Guitar Nine Columns: Interviews

With this album I attempted to express all my musical influences throughout the years. I expected the album to go straight to the listener without being too simple.

I advise to all those who can, to work in their own recording studio, so you can be free from conditions such as timetables and costs! I opened my studio in 1996 when I worked doing TV spots and was tired of spending money and time at other recording studios.

My main aim with this album was to write songs that had really strong melodies and structure and that would be appreciated by a wide range of listeners other than just guitar players.

It was really important to me that all of the crazy shred guitar on the record be song driven and not the other way around. As a listener, I want to hear songs, not a brief melodic section and then eight minutes of jamming.

I like to compose instrumental songs, without the use of words, to communicate my emotions and my way of life. I`m not a singer, but I`m a guitarist, so I try "to speak" with my guitar.

My favorite album is "Phoenix Rising". The expectations after the success of "Into The Eye Of The Storm" were high, but everyone was highly motivated and we really put everything into it.

I thought it would be easier with a band with vocals, to push and sell it. It wasn`t any easier. I`m still selling more instrumental CDs than Skulgrinder CDs.

I think that the song itself is the most important thing, because what we remember after the listening of a track is not a shred phrase but the central theme.

I`m more interested in songs than in players. I love the last Coldplay album, because there`s great melody. There`s new guys like Derek Trucks and Joe Bonamassa, who really play well and say something emotional.

I love live performances. If they come out well, they capture the beauty of improvisation. That is one of the things that I love about music and this band, the moments of improvisation that change from gig to gig are wonderful.

To be a musician, especially in countries like Italy where music is not treated like it deserves, it`s a hard job. Every day you have to wake up and learn, you have to be prepared, you need to be professional.

It is all about the music, which can be similar to some people, but for me, it`s really different. Also, the attention of the crowd is different. The trio format demands more from each musician as well.

When Mike Varney got a copy of my mostly acoustic solo record and signed me, he suggested doing more metal. I was thrilled because at that point in time it seemed nobody cared for metal solos.

The fact that downloading is a problem can`t prevent you from doing music. And you are right, a lot of guys are actually releasing their first albums, but that doesn`t mean they are good or different from what`s been done before.

Usually when I work on my own compositions, I immediately follow my instincts, putting down ideas quickly that come from inspiration - without following any set pattern.

I titled my songs to represent varying degrees of thought; for example, "The Afterlife" is a musical speculation on what it would sound like on your spiritual journey to the next world, if there is indeed one!

I tend to discover guitarists that have been there for a long time and have many records, but hadn`t catch my attention until recently, like Derek Trucks or Alex Machacek.

We often cannot pinpoint exactly what it is we like about a certain piece of instrumental music, but the music nonetheless resonates within us on a deep, personal level.

I will be back doing more instructional videos in January with Joe Satriani. I can`t tell you how humbling it is to work with one of your mentors. Simply unbelievable!

There is always something you don`t know. Thinking of the end result is a distraction and more importantly, there is no end result. You will be learning for the rest of your life.

Try to become a better musician every day. Listen to music actively - try to understand what those great musicians felt when they wrote your favorite song or played your favorite solo.

When you play with somebody else, you have to worry about playing well and being in your place at every moment. When you play your own songs, in any venue, you show how you are, because they are your own work.

Musician`s Institute (which was then GIT) was the best thing I could have done. I do well in competitive scenes. I progressed fast in those years.

This project is one that has 100% of all CD sales, no matter where purchased, going to support LilliansJourney.com, the foundation we began for my mother. LilliansJourney.com supports and donates all of its funds to Project ALS.

We decided to write something and we asked Gian to join this project. We were looking for something different to create separation between us and the other thousands of shredders in the world, so we decided to use the 8-string guitar.

I have found that by recording and adding a few "cover tunes" to my CDs as well as my originals, has helped get folks online to discover me. After they`ve listened to my arrangements of their familiar pop tunes, they may decided to check out my original music, too.

There was no internet when I started and file sharing has been the most destructive force to the music business and it`s been the most positive force in a fan`s world.

I`ve been exposed to music throughout my whole life, basically because my parents were such fans of music. I`ve been a huge fan of the guitar since as far back as I can remember.

I wanted to be very careful not to have a CD that seemed to ramble on endlessly. I wanted to put out a CD that the listener could listen to front to end and feel musically satisfied when it was over.

I like to compose instinctively. First of all, I imagine a theme to follow up, as if I was writing a story, using my guitar instead of a pen, and from that point on, it`s all about improvisation.

Most of the songs were the result of me sitting by myself in my living room and fiddling around with the bass guitar, completely directionless - which is the setting I find most conducive to songwriting.

Regardless of the economic slowdown, people tend to want to download a lot of their music for free, thus leaving artists without income that would be generated through royalties from CD sales.

Music is a language, it comes from your soul and your body. I`m not hung up on technique or theory; that`s why I love Santana as much as Vai. What they play just comes from the heart.

When you hear generic music, you can bet the composer wasn`t inspired, rather they were stringing riffs together and trying to impress.

One I stopped procrastinating and making excuses and decided that I really wanted to make an album that I would be the first in line to buy - an album that really excited my heart.

A great solo works like a powerful and moving speech. Something that grabs your attention, keeps you interested, tells a story, and wraps up leaving you feeling like you got something from it.

I`m very fortunate in that I get to tour and play live quite a bit. I`m also happy to say that my fan base continues to grow, so considering the state of the music biz these days I`ve got no complaints.

If you have gathered some musical experience by actively making music, you listen to music in another way. You are able to hear everything and not only the lead instrument or vocals.

I personally love to hear melody and hooks in solos as well as lyrically slow/wide vibrato and story-telling phrasing capped off with shredding licks that make you want to fall to pieces.

What works for me is a real life approach mixed with the internet stuff. The Internet by itself is just digital overkill for all of us suffering from ADHD. Everyone has 47 social media profiles, a web page, and ends up sitting in front of the computer all day.

I still discover a lot of music by word of mouth, seeing what my friends are listening to. I have always bought music and still do.

I am very fortunate to know and have worked with an amazing variety of musicians, so I can write a piece of music with someone in mind.