1/ Vibrato is your 13th solo album, it seems you still have many things to say with your guitar. Where does your inspiration come from ? May you reveal us your feelings about this new effort ? Can you find 4 words to describe it ? Have you planned a tour to support this album ?
PG : Four words to describe my new album ? That’s an interesting idea ! How about… A13 to Bb7#9b13… Yikes ! Those are the chords at the end of the first song called, Enemies (In Jail). I grew up as a rock and heavy metal guitar player, so I never tried to play chords like this before. And playing a solo over these chords is a whole new artform for me. I’ve been working on this for a few years on my own, and I’m finally getting comfortable with these new sounds. It really keeps me interested in the guitar. I want to play all the time ! Most of the new songs on the album have new chords like this, and I enjoy it so much.
2/ We saw you at the Hellfest 2011 (Clisson-France) with Mr Big (thank you, great show !!), how is it possible for you to have so much job on the go ? How do you plan your different projects ?
PG : I’m always happy to have a job in music. Being a musician is very different than being a dentist. I think most people who go to a university and study to become a dentist actually become dentists. But many people who study to become musicians, never actually get a job in music. I realize that I am fortunate to have this rare job. So I try to take every opportunity to play.
3/ We meet many young people in concerts and festivals (especially metal music) and we think they aren't aware of the existence of the great guitarists who emerged during the 80's. It's as if the public prefers now great guitarist in great band but not in a solo context. I was recently at a Marty Friedman show (with Yossi Sassi opening) and was surprised because the assistance was full of guys between 40 and 60 whereas for a metal band the audience is much younger. Do you think the guitar hero model has lost his mediatic brilliancy during the
past two decades ? Is it the reason you mix songs and instrumentals in your albums ?
Do you consider yourself as a guitarist who sings or as a full artist who sings playing guitar ?
PG : I am glad to have any audience ! Although I wish there were more girls in the audience. Actually, for Mr. Big there are. I think they like Eric Martin. But
mostly, I really appreciate my audience. They are great listeners. They don’t fight or throw things. They just listen and have a great time. That’s perfect for me.
4/ Are you still in the total guitar life, thinking guitar, talking guitar, etc. every hours a day or with the time and experience, you manage to plan your guitar work with efficiency (play less but better) ?
PG : Yes ! I’m involved in music and guitar every day. There is a very practical reason for this… calluses . My new album is called VIBRATO. I chose this name
because I love vibrato. I love it more than playing fast. I love it more than any other guitar sound. And I can only do it if I have strong calluses on my fingers. I need to play every day to keep my calluses in good condition.
Also, I started an online guitar school earlier this year. The students make videos with their questions, and I make videos to reply. So every week, I’m doing so
many videos for the school. This keeps me playing and thinking about guitar all the time. You should check out my school. Just Google ‘Paul Gilbert Artistworks’ and you’ll find it.
5/ When we listen to you, one can think that you totally master your instrument, do you still learn on the guitar and from the guitar ? What is your daily practise
today ? Do you think you have still paths to explore on the guitar (musically and technically) ?
PG : Thank you for the compliment. I feel very confident technically. But this is just a small part of making music. It’s sort of like having very beautiful handwriting… But to write a good book, you need more than good handwriting. You need a story ! You need to be able to describe things. That’s a completely different skill. The same thing is true for guitar. That’s why it’s silly to judge music by technique. Imagine if a beautiful girl wrote a note to you that said ‘I love you.’ If the handwriting wasn’t perfect, would you care ? No ! The
important thing is the message. That’s why I like songs, and arrangements, and chords, and so many things that allow me to send musical messages.
6/Finally, thank you for all you've done for the music... and all you will do for it !
Thank you for listening. I hope to see you when I tour in 2013. I will be bring the same band that is playing on my VIBRATO album. You won’t believe Thomas Lang on drums. He’s amazing !
Paul Gilbert
Rider/Caresses Métalliques
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