Paul Gilbert

“A rock band with vocals is what I always wanted to be a part of; in fact, it feels very natural for me.”

“I remember walking into a department store and you would hear an instrumental version of a Beatles song and it was usually kinda cheesy and very un-rock. Kenny G, for example, is a musician that I certainly dont want to sound like, but technically he is flawless but somehow the rock and roll aspect has been sucked out of it.”

“I grew up in the '70s, so I even love the music that I didn't like from that era.”

“When it comes to songwriting, I grew up in the Seventies listening to AM radio. So I've all these pop songs running through my head from Paul McCartney and Elton John, and a lot of stuff that was written on piano.”

“Yeah, my very first teacher when I was 6 was a big influence, because it was so boring that I quit guitar.”

“I love all my guitar solos.”

“I lived in Los Angeles for around 20 years. I love the place, but the driving can wear thin.”

“It's amazing how a lot of the metal guys have never strummed! And it's not that challenging, but it really opens up a lot of doors in ways they might not have imagined.”

“On 'Fuzz Universe,' I think I've taken a giant step closer to the ultimate rock guitar sound and playing of my dreams.”

“I was doing a lot of teaching on my online guitar school and I started to use vocal melodies as a way of teaching my students. To be able to do that, I had to learn them myself.”

“I love my job as a musician, and I am filled with gratitude that good people support my endeavors.”

“I went from wanting to be a Beatle to becoming a 'widdly-widdly' guitar player.”

“When it comes to vibrato, a lot of people look at their hands when they do it. Which is pretty much of no use. Because vibrato is one of those things you have to hear. There are some guitar things where the visual is really useful, like seeing chord shapes or scale patterns. But vibrato isn't one of those things.”

“While I was writing the songs for 'Fuzz Universe,' I was immersing myself in Bulgarian Female Choir music, Baroque lute and violin pieces, Johnny Cash songs about trains, cows, mules, and mining coal, the Bee Gees, and Ronnie James Dio.”

“When I look back at the span that Mr. Big lasted, we had some unbelievable times. But there were grueling times, too.”

“I really genuinely love 'To Be With You.' I don't get tired of playing it.”

“You could take any four people, no matter how wonderful they are, and if you make them live together on a tour bus for eight years and don't give them any time off, after a while everybody gonna start going crazy.”

“I especially like the songs Hurry Up and The Curse Of Castle Dragon, and I often include them in my live show.”

“I am trying to build the biggest callus possible on my first finger so I can do one-finger bends and vibrato like B.B. King.”

“Teaching is just something that has come naturally to me. I didn't set out to be a teacher. I wanted to be a Beatle! But there were only four of them, so the job openings were really limited.”