Diamondjimi
02-26-2007, 12:18 PM
Guitar World Interview-Unedited
Thank you so much, Guitar World, and fans (please don’t edit it).
Peace and love,
Jason
Hey Jason. In my opinion, your multi-part melodies are the most emotive, goose-bump inducing things I have ever heard. Are they Bach inspired or something? Is there any theory that could help me understand what you’re doing? Peace, love and health to you.
—Michael Demertzi
Why thank you young fellow. Funny, I use that term “goose bumps” too. For that kind of stuff I was definitely inspired by folks like Bach, but even more by Mozart. For my money, Mozart had all that cool counterpoint crap, but also brought out beautiful emotions like no one else. I hear that Bach influenced Mozart a bit, like Eddie Van Halen influenced me, but I became way better than Eddie (totally kidding). Also, playing with and learning from Marty Friedman was absolutely incredible for developing these types of techniques. I highly suggest jamming with a guitarist who is better than you are.
As far as theory goes, I guess just learn about scales, harmonies and modes. Back when I was a young teenager, I didn’t know the names of any mode and, to be honest, I still don’t. I just learned my favorite classical tunes. One thing I do remember doing was to write a melody and wherever there were spaces in that melody, I would write a bass line that sort of answered the first part. Then you could cram some arpeggios that follow your chords. If you know your chords, you can put all kinds of different parts on top of each other.
How’s it going, man? I’ve always been curious about your practice regimen. Did you ever play to a metronome to get your chops up?
—Zach H.
It is going good but slow. I sometimes played with a metronome but usually either alone or with a drum machine. I practiced quite often but I didn’t let the other aspects of my life wrinkle up. I loved playing basketball and I graduated high school with straight A’s (although since I think my teachers liked me, a couple of them were extra gracious). I graduated early because I had to go record “Speed Metal Symphony.” You know, now that I think of it, I did delay most of my fooling around with girls until after I was 18. I don’t think I was completely, naturally talented so I needed lots of practice. I think my strength was a huge love of music and a thirst for learning new stuff; being open to everything I could hear. I constantly held and played my guitar in every spare moment. There was never a set regimen, just practice what you love.
After hearing some of your work with Cacophony, I just want to know: How did you get so good on your sweep picking. What exercise/technique did you first use in order to get both hands working together?
—Marco
Funny, back when I started doing sweep picking I had never heard that term before. For arpeggios it just seemed like the best way to pick them. I remember one day Marty Friedman and I met at the Fremont BART station. While we were waiting for our bass player to pick us up for rehearsal, we took out our guitars. I was 16. We started to show each other little arpeggios. We started to add notes to them and before long we were covering the whole neck and every string. It took me a while to get down how I wanted to pick it. I finally felt what was best for me. Just sweet up and down, and when there is more than one note on a string, instead of picking it, either hammer it or pull it. Lots of people have trouble getting aggressive rhythm and smooth control out of it. Just remember you are a rock god and you will get it.
How old were you when you started working on Paganini’s 5th Caprice? How long did it take you to master it?
—Rick Hammond
I guess I was 15. I read the notation. I am not great at reading music so it took a few days. I definitely don’t think I mastered it. I remember reading Yngwie saying that no guitar player could play the 24th Caprice. I wanted to see what he was talking about so I bought Itzhak Perlman’s version of the 24 Caprices. I learned, recorded, and even performed the 24th Caprice at a Coffee House in Walnut Creek. I have a video of it; embarrassing. My favorite Caprice was the 5th, so I learned it. By the way, Eliot Fisk plays all 24 Caprices great on guitar. When Marty finally saw that on my Hot Licks DVD years later, he said if I had played that for him when we met, he would have been scared, but, alas, I was the only scared one.
I’ve read that your pickup preferences are DiMarzios in the neck and Seymour Duncans in the bridge position. What specific pickup models do you use?
—Matt Hernacki
I’m sorry but I only remember the Seymour Duncan. It was a J.B. model (Jeff Beck, not Jason Becker, damn it). Great tone. For the neck position, just anything that sounded like Stevie Ray Vaughan.
You are an incredible inspiration to me. Your story and music completely blow me away. I’m wondering, did getting ALS change your view on music at all?
—Jeff M.
Thank you so much, man. I am not sure if it was ALS or just time that has changed my outlook on music. Not being able to play guitar anymore has made me focus more on beautiful melodies and soul stirring stuff. Those qualities were always in my music, but there was also a desire to kick your ass and blow your mind. Now I want people to feel something so deep that they can’t help but reflect and make positive changes in themselves.
I am also less picky about most music. I like mediocre stuff but I am more picky about guitar music. Unless it is really unique, I am so bored with guitar music. I suppose that it doesn’t help that I sometimes get depressed hearing guitarists.
Because of your physical limitations, has your creativity been sparked in new areas?
—Tom Samulak
I remember when I was first losing my ability to play my fast licks and my hands were shaking and falling off the guitar. It forced me to sort of create a new slow style. I was very inspired and recorded Dylan’s “Meet Me in the Morning.” Then when I couldn’t play at all, I got inspired by world and classical music. Now I am sparked by Indian and Funk music, which is evident in my new stuff. Not being able to play makes one be able to listen and receive better. The constant noodling on guitar can be great, but also distracting to the universal music inside you.
If you regained movement fully, how long do you think it would take to become awesome again on the guitar?
—Larry Chialchi
Funny. Knowing how awesome I was, probably one second (heh heh). To be honest, I rarely think about that anymore. Even though I had less than 4 good years of recording guitar, I am okay with what I did. You know, in my mind, I didn’t really start developing my own style until I was almost 20. I was good and wrote some unique songs but my playing was starting to get lots better when I got ALS. Bu, to answer your question, probably a few years.
I’ve noticed many great guitar players mention the key to getting fast is to practice slow and eliminate tension in your muscles, was eliminating tension and practicing slow what got you to shred at seventeen?
—Grant Hatfield
I guess I did some of that but I did a lot of the opposite. When my guitar teacher, Dave Creamer, (who played with Miles Davis and, I believe, gave Joe Satriani lessons) taught me some scales at my first lesson, I started flailing with them at rapid speed, being very tense. As time progressed, I got more relaxed and accurate. This can be a good alternate exercise but the way you described is probably best. I never nailed speed picking like the master Al Dimeola. So I was starting to phase it out of my playing. To be able to do it that young, I don’t exactly know how. It doesn’t seem to be that uncommon these days.
I heard you began making another album with your eyes. If so, how does that actually work? Do you develop ideas in your head, and then score them with your eyes somehow?
—Dave Evans
Good question. I am working on two new long ass songs for a “Best of Jason Becker” CD. The new songs will have Marty Friedman, Greg Howe, Michael Lee Firkins, Steve Hunter and yours truly, not to mention a bunch of other musicians including members of the awesome band, Flipsyde, and Dan Alvarez. I will tell everyone when it is out on my ‘MySpace’ page and my website. So, I get a little idea in my noggin, then I go to the computer that my buddies, Mike B., Franklin and Dan, set me up with. I have the program called LogicPro and thousands of sound samples. I am with whoever is my caregiver at the time. I tell them what tempo and sound I want (I direct everything by spelling with my eyes using the communication system my father invented. It is way faster than any computer could be). Then I try to teach my caregiver the notes I want. If it is too hard, or the notes are off, there is a grid where I can tell them where to click the notes in relation to the song bars. I can then make the notes longer, shorter, louder, quieter, change the velocity and basically anything I want. I can do this with tons of tracks with different sounds. It is a long process, but since I pretty much know what I am going for, it ends up sounding great and huge. Then I add singers, guitarists and a bunch of great musicians. My buddy, Dan Alvarez (the genius with two Emmys), is co-producing it and making it sound awesome. I wish I could get Sting, Joss Stone and Zakir Hussain, but c’est la vie.
Dear Jason, as a huge fan and a 14-year-old guitarist, I’m puzzled about how to put “feel” into my solos. How do you play with breathtaking speed and still convey emotion?
—Alex Becker
That is a very tough one to put into words. For a while I wouldn’t think about mixing speed and feeling. It sounds like you have the speed thing down. Now take a real close listen to Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan. For Jeff I suggest his CDs, “Guitar Shop,” “Wired,” and “There and Back.” For Stevie Ray, “Soul to Soul” and “Couldn’t Stand the Weather.” Try not just listening to their notes, but to how they squeeze and shake the strings. Check out how they go in and out of rhythm with their solos, almost as if the notes are drunk or falling down crying. Take some time each day to work only on your vibrato. Sometime soon you will really start to feel it and love it. Love is the key. Then it will become natural to mix emotion with speed. Check out how Eddie Van Halen doesn’t pick his fast notes with all the same boring velocity. He makes most of his fast licks almost funky by picking some notes harder than others. You are only 14. Don’t worry too much about it. Just have love for all types of music and you will naturally get feeling if you practice. Contrary to what some people say, you don’t have to suffer to have feeling and emotion in your playing. You are human aren’t you? We all have sorrow and joy in our lives to draw from. I forget the exact words but B. B. King told my buddy, Steve Hunter, something similar to this.
A trademark of your playing, I would say, is your blazing fast and very musical arpeggios. Aside from the normal major and minor patterns, what other interesting sounding arpeggios do you like?
—Michal Laird
Hmmm. I enjoy whole tone and diminished arpeggios. Whole tone gives a sort of modern classical feel. Diminished, as we know, is pretty common with neo-classical farts. I also like sticking a flat fifth in major arpeggios. It sounds like a movie soundtrack. Also in that one I like replacing the major third with a second. So the notes, if playing in E, would be E, F#, Bb and B. Quite a stretch if doing three octaves. I like jamming sevenths and sixths in major arpeggios. I sometimes would take a pentatonic scale and leave out random notes. Those made for neat sounds. I would also put my fingers in random patterns. This is cool for sounding weird. I also was starting to do intervalic arpeggios thanks to Dave Creamer. I rarely did many jazzy arpeggios because I am not really a jazz guy.
If you had to pick one song from your entire catalog that best represents you, what would it be?
—Jonathan Andrews
Damn. Man, can’t I have more than one? It is hard for me because I do many different types of music. Let me say five and you can punch me later. “Images” from Go Off, Either “Opus-Pocus” or “Altitudes” from Perpetual Burn, “Higher” and “End of the Beginning” from Perspective, “Showtime” from Dave’s A Little Ain’t Enough...eh, scratch “Showtime.” That’s just a blazing shuffle. Man, I really cheated on that question huh?
What’s the best technique to use for good fast picking—wrist or elbow?
—Nathaniel Toppelberg
I am the wrong guy to ask. From the great fret pickers I have seen I would say wrist. I switched between elbow, wrist and even fingers, depending on the part. But I wasn’t a total master at it (my dad just said, “what you talking about, Willis? You are the fastest guitarist I ever saw.”) Very funny but I would say ask Al Dimeola or Paul Gilbert.
I saw a video of you shredded with one hand and yo-yoing with the other. This is obviously an amazing feat, but looking back upon it how do you view it? Do you see it as something to enhance the show or as a gimmick that resulted from your youth?
—Spencer McKay
It was both. I wanted to have a unique trick like Hendrix did with playing the guitar behind his head or picking with his teeth. It was just fun and it got people talking after the show. After each show ladies started to ask me for my yo-yos. I had to stock up. If you look at that video again notice that I am playing everything on the lower strings so the open strings wouldn’t ring out. That video is on my Hot Licks DVD.
What inspired you to first pick up a guitar? What was your first guitar?
—George O’Toole
My dad, uncle and Bob Dylan inspired me to play. My dad was a really good classical guitarist. He took lessons with a student of Andre Segovia. My uncle was into Roy Buchanan. I loved everything they did. To me Dylan was and still is the coolest and the greatest. His melodies, words and inflections were so moving. Check out his albums, “Bringing it All Back Home,” “Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan,” and “Highway 61 Revisited.” For my fifth Christmas on earth (1974) my folks got me a Franciscan Acoustic guitar. I still have it. My dad tried to teach me the notes and how to read music, but I was so bored with that. A year later my brother got a little toy xylophone. Dad taught him Dylan’s song, “As I Went Out One Morning.” I said, “Hey why don’t you teach me that good stuff?” So he did. From then on I was playing and singing every Dylan song.
Jason, your courage and playing are both unreal. How do you manage to keep your spirits up? Thanks for the inspiration.
—Art
Thanks Homey. I guess the short answer is I have love for life. I love people, including myself. I am loved and taken care of by my family, friends and Guru Amma. I am still able to create, albeit in a different way. I don’t want to make light of ALS because it is hard as hell. you can’t even imagine, (well, some of you can) but inside myself it has mostly just become a different lifestyle. You know, some people think since I can’t move I am a vegetable. Wrong. Just picture yourself as you are, just always sitting down and if you need something a hot babe takes care of you. I am exaggerating a little, but this is how I see it. I have reasons to live. I have hopes and dreams. I am not in any real pain. I laugh and joke, make music, write, make love and party. To people who are with me and meet me, they totally get it. I have my down days just like anyone but pshaw.
What do you feel about new school shredders like Rusty Cooley and Francesco Fareri or maybe even Herman Li or Sam Totman of Dragonfoce? Do you think they are virtuosos? Or just all flash and no substance?
—Tom Vautour
I will show my ignorance now. I haven’t heard of any of those guys except Rusty, and he only because he sent me some videos. He is a really cool guy and, Good Lord, as fast as Michael Vick. You know, I can’t give a good answer about his music because it has been so long since I listened to it and I don’t remember it. Now you got me curious. I will go back and listen. I will say that I have heard lots of shredders whose songs and playing are so boring I can’t believe it. Man, think of something new and expressive.
On songs like “Altitudes,” “Perpetual Burn,” and “Mabel’s Fatal Fable,” did you just go into studio knowing full well what you were going to play, or did you lay down the backing tracks and “noodle around” until you found what you liked?
—Rev. Cody Ziglar
I would say for those songs, about 90% of them were worked out beforehand. I did all my noodling at home. I was still open to things that would pop out of me spontaneously but I wanted to have compositions, not just noodling. Also, I always loved jamming with anyone at any time, but in my mind, I wasn’t a great improviser so I preferred to write at home.
What was the most important musical lesson that you received from hours of jamming with Marty Friedman?
—Justin Beaupre
Whew, there are so many. Mainly to be yourself, be unique, don’t do what has been done. He taught me a lot about the beauty in non-conventional harmonies and rhythms. He made up an exercise that we would often do together. We would take turns playing solos and chords, but we would have no idea what the chord guy would play. We would try to make the soloist look foolish by playing the most unexpected chords we could think of. The exercise was meant to train ourselves to bend up to good notes, and to learn weird phrasing. Also our ears would get used to interesting progressions, and we might come up with cool ideas for songs. Every day I learned something new from Marty. You could learn a lot from just learning to play one of his songs. I sure did. To be honest, I would be nothing without his influence. Oh yeah, and he turned me on to Japanese music.
Since getting ALS, how have your thoughts on spirituality and death change?
—Patrick Thompson
Before ALS, I didn’t think much about spirituality and death. I was trying to make cool music and be a sweet person. I guess that is spiritual – “do unto others...” After 2 or 3 years with ALS progressing, I knew I needed God. I really felt a connection with Hindu teachings. I have had some confirming experiences connected to these teachings and my gurus. I never feel alone anymore. You know, I have found that beliefs and dogma don’t really matter. It isn’t about that at all. Those things might give people faith in a way, but “God” is, quite simply, love and compassion. People who think “God” is a guy who is in the sky aren’t giving “God” enough credit. “God” is infinite, in everyone and everything, so if you worship everyone and everything, you are worshipping “God.” I have had a couple of near-death experiences. Death isn’t scary to me, but I don’t want to leave my life yet.
What was it like working with David Lee Roth? Do you two ever keep in touch?
—Jake Berger
It was mostly a blast. He was pretty sweet to me. He often complimented me but wasn’t afraid to tell me if I was sucking. He was the wild horn dog you would expect, but he had a soft side too. He met a nice girl in Vancouver and asked my advice on how to get such a nice girl. He was half teasing but he also was half serious. Cute. He was really good with me in the studio. He had to break up an argument between me and Bob Rock. I thought Bob couldn’t hear good tone for shit. I was probably wrong; he is way talented. Dave was very diplomatic. Every guy in that band took me under their wings. I love them all. Dave and everyone knew I was having health problems. I was really limping and sometimes tripping. They were all very understanding except two guys around that camp. I won’t mention names but one was a well-known manager. (heh heh)
Man, big love to everyone around me and Dave back in those days. I love and appreciate you all. We haven’t talked since we parted but he wrote a sweet page about me in his book, and a quote about “Perspective’ for me. I also got a nice message from him on MySpace but who knows if that was really him.
You’ve clearly outlived your life expectancy for an ALS patient—how do you explain this? When a cure for ALS is found, what is the first thing you would do?
—Bruce Deets
Probably many different things. The fact that I want to live, even in my condition, is, maybe, number 1. My family and friends wanting me around, and doing what it takes to keep me here at home is big. I drink tons of water and eat only healthy food. I do lots of spiritual practice and I believe Amma is always with me helping me through difficult times. I guess I still have a point or a purpose for being here. I don’t really know why, but I am grateful.
The first thing I would do if I am cured would be to hug everyone in sight. I would probably play some kind of practical joke on people, I would party, man. Then I would have sex with some woman with me on top for a change. Then I would jam and sing a bunch of Dylan songs with everyone around; maybe “I Shall Be Released.”
What would you give to be able to feel your fingers on a fret board again?
—Terry Kidd
Actually I have total feeling in my whole body, so I can feel the fret board, but I know what you mean. Hmmm. I would give my left nut, but definitely not my right one. I would give up both my hands and all my guitars. I would give up 10” of my penis (but only 10). I would give all my billions of dollars away (I wish). I would give up my marriage to Sarah McLachlan.
What’s the single most important advice you could give to a beginning guitar player?
—Danny Rozema
Most importantly, love it with a passion but don’t neglect other aspects of your life. Also, be open to everything, practice a lot, be very positive in your outlook, be nice and cool to people, and try to do things that are unique to yourself. Oh, think about this; when I have my blazing music on my “myspace” page, I get lots of sweet comments from great guys, but when I put my “beautiful” melodies on, I get more comments from women. So make sure you are making good music, not just boring vehicles for shredding.
Speaking of women, I just want to give a big shout-out to Jennifer Batten. I think you are great.
http://www.guitarplayer.ru/becker/img/david_and_jason.jpg
Thank you so much, Guitar World, and fans (please don’t edit it).
Peace and love,
Jason
Hey Jason. In my opinion, your multi-part melodies are the most emotive, goose-bump inducing things I have ever heard. Are they Bach inspired or something? Is there any theory that could help me understand what you’re doing? Peace, love and health to you.
—Michael Demertzi
Why thank you young fellow. Funny, I use that term “goose bumps” too. For that kind of stuff I was definitely inspired by folks like Bach, but even more by Mozart. For my money, Mozart had all that cool counterpoint crap, but also brought out beautiful emotions like no one else. I hear that Bach influenced Mozart a bit, like Eddie Van Halen influenced me, but I became way better than Eddie (totally kidding). Also, playing with and learning from Marty Friedman was absolutely incredible for developing these types of techniques. I highly suggest jamming with a guitarist who is better than you are.
As far as theory goes, I guess just learn about scales, harmonies and modes. Back when I was a young teenager, I didn’t know the names of any mode and, to be honest, I still don’t. I just learned my favorite classical tunes. One thing I do remember doing was to write a melody and wherever there were spaces in that melody, I would write a bass line that sort of answered the first part. Then you could cram some arpeggios that follow your chords. If you know your chords, you can put all kinds of different parts on top of each other.
How’s it going, man? I’ve always been curious about your practice regimen. Did you ever play to a metronome to get your chops up?
—Zach H.
It is going good but slow. I sometimes played with a metronome but usually either alone or with a drum machine. I practiced quite often but I didn’t let the other aspects of my life wrinkle up. I loved playing basketball and I graduated high school with straight A’s (although since I think my teachers liked me, a couple of them were extra gracious). I graduated early because I had to go record “Speed Metal Symphony.” You know, now that I think of it, I did delay most of my fooling around with girls until after I was 18. I don’t think I was completely, naturally talented so I needed lots of practice. I think my strength was a huge love of music and a thirst for learning new stuff; being open to everything I could hear. I constantly held and played my guitar in every spare moment. There was never a set regimen, just practice what you love.
After hearing some of your work with Cacophony, I just want to know: How did you get so good on your sweep picking. What exercise/technique did you first use in order to get both hands working together?
—Marco
Funny, back when I started doing sweep picking I had never heard that term before. For arpeggios it just seemed like the best way to pick them. I remember one day Marty Friedman and I met at the Fremont BART station. While we were waiting for our bass player to pick us up for rehearsal, we took out our guitars. I was 16. We started to show each other little arpeggios. We started to add notes to them and before long we were covering the whole neck and every string. It took me a while to get down how I wanted to pick it. I finally felt what was best for me. Just sweet up and down, and when there is more than one note on a string, instead of picking it, either hammer it or pull it. Lots of people have trouble getting aggressive rhythm and smooth control out of it. Just remember you are a rock god and you will get it.
How old were you when you started working on Paganini’s 5th Caprice? How long did it take you to master it?
—Rick Hammond
I guess I was 15. I read the notation. I am not great at reading music so it took a few days. I definitely don’t think I mastered it. I remember reading Yngwie saying that no guitar player could play the 24th Caprice. I wanted to see what he was talking about so I bought Itzhak Perlman’s version of the 24 Caprices. I learned, recorded, and even performed the 24th Caprice at a Coffee House in Walnut Creek. I have a video of it; embarrassing. My favorite Caprice was the 5th, so I learned it. By the way, Eliot Fisk plays all 24 Caprices great on guitar. When Marty finally saw that on my Hot Licks DVD years later, he said if I had played that for him when we met, he would have been scared, but, alas, I was the only scared one.
I’ve read that your pickup preferences are DiMarzios in the neck and Seymour Duncans in the bridge position. What specific pickup models do you use?
—Matt Hernacki
I’m sorry but I only remember the Seymour Duncan. It was a J.B. model (Jeff Beck, not Jason Becker, damn it). Great tone. For the neck position, just anything that sounded like Stevie Ray Vaughan.
You are an incredible inspiration to me. Your story and music completely blow me away. I’m wondering, did getting ALS change your view on music at all?
—Jeff M.
Thank you so much, man. I am not sure if it was ALS or just time that has changed my outlook on music. Not being able to play guitar anymore has made me focus more on beautiful melodies and soul stirring stuff. Those qualities were always in my music, but there was also a desire to kick your ass and blow your mind. Now I want people to feel something so deep that they can’t help but reflect and make positive changes in themselves.
I am also less picky about most music. I like mediocre stuff but I am more picky about guitar music. Unless it is really unique, I am so bored with guitar music. I suppose that it doesn’t help that I sometimes get depressed hearing guitarists.
Because of your physical limitations, has your creativity been sparked in new areas?
—Tom Samulak
I remember when I was first losing my ability to play my fast licks and my hands were shaking and falling off the guitar. It forced me to sort of create a new slow style. I was very inspired and recorded Dylan’s “Meet Me in the Morning.” Then when I couldn’t play at all, I got inspired by world and classical music. Now I am sparked by Indian and Funk music, which is evident in my new stuff. Not being able to play makes one be able to listen and receive better. The constant noodling on guitar can be great, but also distracting to the universal music inside you.
If you regained movement fully, how long do you think it would take to become awesome again on the guitar?
—Larry Chialchi
Funny. Knowing how awesome I was, probably one second (heh heh). To be honest, I rarely think about that anymore. Even though I had less than 4 good years of recording guitar, I am okay with what I did. You know, in my mind, I didn’t really start developing my own style until I was almost 20. I was good and wrote some unique songs but my playing was starting to get lots better when I got ALS. Bu, to answer your question, probably a few years.
I’ve noticed many great guitar players mention the key to getting fast is to practice slow and eliminate tension in your muscles, was eliminating tension and practicing slow what got you to shred at seventeen?
—Grant Hatfield
I guess I did some of that but I did a lot of the opposite. When my guitar teacher, Dave Creamer, (who played with Miles Davis and, I believe, gave Joe Satriani lessons) taught me some scales at my first lesson, I started flailing with them at rapid speed, being very tense. As time progressed, I got more relaxed and accurate. This can be a good alternate exercise but the way you described is probably best. I never nailed speed picking like the master Al Dimeola. So I was starting to phase it out of my playing. To be able to do it that young, I don’t exactly know how. It doesn’t seem to be that uncommon these days.
I heard you began making another album with your eyes. If so, how does that actually work? Do you develop ideas in your head, and then score them with your eyes somehow?
—Dave Evans
Good question. I am working on two new long ass songs for a “Best of Jason Becker” CD. The new songs will have Marty Friedman, Greg Howe, Michael Lee Firkins, Steve Hunter and yours truly, not to mention a bunch of other musicians including members of the awesome band, Flipsyde, and Dan Alvarez. I will tell everyone when it is out on my ‘MySpace’ page and my website. So, I get a little idea in my noggin, then I go to the computer that my buddies, Mike B., Franklin and Dan, set me up with. I have the program called LogicPro and thousands of sound samples. I am with whoever is my caregiver at the time. I tell them what tempo and sound I want (I direct everything by spelling with my eyes using the communication system my father invented. It is way faster than any computer could be). Then I try to teach my caregiver the notes I want. If it is too hard, or the notes are off, there is a grid where I can tell them where to click the notes in relation to the song bars. I can then make the notes longer, shorter, louder, quieter, change the velocity and basically anything I want. I can do this with tons of tracks with different sounds. It is a long process, but since I pretty much know what I am going for, it ends up sounding great and huge. Then I add singers, guitarists and a bunch of great musicians. My buddy, Dan Alvarez (the genius with two Emmys), is co-producing it and making it sound awesome. I wish I could get Sting, Joss Stone and Zakir Hussain, but c’est la vie.
Dear Jason, as a huge fan and a 14-year-old guitarist, I’m puzzled about how to put “feel” into my solos. How do you play with breathtaking speed and still convey emotion?
—Alex Becker
That is a very tough one to put into words. For a while I wouldn’t think about mixing speed and feeling. It sounds like you have the speed thing down. Now take a real close listen to Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan. For Jeff I suggest his CDs, “Guitar Shop,” “Wired,” and “There and Back.” For Stevie Ray, “Soul to Soul” and “Couldn’t Stand the Weather.” Try not just listening to their notes, but to how they squeeze and shake the strings. Check out how they go in and out of rhythm with their solos, almost as if the notes are drunk or falling down crying. Take some time each day to work only on your vibrato. Sometime soon you will really start to feel it and love it. Love is the key. Then it will become natural to mix emotion with speed. Check out how Eddie Van Halen doesn’t pick his fast notes with all the same boring velocity. He makes most of his fast licks almost funky by picking some notes harder than others. You are only 14. Don’t worry too much about it. Just have love for all types of music and you will naturally get feeling if you practice. Contrary to what some people say, you don’t have to suffer to have feeling and emotion in your playing. You are human aren’t you? We all have sorrow and joy in our lives to draw from. I forget the exact words but B. B. King told my buddy, Steve Hunter, something similar to this.
A trademark of your playing, I would say, is your blazing fast and very musical arpeggios. Aside from the normal major and minor patterns, what other interesting sounding arpeggios do you like?
—Michal Laird
Hmmm. I enjoy whole tone and diminished arpeggios. Whole tone gives a sort of modern classical feel. Diminished, as we know, is pretty common with neo-classical farts. I also like sticking a flat fifth in major arpeggios. It sounds like a movie soundtrack. Also in that one I like replacing the major third with a second. So the notes, if playing in E, would be E, F#, Bb and B. Quite a stretch if doing three octaves. I like jamming sevenths and sixths in major arpeggios. I sometimes would take a pentatonic scale and leave out random notes. Those made for neat sounds. I would also put my fingers in random patterns. This is cool for sounding weird. I also was starting to do intervalic arpeggios thanks to Dave Creamer. I rarely did many jazzy arpeggios because I am not really a jazz guy.
If you had to pick one song from your entire catalog that best represents you, what would it be?
—Jonathan Andrews
Damn. Man, can’t I have more than one? It is hard for me because I do many different types of music. Let me say five and you can punch me later. “Images” from Go Off, Either “Opus-Pocus” or “Altitudes” from Perpetual Burn, “Higher” and “End of the Beginning” from Perspective, “Showtime” from Dave’s A Little Ain’t Enough...eh, scratch “Showtime.” That’s just a blazing shuffle. Man, I really cheated on that question huh?
What’s the best technique to use for good fast picking—wrist or elbow?
—Nathaniel Toppelberg
I am the wrong guy to ask. From the great fret pickers I have seen I would say wrist. I switched between elbow, wrist and even fingers, depending on the part. But I wasn’t a total master at it (my dad just said, “what you talking about, Willis? You are the fastest guitarist I ever saw.”) Very funny but I would say ask Al Dimeola or Paul Gilbert.
I saw a video of you shredded with one hand and yo-yoing with the other. This is obviously an amazing feat, but looking back upon it how do you view it? Do you see it as something to enhance the show or as a gimmick that resulted from your youth?
—Spencer McKay
It was both. I wanted to have a unique trick like Hendrix did with playing the guitar behind his head or picking with his teeth. It was just fun and it got people talking after the show. After each show ladies started to ask me for my yo-yos. I had to stock up. If you look at that video again notice that I am playing everything on the lower strings so the open strings wouldn’t ring out. That video is on my Hot Licks DVD.
What inspired you to first pick up a guitar? What was your first guitar?
—George O’Toole
My dad, uncle and Bob Dylan inspired me to play. My dad was a really good classical guitarist. He took lessons with a student of Andre Segovia. My uncle was into Roy Buchanan. I loved everything they did. To me Dylan was and still is the coolest and the greatest. His melodies, words and inflections were so moving. Check out his albums, “Bringing it All Back Home,” “Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan,” and “Highway 61 Revisited.” For my fifth Christmas on earth (1974) my folks got me a Franciscan Acoustic guitar. I still have it. My dad tried to teach me the notes and how to read music, but I was so bored with that. A year later my brother got a little toy xylophone. Dad taught him Dylan’s song, “As I Went Out One Morning.” I said, “Hey why don’t you teach me that good stuff?” So he did. From then on I was playing and singing every Dylan song.
Jason, your courage and playing are both unreal. How do you manage to keep your spirits up? Thanks for the inspiration.
—Art
Thanks Homey. I guess the short answer is I have love for life. I love people, including myself. I am loved and taken care of by my family, friends and Guru Amma. I am still able to create, albeit in a different way. I don’t want to make light of ALS because it is hard as hell. you can’t even imagine, (well, some of you can) but inside myself it has mostly just become a different lifestyle. You know, some people think since I can’t move I am a vegetable. Wrong. Just picture yourself as you are, just always sitting down and if you need something a hot babe takes care of you. I am exaggerating a little, but this is how I see it. I have reasons to live. I have hopes and dreams. I am not in any real pain. I laugh and joke, make music, write, make love and party. To people who are with me and meet me, they totally get it. I have my down days just like anyone but pshaw.
What do you feel about new school shredders like Rusty Cooley and Francesco Fareri or maybe even Herman Li or Sam Totman of Dragonfoce? Do you think they are virtuosos? Or just all flash and no substance?
—Tom Vautour
I will show my ignorance now. I haven’t heard of any of those guys except Rusty, and he only because he sent me some videos. He is a really cool guy and, Good Lord, as fast as Michael Vick. You know, I can’t give a good answer about his music because it has been so long since I listened to it and I don’t remember it. Now you got me curious. I will go back and listen. I will say that I have heard lots of shredders whose songs and playing are so boring I can’t believe it. Man, think of something new and expressive.
On songs like “Altitudes,” “Perpetual Burn,” and “Mabel’s Fatal Fable,” did you just go into studio knowing full well what you were going to play, or did you lay down the backing tracks and “noodle around” until you found what you liked?
—Rev. Cody Ziglar
I would say for those songs, about 90% of them were worked out beforehand. I did all my noodling at home. I was still open to things that would pop out of me spontaneously but I wanted to have compositions, not just noodling. Also, I always loved jamming with anyone at any time, but in my mind, I wasn’t a great improviser so I preferred to write at home.
What was the most important musical lesson that you received from hours of jamming with Marty Friedman?
—Justin Beaupre
Whew, there are so many. Mainly to be yourself, be unique, don’t do what has been done. He taught me a lot about the beauty in non-conventional harmonies and rhythms. He made up an exercise that we would often do together. We would take turns playing solos and chords, but we would have no idea what the chord guy would play. We would try to make the soloist look foolish by playing the most unexpected chords we could think of. The exercise was meant to train ourselves to bend up to good notes, and to learn weird phrasing. Also our ears would get used to interesting progressions, and we might come up with cool ideas for songs. Every day I learned something new from Marty. You could learn a lot from just learning to play one of his songs. I sure did. To be honest, I would be nothing without his influence. Oh yeah, and he turned me on to Japanese music.
Since getting ALS, how have your thoughts on spirituality and death change?
—Patrick Thompson
Before ALS, I didn’t think much about spirituality and death. I was trying to make cool music and be a sweet person. I guess that is spiritual – “do unto others...” After 2 or 3 years with ALS progressing, I knew I needed God. I really felt a connection with Hindu teachings. I have had some confirming experiences connected to these teachings and my gurus. I never feel alone anymore. You know, I have found that beliefs and dogma don’t really matter. It isn’t about that at all. Those things might give people faith in a way, but “God” is, quite simply, love and compassion. People who think “God” is a guy who is in the sky aren’t giving “God” enough credit. “God” is infinite, in everyone and everything, so if you worship everyone and everything, you are worshipping “God.” I have had a couple of near-death experiences. Death isn’t scary to me, but I don’t want to leave my life yet.
What was it like working with David Lee Roth? Do you two ever keep in touch?
—Jake Berger
It was mostly a blast. He was pretty sweet to me. He often complimented me but wasn’t afraid to tell me if I was sucking. He was the wild horn dog you would expect, but he had a soft side too. He met a nice girl in Vancouver and asked my advice on how to get such a nice girl. He was half teasing but he also was half serious. Cute. He was really good with me in the studio. He had to break up an argument between me and Bob Rock. I thought Bob couldn’t hear good tone for shit. I was probably wrong; he is way talented. Dave was very diplomatic. Every guy in that band took me under their wings. I love them all. Dave and everyone knew I was having health problems. I was really limping and sometimes tripping. They were all very understanding except two guys around that camp. I won’t mention names but one was a well-known manager. (heh heh)
Man, big love to everyone around me and Dave back in those days. I love and appreciate you all. We haven’t talked since we parted but he wrote a sweet page about me in his book, and a quote about “Perspective’ for me. I also got a nice message from him on MySpace but who knows if that was really him.
You’ve clearly outlived your life expectancy for an ALS patient—how do you explain this? When a cure for ALS is found, what is the first thing you would do?
—Bruce Deets
Probably many different things. The fact that I want to live, even in my condition, is, maybe, number 1. My family and friends wanting me around, and doing what it takes to keep me here at home is big. I drink tons of water and eat only healthy food. I do lots of spiritual practice and I believe Amma is always with me helping me through difficult times. I guess I still have a point or a purpose for being here. I don’t really know why, but I am grateful.
The first thing I would do if I am cured would be to hug everyone in sight. I would probably play some kind of practical joke on people, I would party, man. Then I would have sex with some woman with me on top for a change. Then I would jam and sing a bunch of Dylan songs with everyone around; maybe “I Shall Be Released.”
What would you give to be able to feel your fingers on a fret board again?
—Terry Kidd
Actually I have total feeling in my whole body, so I can feel the fret board, but I know what you mean. Hmmm. I would give my left nut, but definitely not my right one. I would give up both my hands and all my guitars. I would give up 10” of my penis (but only 10). I would give all my billions of dollars away (I wish). I would give up my marriage to Sarah McLachlan.
What’s the single most important advice you could give to a beginning guitar player?
—Danny Rozema
Most importantly, love it with a passion but don’t neglect other aspects of your life. Also, be open to everything, practice a lot, be very positive in your outlook, be nice and cool to people, and try to do things that are unique to yourself. Oh, think about this; when I have my blazing music on my “myspace” page, I get lots of sweet comments from great guys, but when I put my “beautiful” melodies on, I get more comments from women. So make sure you are making good music, not just boring vehicles for shredding.
Speaking of women, I just want to give a big shout-out to Jennifer Batten. I think you are great.
http://www.guitarplayer.ru/becker/img/david_and_jason.jpg