Interview: Master of Shred Tue, 13/01/2009 - by Owen Edwards A Revealing and in-depth interview with the Master Of Shred The name Paul Gilbert conjures up images of death defying shred and an almost un matched technical ferocity, yet there's much more to this most genial of guitari sts than pure guitar wizardry. Whilst Paul is undoubtably one of the most fearso mely gifted guitarists ever to draw breath, he also combines an advanced composi tional ability with a great pop sensibilty - quite simply the man is a great son gwriter, something often ovelooked. One of the few guitarists of his genre to genuinely achieve mainstream success - particularly with the Mr Big worldwide smash hit '' - Paul has al so never stood still, as a cursory listen to his back catalogue will attest to. Versatile, humorous, melodic and thoughtful, these adjectives could apply equall y to his personality as well as his playing - Paul is a true Guitar Hero and we at Alloutguitar applaud him! My first encounter with Paul was back in the early days of shred when Guitar Wor ld ran a feature on a fresh faced teenager who'd lain waste to LA's hottest guit arists in the LA Guitar Wars competition. One to keep an eye on... and then, aft er months of seeing his purple in adverts, by the time Racer X's debut 'S treet Lethal' was released. Anticipation - but also scepticsm! - was high: after all, Malmsteen had decimated all barriers of what was thought possible as a roc k guitarist - surely this guy couldn't be that special? From the opening salvo in 'Frenzy' (Paul's unaccompanied guitar solo that opened up the ) through to the sheer intensity and outright riffage of the title track - via innumerable notes in between! - there was no doubt that the bar had been raised... again! Far more 'Rawk' than Malmsteen's cod classical stylings, P aul simply destroyed all in his path with an arguably unmatched to this day disp lay of technical ferocity: ask (as I have done on many an occasion!) any world c lass rock/metal guitarist to name picking maestros (for example) and you can bet Gilbert will be on the list. But outside of his outrageous, inhuman picking abi lity there lies a great many technical innovations - not least his almost patent ed string skipped arpeggio technique (that for many players seems to have suppla nted Yngwies ubiquitous sweep arpeggios as ther chosen arpeggio weapon) - as wel l as a sheer humanity to his playing. There can be few rock/metal players who have not checked out Paul's ground break ing REH instruction videos - particularly those who grew up in the 80's: oustide of the still state of the art licks on display, what is very evident is that th is is a regular good fun guy: not a po faced 'virtuoso', but a guy who'd be as g ood fun to hang out with in a bar as he is to watch on stage. And, a word for an y fan of the new generation of shred heads like Matt Heafy, Herman Li or Syneste r Gates: Don't even think about it - Paul would have slayed those guys when he w as 17... as for now, forget about it! Alloutguitar spoke with Paul in November 2008 for this very revealing and in dep th interview. Early Days Paul, lets do the intro stuff and get it out of the way: when and where were you born? November 6th, 1966, in Carbondale, Illinois - but my family moved to Pennsylvani a when I was very young, so I really grew up in Greensburg, PA. What age did you start playing? I took some guitar lessons when I was six, but I didn't like the teaching method (Mel Bay), so I quit. I started playing again when I was nine, this time teachi ng myself by ear. I've been playing ever since then. I have wanted to play guita r for as long as I can remember. I always loved records that my pare nts had. That was my first inspiration. Who were your initial influences? All the records my parents had: The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Animals, The Wh o, Carole King, Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. My uncle was (and still is) a great guitarist, he was a great inspiration and he also encouraged me to listen to Ji mi Hendrix, the MC5, Iggy and The Stooges, David Bowie (with Mick Ronson), The R amones, and The Sex Pistols. I also loved the big rock bands and guitarists that were around when I was young, like , Aerosmith, Heart, Van Halen, R ush, Black Sabbath, , , UFO, , KISS, , , Frank Marino, Ted Nugent, Triumph, and Def Leppard. What and songs during this period were particularly influential? Every Van Halen album with was a guitar lesson to me. Robin Trowe r's 'Bridge of Sighs', Rush's 'Hemispheres', and Pat Travers' 'Go For What You K now' were all very important records to me. What age did you start to get serious? I have always been serious. But I started practicing consistently when I was nin e. I forced myself to play for one hour every day. One hour was a long time, bec ause I was a total beginner and didn't know how to play anything! Actually I tau ght myself some really simple guitar riffs like '25 to 6 to 4' by Chicago. I wou ld play it over and over and over for an hour. That is a long time to play just one riff. I was a very serious kid! You mentioned your first guitar lesson and not exactly enjoyong them! But - pre GIT - did you get any more? After struggling to teach myself for 2 years, I finally found a local guitar tea cher who wasn't using those horrible Mel Bay sight-reading books. My new teacher encouraged me to keep learning by ear, but he gave me lots of useful musical to ols like chords, scales, soloing techniques, and the idea of using neck diagram paper to help memorize scale shapes. I stayed with this teacher for about a year and a half, then briefly went to another teacher who had better technique. This newest teacher suddenly quit teaching, so I went back to teaching myself by lea rning songs from records. After I finished high school, I moved to to attend GIT. It was a one-year course, and I learned so much about new techniques , ear training, music theory, and other musical styles. Any pivotal teachers? I had some great teachers at GIT. Keith Wyatt was probably my favorite. Recently I've taken some lessons from Barrett Tagliarino. I wanted to learn more about m usic theory, composition, and improvisation. He helped me a lot. I want to take more lessons from him when I get time. You mentioned those early Mel Bay books - and understandably finding them frustr ating (Note: for any new/young rock players reading this, keep an eye out for my own 'From Zero To Rock Hero... In Just 6 Weeks!' book coming out in 2009 throug h Harper Collins in the US and Apple Books in the UK: this adressess all those b oring 'beginner books' problems!) - but when you realised you were becoming a re al deal guitarist did you try again and learn how to read? After all, at any/all guitar schools being able to read is seen as the Holy Grail... I've always learned by ear: I disliked my early Mel Bay reading lessons so much that I quit guitar for three years! I did read a lot of chord diagrams in the ea rly days. I had a Beatles book, and I used the chord diagrams to help me learn a lot of those songs. And after going to GIT, I became pretty good at reading cho rd charts. But standard notation and even tablature is very difficult for me to sight read in 'real time'. When did you realise that you were gifted above your peers? There were always guitarists who were faster than me. If I had any advantage, it was my sense of rhythm and my musical ear. It took me a long time to train my f ingers, but I could always feel the rhythm and melody of a song very naturally. I specifically remember learning the Beatles song 'Hey Bulldog' when I was about 10. It has a lot of syncopations in the rhythm, but I could easily feel the gro ove. I had a friend who could never 'hear' it. That was the first time I remembe r being 'different'. But, mostly I just practised more than the other musicians I knew: I practised all the time! When did you start concentrating on technique? Can you remember any particular e xercises that helped? I didn't practice pure scales or arpeggios until I went to GIT. I had already pl ayed for eight years at that point and my style was mostly formed already. Pract ising pure technique certainly expanded my knowledge and gave me more musical to ols, but the heart of my sound came from learning songs and jamming with my teen age bands. Were you known as the local hot guitarist? My early cover bands were never successful because we didn't want to play popula r songs. We played lots of hard rock songs which was great for beer parties in o ur basement rehearsal room... but we would have had a lot more success if we lea rned some songs that girls could dance to! I think that the 15 people who came t o the parties thought I was a good guitarist...! When did you play your first gig - and can you remember the songs you played? I played 'Cat Scratch Fever' by Ted Nugent at my sixth grade talent show. All th e girls in my class came running up to me after I played, and excitedly asked if I could play some Bee Gees... 'Saturday Night Fever' was huge at the time! I ha ted disco, and didn't think that Bee Gees music even had any guitar in it. Thus began my animosity towards dance music. Actually I like some dance music now, bu t I think I would get bored really quickly if I had to play it. When did you first play your first ‘professional' gig: i.e got paid for it? Can yo u remember how much?! I think I made $5 for playing at a party when I was thirteen years old. The band and I didn't know very many songs, so we just played 'Johnny B. Goode' and 'Wip e Out' over and over again! When did you realise that you might actually be able to have a career as a guita rist? I always knew that I would never give up trying to be a professional guitarist, but the first time that I really felt sure of my success was with Racer X. We st arted doing shows in - and we were selling out clubs almost immediat ely. It felt great to play in a club that was totally packed with people who cam e just to see us. What age was this - and how did your family react? I was 19. My family was still living back in Pennsylvania, so they weren't comin g to the shows, but they were always supportive of me. They like rock guitar! Hitting LA Paul famously headed west to what was in the mid 80's the mecca for hot rock gui tar. I ask Paul how he got his first real break... My first contact in the music business was . I sent him a cassette of my playing when I was 15 years old. I was hoping to get an audition with Ozzy O sbourne. had just died tragically in a plane crash, and he was a bi g guitar hero of mine, so I had learned a lot of his guitar parts. I knew that I would probably never get the gig, but I felt that I at least had to try. Mike l iked my playing but thought I was too young to play with Ozzy. But he certainly helped me with good musical advice, and by being the producer of all the early R acer X albums. When it happened, was it all you thought it might be? I was excited about any success in the music business. Making the first Racer X album was very satisfying. I was a little disappointed that we weren't able to d o any touring - but we had such good gigs in Los Angeles I was still happy. How long did it take before you could make a living out of guitar playing? After I graduated from GIT, I was asked to become an instructor there. I also ga ve private lessons at my apartment, as well as playing in Racer X - so I've been making a living with guitar since I was 18. Looking back to your early days, which songs are you the most proud of from that period? I like almost everything from the first two Racer X albums. One of my favorites is the opening riff from 'Blowing Up the Radio'. I'm not sure if I played it wel l enough for all the notes to come through clearly, but the composition is prett y cool. And the guitar solo called 'Frenzy' is insanely fast and intense. Have you ever auditioned/been connected with any ‘big' bands that didn't happen (a nd you can tell us about!)? I think there were some, but I can never remember because I didn't do them. I've been busy enough with Racer X, Mr. Big, and my solo albums. What are the proudest moments of your career to date? And why? I probably don't have an objective view of my own music. People who listen to my music often focus on the fast picking techniques. I've practised those techniqu es so much that they are very familiar sounding to me, so I don't get so excited about them - I get more excited about things that I'm not so good at! If I do a good solo, or sing a song without hitting any bad notes, I feel very good . I'm always proud of any good recordings. I like 'Green Tinted Sixties Mind' by Mr. Big. I like 'Children of the Grave' by Racer X. And I like 'Hurry Up' from my solo career. I'm also proud of the classical piano pieces that I've performed on guitar. I think 'G.V.R.O.' is pretty cool! What's the biggest audience you've ever played to? Mr. Big played a show in Brazil for 100,000 people. The energy was amazing. I ha ve never felt more like a rock star than that day! If there was one album that readers should buy to best reflect your playing whic h would it be? My playing has changed and evolved, so I have to recommend three CDs: 'Street Le thal' by Racer X, '' by Mr. Big, and 'Silence Followed by a Deafenin g Roar' from my solo career. Also, my newest CD with Freddie Nelson called 'Unit ed States' has some of my best song-based playing. Technique and Influences When do you think your physical playing technique was at it's highest? I think my hands were physically strongest when I was between eighteen and twent y years old... but I think my technique is better now. Pure physical strength is only a small factor in playing the guitar. My knowledge of the fretboard, phras ing vocabulary, and musical wisdom is far beyond where I was as a teenager. What band would you most like to join? I would love to be the drummer for AC/DC. If I had to play guitar? I would like to play behind any that I like. So maybe Cheap Trick would be good. But a gain, my new album with Freddie Nelson is very satisfying in that regard. His si nging is amazing, and we get along very well as equals, not just me as a new mem ber of some pre-existing band. Which 5 guitarists who, over the course of your career have influenced you the m ost - or simply five players who you particularly admire (and why?) , Edward Van Halen, Robin Trower, Pat Travers and - but t here are so many more than this. But, all told, these five were very important t o me, and still are. I learned so many songs from Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Rush, Robin Trower, and Pat Travers! I still work on their songs now. These guitar pl ayers make the guitar sound exactly how I want to hear it. Are there any newer players who you really rate? It hard to beat one's teenage heroes. I enjoy the playing of , Ty Ta bor, and Zakk Wylde. All those guys are new to me, but actually they've been aro und for a while. I haven't sat down and tried to figure out their songs. But I s till do that with my teenage heroes. It's a never ending quest! In your style of music when do you think was the golden period? Do you think the current musical climate is favourable to your particular style? 1964-1984. From the first Beatles album (in America) to the last Van Halen album with David Lee Roth. This period is my favorite purely because of my age. I'm s ure that younger people feel the same passion for newer bands like Metallica or Green Day. It is silly for me to consider musical climates for my own playing. I feel a moral obligation to play the music I love, regardless of it's acceptance in pop culture. But things are good at the moment. YouTube has introduced my pl aying to a younger generation, and that seems to have helped my touring. I love to tour, so I am happy. Without necessarily going into specifics, but what is your primary source of inc ome: CD/Download sales? Touring? Clinics/Teaching/Other? Everything! I work a lot, and sometimes I get paid for it - so thank you for you r support! Where is your strongest market? How well known are you in the following USA/Cana da, UK, Mainland Europe, Australia, South America, Middle East, Eastern Europe, Russia? I have never toured in India, Iceland, Greenland, Antarctica, or Africa. But I'v e been just about everywhere else! was very good during the 90's for Mr. B ig. But now I am doing pretty well everywhere. I think that the internet has hel ped promote me a lot. Thank you, YouTube! If you could go out with a couple of other artists on a dream tour who would the y be? I really enjoyed playing on the tour with and . The audience was very welcoming to my band and my music. Has the Internet helped your career or hindered it? It's helped my live career - but hindered my recording career... and everyone el se's! What are your plans for the new album? I don't like to tell anyone my plans until I finish what I am doing! What are your touring plans? I'm finishing a 9-week European tour now. It's the longest tour I have ever done as a solo artist, with almost 60 shows! I'll be playing in Japan in early Febru ary. Please check my website for news of more shows coming up. Talking playing for a while how proficient are you at music reading? I am a rock guitarist, so I read music about as well as most classical musicians improvise over a blues progression! Reading is rarely required for my job - but listening is: so I do lots of that. I can read chord charts pretty well - that can be useful for learning new songs quickly, or giving myself a mental framewor k for improvising a solo. Do you play any other instruments, and if so to what level? I'm a good drummer, a good bassist - and I can confidently play chords on the pi ano. I just started practising the harmonica and I'm awful! Even my cat wants me to stop making horrible sounds on the harmonica! I also play the tamborine very well. Don't laugh, it's harder than it looks!!! How much do you actually practise nowadays? I don't play scales with a metronome. But I play guitar all the time. There are so many good notes and rhythms waiting to be discovered in my guitar, so I want to keep looking for them. This will suprise the hordes of shred heads out there who consider nailing your licks at a peak metromome speed as an essential part of their trainINg...! surel y you must have used one at some point, as you're inarguably one of the rhthmica lly tightest scale/arpeggio guitarists in history! I used a metronome a lot when I was seventeen and eighteen years old - it really helped me build some of my picking techniques. But now, I mostly just bang my f oot on the ground as a metronome nowadays! What's your ability like at playing over ‘' changes? I can do it a little bit, but it's certainly not my strong point. But I'm intere sted in improving this skill and incorporating it into my music, so I've been ta king some lessons to help myself get better. Could you handle a country gig? I like some Charlie Rich songs, but I'm not familiar with modern country music. Even if I had the techniques to play the music, I think there would be some cult ure clashes! How about an extreme Metal gig?! I like playing guitar in Racer X, which is definitely a metal band. But I'm not so familiar with newer metal styles. A lot of the newer things I've heard are ve ry percussive with dissonant chords. I don't like dissonance so much, so I'd be happier playing more traditional metal. Gear What picks do you use? Tortex .60mm. What gauge strings do you use? It depends on the guitar. I use 10-46 on my 24 ¾" scale guitars (Ibanez Fireman, I banez 2630, Ibanez Destroyer), and I use 9-42 on my 25 ½" scale guitars (Ibanez PG M, Ibanez RG). What are your main guitars? Ibanez Fireman, Ibanez PGM, Ibanez 2630 Artist, Ibanez Destroyer. What effects/pedals do you use? Korg Pitchblack Tuner, Keeley Loop, Electro Harmonix Electric Mistress Flanger, Keeley Nova Wah, H.B.E. THC Chorus, MXR Blue Box, MXR Phase 100, H.B.E. CPR Comp ressor, H.B.E. Detox EQ, H.B.E. Bajo Mos Booster. In that order. What amps? Marshall 2266C Vintage Modern combo, with a THD Hot Plate, so I can turn the amp all the way up and get the sound of the cranked power tubes at any volume. What advice would you give to the next generation/readers of this interview? Learn lots of songs. Pick easy ones that you can learn in ONE DAY or less. Do no t accept string noise in your playing. Do not accept weak vibrato in your playin g. It is much better to play something simple with confidence than to play somet hing complicated with lots of string noise and uneven timing. Play with a drumme r as much as possible. Record yourself and listen closely. Enjoy every note you play, and other people will too. Remember that guitar SOLOS can still have a rhy thmic structure. Just because the notes are high doesn't mean you can discard yo ur rhythmic obligations to the groove. Lock in with your drummer. Work on the EN DINGS of your solos so your endings tell your audience, "Here comes the end, get ready, it's right HERE." Give guitar lessons. It helps you clarify your knowled ge by having to organize it to teach someone else. Learn how to count like a dru mmer. Ask a drummer what the "and of three" means. Then listen to AC/DC's "Highw ay to Hell" until you understand that the riff starts on the "and of three". Tak e lessons. Learn to recognize intervals by ear. Enjoy that there are so many int eresting and helpful things to learn about music. Be glad that it never ends. Do n't drink much alcohol, don't smoke at all, eat fresh fruit. Learn lots of songs ... repeat! What career path do you think you would have taken if you hadn't made it as a mu sician? I was interested in dinosaurs when I was a kid, so I considered being a paleonto logist, but I wasn't very good at digging, so I gave it up. Finally, have you ever played Guitar Hero?!!!! No! But I've heard that it's fun for non-guitar players: thank you for being int erested in the minute details of my musical life!