Guitarist Quotes

I loved playing the guitar and I knew I was pretty good at it, so that's what I wanted to do with my life.

One thing I learned a long time ago was my fretboard, in terms of all the scales in all the positions... You have to learn it - there are no two ways about it. I shift between positions so easily now that I really don't have to think about them much... I would suggest starting your scale education with the major and minor scales, and after that, diminished, augmented and whole-tone. Then depending on what kind of music you want to play, the modes should be learned. My theory about this kind of thing is that you should learn it all. Once you've learned it you can play whatever you want to play, and I think that your playing will be more advanced, and you'll have a better understanding of the instrument.

I've got no particular desire to play ten minute solos. Those were never valid anyway in my book — never. It was just a cheap way of building up a tension in the audience... A solo should do something; it shouldn't just be there as a cosmetic. It should have some aim, take the tune somewhere. I'm not saying I can do it, but I try and take the tune somewhere.