In a recent interview with Guitar Player, Alex Skolnick talked about a few techniques and tips for beginner guitarists. Among the topics, the Testament member shared a piece of advice he once received from Joe Satriani about Yngwie Malmsteen’s influence.
Discouraging beginners from adopting and copying other guitarists’ styles, Skolnick explained:
“I remember when I was taking lessons from Joe Satriani. At the time, everybody was going crazy about Yngwie Malmsteen, and I liked what he was doing, too. Joe kind of told me, ‘That’s fine, but don’t get too into him. Don’t try to sound like him because, in a few years, there will be somebody else who’s the hot guy.’ Which is funny because a few years later, Joe was the guy everybody was talking about.”
He mentioned the effect of Satriani’s advice on him and went on:
“People were learning everything on ‘Surfing With The Alien,’ but I tried to keep my distance because I remembered what Joe had told me. It was kind of funny, really. Joe was a great teacher and a huge influence on me, but I knew I shouldn’t try to sound like him. He was doing his thing, but it wasn’t supposed to be my thing.”
During the chat, Skolnick also pointed out that making practicing sessions ‘enjoyable’ helped the learning process. He recalled feeling ‘overwhelmed’ by the amount of information in a guitar instructions book during his early years and revealed how his approach changed:
“Then I heard ‘Day Tripper’ by the Beatles. It had that cool riff that sounded like surf guitar, and I thought, I think I can play that. I picked up the guitar and played it really close to the bridge of the guitar, so I got that twangy sound. I had fun with it, and I felt inspired. Then I played ‘The James Bond Theme,’ with the same kind of surf guitar sound.”
The guitarist continued:
“I had a great time just playing music. It made me feel good about myself and the progress I was making. And as a result, the idea of taking a look at that instructional book didn’t seem so overwhelming to me. Those little steps made the big steps seem reachable.”
You can check out Alex Skolnick’s interview here.
