8As, because they 3hear3 the way < hear$ Jou %now sometimes you put a certain microphone on a !uitar, and when you hear it in the control room, it1s !ot e)ery sin!le part o" the sound that you didn1t want to hear and none o" the part you did$ 7ow, that would be di""erent "or e)ery person, because e)erybody1s ears are di""erent$ ut < 2uite li%e those microphones$ <1)e tired a lot o" other ones, but the 7eumann !i)es the sound that1s close to what <1m doin!$ And that1s important, because the idea is to try to capture the sound you1re actually ma%in!$ Did you use your usual sta!e setup to record <$C$+$E Actually, since then <1)e !otten di""erent e2uipment, because < had to sell the !uitar and amps < used on the album in order to pay "or it$ < used two Hartley Thompson ampli"iers and two &ab series &.G amps$ *ith the Hartley Thompsons < used two cabinets, each with two Goodman GP. 12 spea%ers$ They1re the best spea%ers, but they1re hard to !et in America$ How do they compare to other spea%ersE < pre"er them to 5elestions .. < use 5elestions in my Marshall 9#12 cabinet$ ut they ha)e a sound that is somewhere in between a 5elestion and maybe one o" the old -ensens .. li%e the ones you "ind in some old ?ender cabinets$ They ha)e a warm sound, but with a lot o" hi!hs$ 7ot 2uite as chewed up at the top end$ They also ha)e a small )oice coil$ Does anythin! else distin!uish the GoodmansE < had a sil)er dust cap remo)ed and had paper caps put in their place$ < 'ust can1t stand spea%ers with sil)er dust caps because they distort all the "re2uencies: to my ears they1re really o""ensi)e$ < ha)e yet to hear a sil)er dust.cap spea%er that doesn1t ma%e my teeth !rind$ Jou can !et a lot o" bottom and a lot o" top with a bi! hole in the middle$ <t 'ust %ind o" radiates all this top$ The Goodmans don1t !o 2uite as hard on the top as the 5elestions$ They sound sweeter$ Did you use mi%es to capture all o" the !uitar parts on the <$C$+$ albumE

*ell, actually < went D< Hdirect input into the mi#in! consoleI on one son!, 3Temporary ?ault$3 < did that one D< 'ust to see how it would come out, and < was 2uite pleased with the results$ < could ha)e probably !one D< on more$ The Hartley Thompson wor%s well "or mi%in! and D<$ <t does e)erythin!$ The reason < didn1t use D< more in the studio was that chords and the solos would ha)e been comin! down on the same trac%$ At that time < didn1t own enou!h Hartley Thompsons to set them up li%e one "or the solo and one "or the chords$ Did you set the mi%es )ery close to the amps, or did you !o "or more o" an ambient soundE Cn some o" the trac%s < 'ust used one mi%e, because there wasn1t really enou!h room to !et ambient mi%in!$ Cn 35hec%in! Cut3 < o)erdubbed the solo, and was able to put up an ambient mi%e because no one else was in the room at the time$ Pretty much, all the other trac%s were done li)e$ ut when you mi#ed the album, didn1t you ha)e to add re)erb to !i)e e)erythin! more spaceE < !uess so, but < always had !ood results with one mi%e be"ore$ The way my amp setup is now, < can ma%e the mi%e hear somethin! that it thin%s sounds ambient$ 6)en thou!h each o" the albums you ha)e played on showcases a di""erence in tone and a stylistic e)olution, there1s a common thread that holds the sound to!ether .. one that is a sort o" audible personality$ Did you ori!inally en)ision that sound and try to create it with your !ear, or was it somethin! inherent in the e2uipment that you were able to put to a !ood useE < %ind o" )isuali(ed a sound li%e that, but it chan!es, and it continues to chan!e$ And that1s why < loo% so "orward to doin! this ne#t album, because the <$C$+$ album is almost two years old, and the last thin! < did be"ore that was the ru"ord album HCne C" A ,indI, about two years be"ore that a!ain$ A lot o" time has !one by, and "or that reason < wish that we could ha)e been able to use a better studio so that < could ha)e made more use o" the room and !et the sound < was really a"ter$ <t was %ind o" a compromise: the drums !ot the bene"it o" the room$ A"ter all, they were set up ri!ht in the middle o" the room$ Hope"ully, when we do this ne#t album, we can do it properly$ And because we1)e mo)ed on 2uite a bit since the last one was recorded$ <t will be interestin! to see what people thin% o" the sound now$ How much !uitar o)erdubbin! did you doE 7ot much at all$ There were a couple o" trac%s where < added some e#tra !uitar parts, but most o" it was done as li)e basic trac%s$ ?or instance, on 35hec%in! Cut3 < added an e#tra solo$ *hy did you switch "rom /tratocasters to 5har)el !uitarsE < was really luc%y, because 'ust be"ore < sold my /tratocaster, < met H5har)el &uthier>desi!nerI Gro)er -ac%son in &ondon$ *e went out "or a "ew beers and he was willin! to listen to ideas < had about certain woods, whereas a lot o" other people wouldn1t$ They1d say 3you can1t ma%e a !uitar "rom this wood or that wood$3 ut Gro)er listened to e)erythin!, and made three /trat.style !uitars "rom )arious woods$ Also < had the nec%s made wider at the "in!erboard end$ < hate the ?ender strin! spacin!$ *hy1s thatE ?ender1s o)erall strin! spacin! is wider than Gibson1s, but at the same time Gibson1s nec%s are wider than ?ender1s$ <t1s absolute madness$ < had Gro)er ma%e the nec%s wide at the top Hnear the headstoc%I li%e Gibsons, and about 2 1>93 wide at the body end o" the nec%$ /o that means

there1s a !ood 1>83 on either side o" the outer strin!s, which is really nice$ The strin!s used to really "ly o"" the ed!es o" the /tratocasters$ <1m really happy with the !uitars Gro)er made$ They1re the best !uitars <1)e e)er owned$ *hat %inds o" woods were employed in their constructionE All three are di""erent$ The red one has a maple nec% with an ebony "in!erboard and a basswood body$ The white one has a maple nec%, ebony "in!erboard, and a body made o" 'eluton! Ha Malaysian and <ndonesian so"twoodI$ Then there1s the one that < was most interested in0 a maple nec% and "in!erboard .. one piece .. and a spruce body with a clear "inish$ They all sound di""erent "rom each other, which is really !reat, because <1)e learned so much about what to do about two more !uitars that Gro)er1s !oin! to ma%e$ He1s !oin! to use a combination o" all the best ideas in these three$ <s the spruce a lot li!hter than the othersE 7o, actually the basswood1s the li!htest$ The -eluton! and the spruce are about the same, which is probably about the same as alder or somethin! li%e that$ The spruce one sounds sti""er, or harder$ ;ery 2uic%$ < wanted to "ind a real resonant wood, and spruce is o"ten used "or the tops o" acoustic !uitars$ < didn1t belie)e the normal stories that said, 3the hea)ier the better "or a solid !uitar$3 And <1)e ne)er belie)ed that$ Most o" the old !uitars <1)e e)er played .. the !ood ones .. ha)e been at least hal" the wei!ht o" their modern e2ui)alents$ <" you "eel the wei!ht o" an old /trat or an old &es Paul, it seems to wei!h much less than a new one$ The wood !i)es so much to the sound, 'ust li%e in an acoustic !uitar, whereas i" the body is really hea)y, it 'ust sort o" soa%s the sound up, and you1re le"t with a strin! tal%in! down to the pic%up$ Then you1d mi!ht as well ha)e a concrete body or build it into the !round$ < really li%e when a !uitar "eels as i" it1s !ot some sort o" acoustic thin! !oin! "or it$ Ha)e you e)er considered installin! a contact pic%up in the !uitar in order to in"use more o" the body1s resonance into the soundE 7o, <1m still tryin! to !et the sound < want 'ust throu!h the combinations o" the wood$ <t1s !ettin! pretty close now$ And /eymour Duncan made me a pic%up a "ew months a!o that <1m currently usin!, and <1)e "allen in lo)e with it$ < 'ust hope < ha)e a chance to !et to!ether with him to ta%e it to the nth de!ree: that is, the ri!ht combination o" the ri!ht pic%up and the ri!ht woods$ *hy do you only ha)e one pic%up in the brid!e position and no pic% up at all near the nec%E < "ound that < hardly e)er used the other pic%up, anyway$ <1)e always "a)ored the treble pic%up$ /o when Gro)er made the "irst prototype "or me, we 'ust tried it with one$ And it seems that <1)e ne)er missed it at all$ /o < decided to ha)e them all made with sin!le pic%ups$ <t1s really basic$ 6ach o" the !uitars has a di""erent pic%up on it The red basswood one has the specially made /eymour Duncan pic%up, the white one has a /eymour Duncan G97, and the spruce one has a specially wound DiMar(io on it$ Are there any "ancy switches such as coil tapsE 7o$ < don1t ha)e any e#tra wirin!$ -ust one )olume and one tone$ And < would ha)e 'ust one "or )olume, e#cept that < still pre"er the tone < !et "rom the !uitar1s control$ There1s a di""erence between the tone when you ha)e the )olume up "ull on the !uitar and you bac% the treble up on the amp and turn down the tone on the !uitar 'ust a bit$ <t sounds wetter or somethin! .. < 'ust pre"er it$ Jou also ha)e a new 6piphone /pirit.< solidbody$

Jeah$ < 'ust !ot it in &$A$ <t needed a di""erent pic%up, so < had Gro)er put on a custom.wound DiMar(io$ The 6piphone didn1t come with a )ibrato, but < thin% < may ha)e one put on$ < ha)e to test it some more$ How does switchin! o)er "rom, say, an /G to a /tratocaster a""ect your playin!E *ell, <1)e always had more di""iculty playin! a /trat than a Gibson0 The scale len!th is sli!htly lon!er, and ori!inally < didn1t ha)e "lat "in!erboards on my /trats, so they 'ust "elt !enerally more cumbersome$ Also, it seems that because the strin!s on the old Gibson 'ust sort o" lay on the brid!e, you could ha)e an e#tremely low action, and i" you had strin! rattle it wouldn1t show up throu!h the amp$ Cn the ?ender, thou!h, because the brid!e situation is so precise and so clean, any rattles you1)e !ot show up throu!h the amps$ *hat made you lea)e the /G behind "or the /tratE The bi! di""erence "or me in chan!in! "rom the /G to the /tart was puttin! humbuc%ers on the /trat$ ?rom then on, < couldn1t !o bac%$ <1)e tried a couple o" times, because < lo)e /Gs .. they1re de"initely my "a)orite !uitars$ < lo)e the way they play and loo%$ ut there was 'ust somethin! in the sound that < missed a"ter playin! the /trat .. some o" the heart, the upper harmonics$ < thin% that it1s partially because o" the brid!e$ That1s part o" why < don1t li%e most o" the new loc%in! tremolo units li%e the ?loyd 4ose, where the strin!s are attached ri!ht on top$ <t seems that i" the strin!s don1t actually pass throu!h the bloc%, they don1t sound as !ood$ *hen the strin!s are 'ust on top$ *ell, it seems that most o" this mysterious /trat sound has been comin! "rom the bloc%, where the strin!s pass throu!h the tubes in the bloc%piece$ < also "ound that the li!hter the bloc%, the better it sounds$ < hate brass bloc%s: they 'ust seem to absorb$ <t1s li%e i" you ha)e a practice mute on a )iolin$ Jou stic% a piece o" brass or lead on the brid!e and all the sound !oes: it1s absorbed$ And that1s what < thin% happens with brass$ There1s a tremolo bein! desi!ned by a !uy named Da)e /tory in /outhern 5ali"ornia, and it1s !ot a totally di""erent desi!n than anythin! <1)e e)er seen$ <t has a loc%in! nut, but the brid!e has "ine.tunin! ad'usters$ *hat sort o" tremolo units do you ha)eE DiMar(ios with Gibson.spaced bloc%s$ The new ones$ The old ones ha)e a lot o" mass on top, and < had a bit o" trouble %eepin! them in tune$ This new on is almost li%e the old ?ender one0 <t1s )ery small and )ery basic$ And it wor%s really well$ How many sprin!s do you useE Three, but they1ll hold up to "i)e$ <1)e tried "our or "i)e at di""erent times to compensate "or the tension o" the strin!s$ <" < use li%e a $=12 "or the top 6 strin!, < will use "our or "i)e sprin!s$ ut i" < use that many, it "eels a lot sti""er, and it doesn1t !i)e a !ood relationship between the sprin!s and the strin!s$ Jou ha)e to e#periment and "ind a balance between the type o" strin!s you use and the number o" sprin!s$ Jou1)e used solidbody a"ter solidbody and yet you stri)e "or a more resonant instrument$ Ha)e you e)er considered a semi.hollowbody such as an 6/.88GE < used a 88G years and years a!o$ A"ter the /G, < used one "or a while$ And < "ound it )ery di""icult indeed to play a solidbody a"ter playin! that 88G$ < !ot so used to that hollow, wet response .. that sort o" sprin! where the tone sort o" !oes into the !uitar and then it !oes 3whac%3 out throu!h the amp$ <t seemed that on a solid !uitar the note would come out throu!h the spea%ers almost be"ore you e)en played it, and < had di""iculty ad'ustin! to that$ ut that appears to be o)er since < "ound these li!hter woods "or my solidbodies$ They respond almost li%e the 88G$

How was the "eel o" the 88GE < lo)ed the "eel o" 88Gs: they were pretty nasty to play sittin! down, but the way they hun! on a strap made them about the most com"ortable !uitars to play$ The balance was per"ect$ My 88G didn1t han! nec%hea)y li%e the /G and didn1t lean toward the body$ And 88Gs were a reasonable wei!ht, so you didn1t !et dents in your shoulder$ +n"ortunately, the sound was a little bit hon%y "or me .. hollow in the middle, "re2uency.wise$ Jou seem to !o throu!h a lot o" !uitars$ 7ot really$ The /trat < sold to ma%e the <$C$+$ album < had since < was with Tony *illiams bac% in 1AF$ < ne)er played another !uitar .. it chan!ed color a "ew times, but it was the same !uitar$ ?rom about 19A2 until 1AF < played the /G 5ustom consistently$ -ust prior to that, < was startin! out on !uitar and e#perimentin! with all %inds$ ut the e#periments now are to "ind the one !uitar$ And once that !uitar is there, then that1ll be the one <1ll play nearly all the time$ <t1s happenin! already, really$ < play the red basswood one the most$ ut in order to e#perience somethin!, you ha)e to try more than one thin!$ And once we ha)e that one !uitar, < e#pect to stic% with it practically "ore)er$ Do you per"orm many modi"ications yoursel"E < used to until Gro)er came alon!, because i" < was !oin! to ta%e a chisel to it, He1d say, 3Cn, no$ &et me do it$3 And Hluthier>repairmanI Dic% ,ni!ht was the same way in 6n!land$ He and his son. in.law, Gordon, were always help"ul$ They did so much wor% "or me there$ As "ar as wirin! !oes, < always li%ed to do my own, thou!h$ *as this because you trusted your own wor% more than other people1sE Cnly in certain departments$ ut usually as "ar as chiselin! a hole in a !uitar, it was so spontaneous$ <1d !et an idea and ha)e to do it ri!ht away$ And to !o o)er to Dic%1s house meant !ettin! in the car or 'umpin! on my bi%e and pedalin! o)er there$ /o sometimes it was 'ust easier to ta%e the chisel to it mysel"$ And since < pawned the /G in 1AF, < lost a lot o" respect "or !uitars$ <t didn1t bother me to ta%e a chisel to one i" < "elt < was doin! somethin! !ood "or the !uitar$ < couldn1t belie)e that the !uy < sold my !ood /trat to bac% in 6n!land immediately too% the humbuc%ers o"" o" it and put on some re!ular ?ender.style sin!le.coil pic%ups$ He didn1t %now what it was capable o"$ Ha)e you e)er thou!ht o" 'ust chuc%in! the electric and !oin! solely on into acoustic !uitarE 7o, because i" someone had e)er told me that i" < wanted to play an instrument that it had to be an acoustic !uitar, < would ha)e ne)er started to play !uitar at all$ < really wanted to play the sa#ophone, and the only reason < li%e acoustic !uitar now is throu!h electric$ < started on acoustic, but that was accidental$ And that wasn1t as en'oyable as the electricE *ell, < wanted somethin! < could blow on$ < wanted to be able to ma%e a note loud or lon! or so"t or short: play thin!s le!ato or play them staccato$ *hate)er < "elt li%e$ ut it seemed that the !uitar was only capable o" a "ew o" the thin!s that < really wanted to do at the time$ < !uess < "ell in lo)e with it later$ < mean, < didn1t really di! electric !uitar that much at "irst$ <1)e always been more in lo)e with music than instruments$ <1m not o)erly concerned with what instrument$ <" < had been presented with another instrument at the same time as the !uitar, < may ha)e !one with that$ <t

'ust happened to be the !uitar$ And <1)e always listened to all %inds o" instruments .. <1m not 'ust a !uitar "rea%$ < lo)e the !uitar, and there are so many "antastic players that < always !et en'oyment listenin! to them play$ ut it1s the same "or other instruments too$ <n your e2uipment rac% is a bo# with no labelin! "or control "unctions on it$ Jeah$ That1s a custom routin! bo# made about "i)e years a!o by Pete 5ornish$ The bo# it was in %ind o" "ell apart, so Hartley Thompson built a new case "or it, and < stuc% one o" their stic%ers on it$ < %now what all the %nobs are, so they aren1t labeled$ <t1s basically a routin! bo# that allows me to patch anythin! that < want in any se2uence$ Jou see, < ha)e two channels on each Hartley Thompson amp, and each has its own tone e2uali(ation$ That bo# sends di""erent si!nals at di""erent times to whiche)er ampli"ier < want$ +sually, < only use e""ects on the chord channels0 a real short delay, or A>DA /tereo Tapped Delay$ Cn the lead channel .. the red channel .. < usually !o directly into it$ How do you desi!nate your amp channelsE 6ach channel has a red channel and a !reen channel$ < set the red channels "or lead and the !reen channels "or rhythm$ <t1s super."le#ible$ < can play chords louder and cleaner than <1)e e)er heard "rom any other ampli"ier, especially a tube ampli"ier$ ecause i" you dri)e a tube amp hard .. the only way to !et a !ood lead sound .. you ha)e to really %ic% the output le)el$ And i" you start %ic%in! the output to !et the sound, there1s no way in hell that you can !et clean chords comin! out o" there at the same )olume$ The only way around that is to compromise and !et a pro!ressi)ely worse lead sound as the )olume !oes down and a pro!ressi)ely nastier chord sound as the )olume !oes up$ Do you use any other !uitar ampsE Jou used to ha)e 7orlin &ab /eries &.Gs$ <1)e been usin! a couple o" ?ender Twin 4e)erbs "or the chords as well$ < also ha)e two new ?ender Princeton <<s and a /uper 5hamp$ <1m really %noc%ed out by them$ They1re ama(in!$ <n "act all the new ?ender amps seem to be really !ood$ And because < sold most o" my e2uipment bac% in 6n!land, e#cept "or the Hartley Thompson amps, < had to %ind o" piece e)erythin! bac% to!ether$ Gro)er !ot two Marshall 9#12 cabinets, which wor%ed "ine "or the solos, but the spea%ers couldn1t handle the chords$ The Hartley Thompsons would 'ust %ind o" blow them up$ /o < had to stop usin! the Hartley Thompson clean channel, and < started usin! the ?enders "or the chords$ /ince then, -e"" erlin has showed me his stu"", which is Jamaha$ < was )ery impressed with it, and ha)e since obtained one o" their 2==.watt power amps$ <t wor%s "antastically$ <t has two channels, and < run the D< outputs o" the ?enders into it$ <t1s hyper.clean$ <1)e arran!ed to !et more Hartley Thompson e2uipment, and chan!e the spea%ers$ 6)erythin! w ill !et simpler once <1m able to select the spea%ers < want that will do both 'obs$ Then the Hartley Thompson will actually do e)erythin!, and the amps wont ha)e to accommodate the types o" spea%ers$ <t1s "ine, because < lo)e to e#periment, and <1)e "ound a lot o" di""erent ways to do thin!s$ Do you thin% you will e)er be totally satis"iedE < thin% when < !et the two Hartley Thompsons and the spea%ers sorted out, <1ll be as close to satis"ied as anybody could be$ They1re the best ampli"iers in the world$ Did their transistor circuitry put you o"" initiallyE The "act that it1s a transistor ampli"ier totally de)astated me, because < said, 3Ch, no$ 7ot a transistor ampli"ier$3 < had used transistor amps "or chords, but ne)er "or solo thin!s$ A"ter < tried the amp, < wouldn1t let the !uy out o" the house$ He said, 3This is the only one <1)e !ot$ <t1s the prototype$3 < told him < don1t care, and i" he too% it away, < wouldn1t buy one, because < didn1t

belie)e that the sound could be duplicated$ < thou!ht that they had come across an absolute "lu%e .. some sort o" miracle in this little bo#$ < told him to lea)e it$ He reluctantly did, and as it turned out, < was in "or e)en a bi!!er shoc%$ A couple o" months down the road, he came o)er with a second amp, which proceeded to destroy the "irst one$ Then < %new they %new e#actly what they1re doin!$ And since then, e)erythin! they ha)e made has done nothin! short o" blown me away$ Jou ha)e a )olume pedal on the "loor and another bo#$ That1s a switch bo# that controls the routin! bo#$ <t tells it what to do$ < ha)e a ,or! stereo )olume control patched between the outputs o" the A>DA Tapped Delay and the amps$ That turns both o" the chord channels on the amps up and down simultaneously$ < ha)e another mono )olume pedal, a /teelmaster, which turns the )olume up or down be"ore the si!nal !oes "rom my !uitar to the A>DA$ < use it mainly "or noise reasons$ How does your si!nal chain patch to!etherE My !uitar plu!s into the switch bo# on the "loor$ ?rom that little switch, the si!nal !oes either directly to the lead channel o" the Hartley Thompson or to the chord system$ ecause the two ampli"iers ha)e di""erent settin!s, < can also route the si!nal to the red channel o" either amp$ To do this, < ha)e to manually switch it: there1s a switch ri!ht on the routin! bo# 'ust "or this$ 6ither way, the lead si!nal !oes strai!ht in$ There are two more Tapped Delays in your rac%$ *hat are they "orE < occasionally use one between the two red channels, 'ust to turn them on and o""$ And < plan to use an independent A>DA unit "or each !reen channel$ That way < can dri)e a couple more ampli"iers and spea%ers somewhere else and create additional madness$ Do you ha)e any e2uipment that will !i)e you more pronounced echoes rather than 'ust ambience e""ectsE < ha)e a Jamaha 6.1=1= analo! delay, which < switch in and out "or special e""ects$ < can put it on anywhere < want by way o" patch cords on the bac% o" the switcher$ The reason < use that is because the A>DA only !oes up to the ma#imum o" GG milliseconds delay, so you can1t actually !et an echo out o" it$ And that1s what < really li%e about it$ That was one o" the thin!s < initially wanted a delay system "or .. < didn1t really want an echo$ ut < "ound the Jamaha was really use"ul i" < wanted an echo o" any description$ /o < can switch that in and out be"ore the A>Ds$ Are you particular about what %inds o" !uitar cords you useE < was usin! these thin!s called 6D &oc%s, where there1s no solder 'oint between the cord and the plu!$ Jou 'ust cut o"" the end o" the cord and stic% it in the plu!$ They wor% really well when you1re usin! them yoursel", but when you !et other people mo)in! your !ear, it !ets dan!erous, because leads tend to !et torn out by pullin! on the cable instead o" the plu!$ A"ter a couple o" days o" somebody pullin! on the cables, they don1t wor%$ /o they1re !ood leads i" you1re responsible "or settin! up your own stu""$ ecause some brass plu!s tend to corrode, ma%in! an occasional unreliable contact, do you ha)e a pre"erence "or chrome.plated onesE 7o$ < ne)er worried about brass plu!s$ rass bloc%s, yes, but brass plu!s, no$ <t doesn1t worry me$ They can be as !reen as they li%e, 'ust as lon! as they wor%$

Does a bassist such as -e"", who plays lots o" chords, "ree you up to do more solo wor%E *ell it1s really !reat in this trio situation because he sounds li%e three !uys$ <t1s !reat: -e""1s per"ect$ < lo)e his playin! anyway$ *e1re toyin! with the idea o" addin! someone else, but someone who1s not !oin! to "ul"ill the normal %eyboard role, because the last thin! < want it to turn into is 'ust another 'a((.roc% band$ < 'ust hope there1s enou!h in this band "or e)eryone to %eep them happy$ How does a drummer a""ect the way you playE 6)erybody has been in a band with a bad drummer, and a !ood drummer is )ery important$ < li%e drummers who play: < don1t li%e drummers who are plodders$ <t1s important to ha)e a balance$ That1s why < li%ed Gary initially0 he had a !ood balance$ And 5had has a !reat balance as well$ /ome drummers are 'ust into a !roo)e, and it ma%es me want to tear my hair out$ Does -e""1s melodic, acti)e playin! ma%e you more a!!ressi)e or less a!!ressi)eE < "ind it inspirin! and help"ul, because he1s such a !reat soloist$ He1s "antastic$ < li%e what he does$ His playin! is chan!in! .. < can hear it, and <1m o)er'oyed that we could all "ind somethin! in the music to!ether$ How do you wor% out parts "or the bandE ;ery basically0 ecause < don1t write, < ha)e to 'ust play thin!s "or people$ < mean, < can write the chords down, but < can1t write where they come in the bar$ They 'ust basically ha)e to do it by memory or ta%e notes on their own$ *ere any solos spliced on <$C$+$E *e didn1t do any splicin!$ <n "act, most o" the album was done strai!ht in one ta%e$ < don1t li%e cuttin!$ <1d rather do it a!ain "rom the top then cut it$ < 'ust don1t li%e editin!$ <t doesn1t "eel ri!htE < don1t %now, but <1m always waitin! "or it when it comes around$ < can hear it when <1)e done it be"ore .. on other people1s records$ < !o, 3Ch, God$3 <t usually stands out li%e someone po%in! you in the eye hal"way throu!h the trac%$ Did you release the <$C$+$ album in 6n!landE 7o$ They probably don1t %now about it .. two years later Hlau!hsI$ 6n!land is de"initely on its %nees as "ar as music and almost e)erythin! else, it seems$ Are you more enchanted with the music en)ironment in AmericaE Absolutely$ <t1s a much more happenin! place$ The stru!!le is e)erywhere .. no matter where in the world you li)e$ Jou end up ban!in! your head a!ainst the wall$ <t1s been easier in the /tates "or me than 6n!land$ 7o one .. absolutely no one..was interested in anythin! that < did$ *e couldn1t !et any !i!s, which is why we called the band <$C$+$0 The "ew !i!s that we did do there always ended up costin! us more money than we1d !et$ *e almost "inished up phonin! people by sayin!, 3How much do you want "or us to play$3 <t1s de"initely better "or me in America, althou!h it may be di""erent "or somebody else$ <t seems that 6n!lish musicians don1t !et any respect in their

own country until they1)e been somewhere else$ People used to tell me about -ohn Mc&au!hlin .. how he wasn1t accepted at all in 6n!land$ Then a"ter he played in the /tates and returned, they were all li%e down on their hands and %nees$ 6n!land1s such a "ic%le place, and the music1s so much monopoli(ed by the 5, which plays such crap all d ay lon!$ And the record companies are only interested in "ashion$ And i" it1s "ashionable, then that1s it$ They1ll spend a little money on three bands and hope that they1ll ma%e it by bein! "ashionable, rather than spendin! maybe the same amount or less on one band that may turn out to be lon!.term$ <t1s really nuts$ How does it a""ect you wor%in! in a band thousands o" miles "rom homeE *ell, you see, it really does$ Jou try to %eep it to yoursel" and not trouble the other !uys in the band$ < loo% "orward to e)ery per"ormance, and try not to let it bother me$ Cnce < !et on the stand it may be a total disaster$ ut < always try to loo% "orward to it so much that my mind is clear and "ree$ Do you "ind much time to practiceE Jeah$ < usually "ind time in the hotel room when we are on the road$ < practice scales, "in!erin!s, chords, e#ercises$ < 'ust !enerally try to help mysel" !et out o" the hole$ 4ecently it hasn1t been so easy to "ind time because we1)e had so much to do$ < try hard to "ind the time$ <t usually wor%s out the opposite way0 *hen < ha)en1t !ot time, <1m desperately tryin! to "ind the time to practice$ And when < ha)e the time, <1ll do thin!s li%e sit around and drin% 5oors$ *hen did you compose the material "or the <$C$+$ albumE Cri!inally, < had a bac%lo! o" material "rom when < le"t ill ru"ord, and < %new what direction < wanted to !o in$ /o, that1s why it turned out that most o" the tunes were mine$ <t wasn1t that we didn1t particularly want to play anybody else1s$ <t1s 'ust that those tunes were there "rom the be!innin!, and those were the thin!s that < wanted to try to do$ /o we did them at the !i!s and recorded them in 6n!land$ *hen 5had and -e"" 'oined, < 'ust !a)e them copies o" the album, and they listened to it and wor%ed out the parts "or themsel)es$ And now <1)e !ot some son!s and -e""1s !ot some son!s$ /o we1re on the way$ Do you thin% that your playin! is constantly pro!ressin!E < hope so$ < mean, < thin% so, because it seems to me that <1)e learned a lot in the last two or three years$ <t seems to be escalatin! at the moment$ ut < don1t %now$ < could be )astly wron! and actually be playin! a lot o" rubbish now$ <1m tryin!, thou!h$ Do you listen to your old material on records to !au!e your pro!ressE Ch, noK That1s why <1m pretty con"ident about my pro!ress, because when < listen to my old stu"", < 'ust die$ < can1t belie)e it$ <t sounds li%e a ca)eman or a baby .. 'ust so primiti)e and so lon! a!o and unbearable$ That must be a !ood si!n$ < !uess so$ <t1s 'ust that you %now so much more about yoursel"$ < 'ust hate to hear them because < crin!e$ < 'ust can1t listen: < ha)e to lea)e$ Do you e)er "all into slumps and lose interestE 7ot lose interest$ < "all into slumps, and <1m sure e)erybody "alls into slumps where the creati)ity

'ust cant seem to start and no matter how hard you try you 'ust seem to "all bac% on thin!s that you1)e already learned .. as opposed to tryin! to impro)ise or whate)er$ ,eep !oin!$ Jou ha)e to persist, and out o" sheer "rustration o" what you1)e been doin! or you ha)en1t been doin! you 'ust come out the other side$ C" course, when you come out the other side, you "ind that there1s an e)en bi!!er hill to climb than the last one$ And that1s always the way$ <1m really !lad, thou!h$ Do you e)er tape your rehearsals to !i)e you an indication o" what you1re doin! ri!ht or wron!E Ch, yeah$ < listen to them a lot$ <t1s )ery help"ul, but it usually ma%es me depressed .. only about mysel", thou!h$ *ho could be depressed listenin! to those other !uysE /o, < !et a little depressed$ And that1s !ood, because it ma%es you say, 3Ch God, <1)e !ot to do somethin! about that$3 And o"" you !o a!ain$ Do you thin% that you mi!ht be too sel".criticalE < don1t thin% so$ Maybe < am$ Maybe$ ut < don1t thin% so$ ut that1s the way < am, and < cant do anythin! about it$ How do you use your tremoloE /ometimes < use my "in!ers, and other times < sort o" use the palm o" my hand$ Mostly < use my little "in!er$ How about le"t hand."in!er )ibrato and bendsE *ell, < don1t thin% < bend notes anymore$ < used to, but < don1t thin% < still do it$ <" < want a )ibrato, < use a classical )ibrato techni2ue alon! the len!th o" the strin! li%e a )iolin$ The top two strin!s and hi!her up the nec%, < chan!e to a classical )ibrato, and lower down the nec% < !o more "rom side to side$ < physically pull the strin!$ +p hi!h < apply more tension and sort o" s2uee(e the strin!$ *here did your wide hand stretches come "romE asically, i" you %now you want to play o)er a certain chord or a certain scale, most o" the time !uitarists play the scale so that the notes are played consecuti)ely$ < wanted to a)oid that by playin! inter)als that were spaced "urther apart$ They1re the same scales and chords, it1s 'ust that < wanted them to be 'u!!led around more$ <1m 'ust 'u!!lin!, really$ Do you e)er "ind that your hands 'ust wont stretch that way sometimesE They usually stretch o%ay$ < thin% my stretch has !otten a little worse as <1)e !otten a little older$ < %eep notes o" the thin!s < used to play, and sometimes < ha)e trouble with them$ *ill you ta%e, say, an ?L chord, and e#periment with )arious ways to spread it outE Jeah$ <1ll 'ust e#periment with di""erent )oicin!s$ *hat < usually do is 'ust try to "ind the %ind o" )oicin!s o" particular chords that < li%e$ Turn them around$ < don1t li%e the sound o" con)entional !uitar )oicin!s$ < lo)e listenin! to 'a(( !uitar: < listened to it a lot when < was youn!er, because my "ather introduced me to it$ ut < )ery 2uic%ly tired o" the sound o" the chord )oicin!s$ *hereas with a piano player < hear much more chordal in)enti)eness, not in terms o" shu""lin! around with the chords, but with the in)enti)eness o" )oicin!s$ < 'ust decided that i" < was !oin! to !et some chord thin!s to!ether that < mi!ht as well play some other )oicin!s, instead o" the %ind o" -a(( oo% Cne or -a(( oo% Two or -a(( oo% Ten types o" chords$ < 'ust searched "or di""erent

)oicin!s$ Do you thin% that di""erent )oicin!s e)o%e certain types o" moodsE Ch, yeah$ /ometimes you can use a simple chord and come up with a nice )oicin!$ <t1s all important, because it1s music$ Do you use two hands to "ret )ery o"tenE Cn 3/hallow /eas,3 "or instance, you use a ri!ht.hand "in!er to hit a bass note$ < use it )ery rarely0 mostly "or chords$ < can do it much more than < do it, but < 'ust don1t li%e to do it because it1s almost become such a "ashionable thin!$ And there are still a lot o" thin!s < can1t do usin! what <1)e !ot already$ < still want to wor% a lot on that be"ore < decide <1)e had enou!h o" my le"t hand$ Do you e)er locate chords on certain !roups o" strin!s to chan!e their mood or impactE < wouldn1t "a)or any particular one o)er any other, unless it was called "or in a speci"ic piece$ Then < would$ < 'ust try to loo% "or interestin! ways to play around some simple thin!s and ma%e them sound li%e they1re not$ Cr the other way around0 Ma%e somethin! simple seem much more in)ol)ed$ Do you approach the use o" the tremolo bar di""erently "or solo and chordsE < !uess so$ Cb)iously, < try to !et that steel !uitar.li%e sound when <1m playin! chords$ <t sounds more li%e "loatin! between chords$ Do you ha)e to be care"ul while bendin! chords not to clash with the bassE 7o$ < ne)er bend chords that e#tremely$ < 'ust use it to sound li%e a slur, so it doesn1t really upset your ears$ How do you relate your solos to the chord chan!esE Do you consciously try to co)er those chordsE Jeah$ < brea% it down to "ind out what the chord structure is, what scales < can use, i" < can superimpose thin!s o)er the top such as triad$ < !enerally e#periment with it$ There1s no set way$ < don1t !o about each tune thin%in!, 3This is what < ha)e to do$3 ?or me to be able to play it < ha)e to be able to see it in my mind1s eye$ < can1t play o"" a piece o" paper$ <" < do, <1)e had it$ Ha)e you e)er tried recordin! a rhythm part on a cassette and wor%in! out a solo to the playbac%E < ha)e done that, but < usually don1t$ < usually 'ust study the chords and ma%e a "ew notes "or mysel"$ Do you thin% the re!ister that a solo is played in has an important bearin! on itE 7o$ The solo itsel" has an important bearin! on it$ < don1t say it has to be slow and low$ < don1t thin% bein! one way ma%es it any more o" one thin! than another$ < don1t ma%e any rules about it$ <" it1s a solo that starts out low, <1ll thin% about the notes in that area, but < don1t di)ide the nec% up$ <t1s all one$

Do you use hammer.ons or do you try to pic% e)ery noteE < use a mi#ture with a lot o" hammer.ons$ < don1t use con)entional pull.o""s, thou!h$ < ne)er pull my "in!er sideways, because < "ind that when you pull the strin!s o"", you !et a %ind o" meowin! sound as you de"lect it sideways$ And < detest that sound$ <n the past, < ha)e practiced 2uite hard to not play li%e that$ < don1t thin% my "in!ers come o"" sideways at all$ They 'ust drop on and o"" directly o)er the top li%e <1m tappin! the strin!s$ As you play "aster, do you "ind that you are less conscious o" your actual techni2ueE < don1t consciously ma%e any transition between playin! slower and "aster$ /ure you mi!ht be li%ely to ma%e more mista%es as you start wa""lin! around, but you try not to$ ecause i" you continually do that, you ob)iously can1t play that way anyway$ 6ach has its own set o" problems$ *hen you use a )olume pedal to swell each chord in a series, does it seem cumbersomeE 7ot particularly$ +sin! a )olume pedal with echo is not the !reatest way to !et that e""ect, but at the moment that1s the way < do it$ /ome !uitarists wrap their ri!ht.hand little "inder around their )olume %nob to swell notes and chords$ < couldn1t do that e""ecti)ely because o" some o" the chords that < want to play: there would then be too much !oin! on elsewhere$ And < don1t li%e the )olume control so near my little "in!er$ <1)e displaced the )olume control on each o" my !uitars "urther south that it would be on a normal /trat$ Cn a normal /trat, you can turn the )olume control with your little "in!er, but that used to !et in the way o" my wrist$ /o, < mo)ed it "urther away$ < "ind it easier to do that and switchin! on the "loor than with my hands, so < can concentrate more on my playin!$ Do you e)er mute your strin!s with your ri!ht handE 7o, < don1t li%e the sound$ Al Di Meola1s done it to death$ <t1s not somethin! that particularly !rabs me by the ear or anywhere else, althou!h it1s pretty easy to do$ <t1s 'ust not a )ery attracti)e sound to me$ *hen you "in!erpic%, what do you do with your pic%E < 'ust tuc% it in and hold it with my 1st "in!er, and then use the thumb and the other three "in!ers$ < play most chords that way$ < can stri%e all the notes at the same time, because < don1t li%e that 3droin!3 .. the strum sound across the strin!s$ Cn some o" your son!s, particularly 3Cut ?rom +nder,3 you play the melody while holdin! chord "orms$ <s this "or or!ani(ation or an audible e""ectE <t depends on whether < want it to sound li%e a chord or not$ +sually when < do that, < want the notes to rin! into each other .. hit more than one note at a time$ How do you e#ecute arti"icial harmonicsE < 'ust hold the pic% and li!htly tou!h the strin! with my middle Hri!ht.handI "in!er, but < don1t use them )ery o"ten$

Do you "ind the techni2ue to be aw%wardE <t1s not aw%ward, but <1)e heard some people do it so well that it almost ma%es it not worth doin! "or me$ /ome people do it ama(in!ly well$ ?or me to play it as well as some o" the people, it would probably ta%e me as lon! as <1)e !ot le"t$ How did you come to 'am with 6ddie ;an HalenE That was at the 4o#y Hin &os An!elesI$ < met 6dward a "ew years a!o when < was wor%in! with +$,$: < didn1t %now him then, but we said hello to each other$ He came down to our "irst !i! at the 4o#y, and < was tremblin! in my shoes at the thou!ht o" all the people bein! out there$ At any rate, he came to the !i!, and < was tal%in! to him a"terwards, and < said we1re comin! down in the a"ternoon to do another soundchec%$ *hy don1t you brin! your !uitarE < tal%ed to -e"", too, and told him to come down$ /o we had a bit o" a blow in the a"ternoon$ *e thou!ht it would be a !ood idea to do a 'am to!ether at the end o" the ni!ht$ /o we wor%ed out one o" 6dward1s tunes$ *e "inished our set, came bac% on and played this tune to!ether$ <t was !reat$ <t was "un .. %ind o" a nice contrast to the rest o" the !i!$ *hat do you thin% is !ood or bad about the current state o" the !uitarE < don1t thin% anythin!1s wron! with it$ Do you thin% that the !uitar is ta%in! a bac% seat to )ocals in musicE Ch, no$ 6)erybody in the world plays a !uitar$ That1s why there are so many !ood !uitar players$ 6)erywhere you !o, someone plays the !uitar$ Do you purposely a)oid playin! common roc% lic%s or blues lic%sE <n a word, yes$ < occasionally use them i" <1m in a particularly 'o)ial mood$ /ometimes <1ll be cau!ht doin! it 'ust "or "un$ +sually < try to a)oid them: < try to a)oid e)erythin!$ <1m still loo%in!, basically$ *hen you1re 'ust sittin! around at home, do you "all in them 'ust "or entertainmentE 7o$ < 'ust %eep loo%in! "or somethin! else$ Do you thin% to a lar!e e#tent playin! !uitar should be more o" a science that an emotional outletE Ch, noK <t1s !ot to be emotional$ That1s the only reason <1m a musician .. because < lo)e music$ <" < had wanted to !et into science, < would ha)e been a mathematician$ <t1s !ot to ma%e you lau!h or cry, or both$ <" < wasn1t mo)ed by it, < can thin% o" a lot o" thin!s that < could ha)e spent the last "our years doin! rather than this$ Transcribed by Per /tornes +pdated0 ?ebruary 1, 2==1 /cheduled update0 7one ac% to the top o" the pa!e