Guitar Nine Columns: Guitarists and Bands

The way I write, I usually need a strong or engaging title that lights up my imagination.

I think my biggest accomplishment is that I was able to teach myself an instrument that now enables me to make a living and travel the world.

On the right material, the wah pedal actually deepens the connection I have with the guitar.

Though electric shred is my passion I have learned many instruments, styles and aspects of music.

Certain fans (probably musicians) want to hear the instruments speak to them, which they can understand a bit better than the average listener.

The fact that we are brothers in our case plays a big... wait, a huge part in our chemistry when we play. Things just naturally happen between us musically.

A good website is key to successful promotions. Also Reverb Nation is a pretty important portal to be signed up to. It is a good place to network.

Plans for the future? Play more gigs in front of larger audiences! Playing live is the greatest thing to do as a guitar player.

In order to increase your visibility and gain a position in the mind of your listener or target audience, I feel it's important to invest in a public relations firm that specializes in the entertainment industry.

Nothing beats being in a recording studio with professionals. It’s one of those moments you dream about as a kid learning to play.

In my opinion, having a booking agent is more important than any other traditional aspect. Independent artists need to take their music to the people and having more opportunities to perform live is paramount.

My long-term goals are simple, continue improving and have fun! I don`t care really if I don`t become a `rock star` or a `guitar hero`, as long as I`m happy with my music and maybe someone else likes it too.

I`ve sold thousands of copies of the "Dreamscapes" CD. You have to realize that 95% of all my sales come from traditional print advertising. Reviews don`t sell your product. Marketing and advertising do! I`m amazed at the amounts of money bands and artists put into the recording and manufacturing of their product and then have no idea on how to sell it. Marketing and promotion go hand in hand; you need to do both.

I was offered a couple of small record deals, but the contracts were ridiculous so I invested my own money, and it`s starting to pay off. At least this way you own your product.

We all write together at rehearsal. We never set out to write something new, it always happens that one of us will be tuning up with an idea or just jamming on something, and the other two will jump on it. By the time we realize it, half the song is already written. We look at each other and say, `I guess we`re gonna` write today!`

I`ve mostly been motivated by wanting to hear something that`s already in my head. For the classical tunes, I always thought Paganini`s Caprice No. 5 would sound amazing on an electric guitar and just really wanted to hear it. If someone else had a recording out first, I probably would have bought it and then just listened to it instead of playing it.

Many of the first seeds of a song come to me when I`m mountain biking or jogging. It is at that time when my head gets totally clear and the creative juices start to flow. The tricky part is to remember your ideas until you get somewhere that you can write them down! Then it`s just a matter of developing the songs.

Get on the Internet!! It`s the best way to get your music heard by millions of people all over the world. Get someone in the music industry to help you (if you`re lucky). Get a web-site and push your music and never stop. If you have a dream go for it and don`t let anything stop you! Get out there and perform your music live as much as possible.

I record at home in my 16 track (analog) studio. It took me lots of time, energy and money but I`m glad that I`ve got one. Nothing can beat a home studio. You can go there anytime you want and not be bothered by anyone other than yourself. You don`t have to book time, and pay by the hour. Unless you`re a lunatic, that is.

You have to have a good promotion budget and don`t skimp corners when it comes to this. You can have the greatest album and if no one knows that you have one out and available, it really is no good. Utilize all that you can with local publications and national ones as well. Always think of the nation as your market and not just your town. You can be the biggest thing in your hometown and unless they know you around, it really is not going to help you.

Even though these days it takes a lot of idealism to produce an instrumental record, I strongly encourage everybody who`s playing around with the idea to do so. Just don`t expect to get any money out of it, regardless of the quality of your product. It might happen, but it`s very likely that it won`t. But you will have the best musical business card there is and a unique document of your own creativity.

The one thing I always try to do is be in a creative state of mind when I compose. It seems that the ideas flow better if you are working on it on an ongoing basis. For a lot of my instrumental tunes, I sometimes get a mental picture of something in my head, and then ask myself what music goes with this scene. This is much like scoring for film--except the film is in my head!

I do as much pre-production as humanly possible at home. When you`re ready to record, and I can`t stress this enough, have everything rehearsed to death and a production plan ready. I did my latest CD at a commercial place, but my dream is to do my next one at home.

The bottom line is: I believe in my music. As an instrumental artist you`re not going to land a huge deal with a major label. If you do get a deal the label is going to take a huge chunk of money, and even if they do sign you, they may not even distribute your CD. Some friends of mine signed with a major label, and the label has not done a thing with them. So they have a great product that they can`t do anything with.

Reinventing Music As Sustenance

Session Guitarist Ready To Broaden His Appeal

Three Musicians Become One, United!

Serving Up Dessert For Your Ears

Improvisational, Emotional Jazz

Hungry For the Big Time

Swedish Instrumentalist Does It On His Own

Inspiring Others to Find the Inspiration in Themselves

Balancing Technique And Melody... From Italy

Adrenaline-Pumping, Cinematic Heavy Rock

Stepping Outside Contemporary Fusion

Folk And Rock 'N' Roll With A Country Flavor

Mixing Luxurious Soundscapes With Rock/Blues Guitar

Write-ups from artsts who have demonstrated a great appreciation for the guitar, and who strive to show what can be done with a guitar in the hands of a creative artist.

I`d really like to develop into a good composer. I`m not a Greg Howe or an Allan Holdsworth when it comes to soloing, so I have no choice but to work on developing my compositional skills so that people will have a reason to listen! To me, the ideal is someone like Scott Henderson, or Shawn Lane, who are not only amazing players, but equally strong, if not better, composers. That`s the pinnacle, to me.

Multi-Instrumentalist Tracks Cool, Contemporary Jazz

Summoning The Ghosts Of Pop, Folk & Rock

One Of Those (Guitar) Guys