[Click here for Joe Stump's "Harmonic Minor Shapes and Fragments" lesson]

 

 

 

 

 

IC: For the readers who may be unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your music?

Joe: My music is a blending of several schools of hard rock and metal. Some of it is neo-classical speed metal / shred, some of it’s European power metal and some of it’s Hendrix and Blackmore inspired old-school hard rock. But my tunes always have cool riffs and strong melodies in addition to all of the over the top Baroque fret frying action going on.

IC: What inspired you to play the guitar, and how old were you when you first started?

Joe: I played a little when I was 10 but then stopped and picked it up again when I was like 13. Listening to Jimi is what got me hooked. My first guitar was an SG copy from Sam Ash (I grew up in New York) .Then a year later I got a brand new 1974 Fender Stratocaster, black with a maple neck and big tilted headstock, just like Blackmore’s on ‘Made in Japan’. I loved that guitar, and I was lucky my parents were very supportive of my musical endeavors when I was young.

IC: Who were your main early influences and how did that change over the years?

Joe: When I was young I loved Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, and Michael Schenker, and I still listen to those guys to this day. Then later on I discovered Al Di Meola and became obsessed with the ‘Elegant Gypsy’ and ‘Casino’ records and the rest of Al’s heavy electric period. The first time I heard him play it was so amazingly fast that I was blown away (you’ve got to remember that was like 1979-1980). After that I started my Gary Moore obsession. I loved his early hard rock /metal records (‘Corridors of Power’, ‘Victims of the Future’, and ‘We Want Moore’). So his stuff and Uli Jon Roth’s work with the Scorpions. Then I discovered Yngwie; I first read about him in the spotlight section of Guitar Player Magazine. All of his influences were the same as mine, so later when the Steeler and Alcatraz records came out, I learned like almost early solo on those. Then I got the ‘Rising Force’ record before it came out in the states when it was a Japanese import. That record had a massive impact on my playing. But Yngwie, Ritchie Blackmore, Gary Moore, Schenker, Uli, and Hendrix… rarely does a day go by without me listening to at least one of my favorite guys.

IC: What led you to play instrumental music?

Joe: Well the ‘Rising Force’ debut had a bit to do with that. But I really wanted to be a guitar hero. I was in a metal band in the late 80`s / early 90`s. “Trash Broadway” was the name of the band, we had a record deal (with Torrid records, an NY based Indy metal label) and in addition to playing with the band I was going to do a solo record with them as well. Then the band broke up and I just concentrated on my solo career. I wanted to make those records with killer playing, be in the guitar magazines I read all the time, and enjoy all the things that come with that modest level of success. Then as I started to make my solo records I really found my niche as far as what I do.

IC: Could you tell our readers a little bit about your previous releases?

Joe: I have quite a few records out so I’d be typing for quite sometime if I was to answer that in detail. My solo albums are ‘Guitar Dominance’, ‘Night of the Living Shred’, ‘Supersonic Shred Machine’, ‘Rapid Fire Rondo’, ‘Armed and Ready’, ‘2001 A Shred Odyssey’, ‘Speed Metal Messiah’ and ‘Shredology’ (a collection disc). I’ve also put out four records with my power metal band, “Joe Stump’s Reign of Terror” (Rainbow / Rising Force influenced type of thing). All of my solo records have to have the pompous title, but of course that’s a tongue in cheek kind of thing. Some guys will see the title and think I’m some arrogant prick, but it’s all in good fun. While I’m very dedicated to the instrument, I certainly don’t take myself that seriously. But while all the records have their differences, the style of the music remains fairly constant on them. They’re just as much for people that enjoy hard rock and metal as they are for fans of virtuoso guitar music.

 

(Joe Stump - Demon's Eye)

IC: What projects are you working on currently?

Joe: I’m gearing up for a new solo album. Right now I’m rehearsing the band, and we’ll go and record it in the next couple months. I’m also in a power metal band called “HolyHell”. We’ve just released an EP in Europe and it’s doing quite well. We were on a big tour with Manowar and Rhadsody playing big venues in Europe. I just came back from playing some huge outdoor metal festivals with them. The full on HolyHell debut should be coming out later this year or early next year, but I finished the guitars on the thing quite awhile ago.

IC: Could you tell us a little about your guitars? Do you have a favorite brand or luthier?

Joe: I have an ESP endorsement. I’ve been with them over 10 years. My main guitars are ESP custom shop strats. They all have alder bodies, Dunlop jumbo frets, heavily scalloped necks, sperzel locking tuners, graphtech nuts (although one is equipped with a Floyd rose trem), and fender vintage style bridges . I use Dimarzio pickups; I’m hooked up with them as well. I use the YJM in the neck, Virtual vintage solo in the middle and an HS-3 in the bridge. I’ll also use the Dimarzio fast track in the bridge as well sometimes. But I have a ton of Fenders as well, strats from all different years plus a bunch of Blackmore and Malmsteen signature models.

IC: What other gear do you use, and what kind of tone do you strive for?

Joe: When it comes to amps there is really only one and that’s Marshall. As Jeff Beck says, “it’s the big daddy”. I have a bunch of old 70’s Marshalls, some are early 70’s non-master 50’s, I have a modded early 70’s 100 watter and some later 70’s master volume 50`s like the ones Schenker used with the white piping and the big logo. I actually own one of Yngwie’s old 50 watt Marshalls, it’s like a 1971 and it sounds killer. The only other amps I have are the Engl Ritchie Blackmore model (great amp and I’ve used that on tour with HolyHell), and the Rhino Black Star Yngwie Malmsteen signature amp. It’s just an exact copy of his favorite 50 watt Marshall and it sounds great (exactly like an older Marshall). Pedal-wise I have a bunch of boss stuff on the floor - delay, flanger, super chorus, phase shifter, octave box. I also use a Dunlop cry baby wah and Dunlop Rotovibe. As far as overdrive pedals go, I use an old grey DOD 250 and newer DOD YJM308. I’ll also use a treble booster that was modded by Blackmore’s old guitar tech Dawk Stillwell to resemble the old Hornby Skewes unit Ritchie used to use. I use Dunlop 1.5 delrin picks in white, purple and black with my signature on them, and I just signed on with Dean Markley and I’m using the Yngwie’s Magic Strings. They have the bullet ends for the strat tremelo and stay in tune killer.

 

IC: What instructional material did you use to help develop your technique when you were younger? Did you have any favorite instructional books or videos, or a teacher?

Joe: Early on I just learned the old-school way… lifting tunes and solos by all my heroes off of records and tapes. At Berklee when I was a student I played a bunch of classical stuff. Mainly violin stuff for my picking hand. Bach, Paganini, as well as pieces by Carcassi, Sor, and all kinds of stuff. I still play classical pieces from time to time. Video-wise the first Michael Angelo Star licks instructional was great. I love the way Mike’s got that machine-like precision to his technique. I tried to combine that with the Yngwie / Blackmore / Roth dark sounding European approach. Of course, I dug Yngwie’s first instructional video as well, but by the time that came out I was already quite familiar with all his techniques.

IC: How much time do you spend practicing and playing nowadays, and how does that compare with your practice schedule when you were younger?

Joe: When I’m working at Berklee I’ve got a guitar in my hands anywhere from 8-10 hours a day… playing and teaching all of the high-tech metal / shred stuff that everyone comes to me for. At home - if I’m not touring or rehearsing - I’ll still play and practice anywhere from 3-5 hours a day, and sometimes even more. In my days of really hitting it hard I’d play over 8-10 hours a day, even back when I was making my first 4 solo albums. I still play a ton; I love it! I’m lucky, as to play in this style… you’d better enjoy playing and practicing.

IC: Could you describe how you typically go about practicing?

Joe: It depends on what I’ve got in the pipes. If I’ve got some clinics coming up or a show or tour then I’ll be sharpening up the stuff I’m going to play live. If I’m gearing up for a record I’ll work on the stuff that I’ll be tracking. Difficult sections of tunes, formulating cool ideas for solo sections, melodic phrasing and inflection for improvised bits, bending and vibrato on melodies, etc. I’ll do certain technique things, scalular patterns and fragments for picking, sweeping, Baroque linear play and pedal tones, etc… always with the click or a drum groove. I’ll loop a chord sequence and groove at a certain speed and work my hands over it as well as work on improvising things on it. I’ll learn and transcribe Uli and Blackmore or Schenker solos for fun or to show my students. I’ll play watching TV on Sundays only. That’s like my off day where I am playing but it’s not as disciplined as usual. I’m from New York, and I’m a huge Yankee’s fan, so if it’s a Sunday day game I’ll be parked in front of the TV with a small amp and my Korg PX-4 Pandora shredding and yelling at the television if the Yanks start losing.

IC: Since you’re the resident Metal / Shred guitar guru at the famous Berklee College of Music, do you have any particular philosophies or approaches to teaching?

Joe: No I really don’t have any particular teaching philosophies, I see a ton of different players at varying levels at Berklee, some are completely driven and dedicated to their instrument while others not nearly as much as they should be if they’re going to attend and study at the world’s most prestigious music school. Everyone’s an individual and they all understand things and latch on to them differently, so while much of materials are the same content-wise, the approach to helping each student varies. But I’m always playing and practicing, and I love the fucking guitar, so the fact that I’m just as intense about playing as I was when I was younger certainly comes across to them.

IC: You have a lot of instructional releases through Shred Academy and elsewhere… could you tell use a bit about those?

Joe: Sure I released one DVD thru Berklee Press, more of a basic technique building type of DVD geared more towards lower to mid level players, but with some interview and performance footage along with the instructional material. I’ve also released 3 through that online company called the Shred Academy. They’re called “Neo–Classical Guitar” 1, 2 and 3. All the DVD’s cover a ton of techniques and have a great balance of cool performance playing footage, gratuitous shredding and a huge amount of instructional content. I’ve also released a sweep arpeggio DVD, first through my website and now the Shred Academy will be putting that one out as well, along with a bonus DVD containing some more advanced arpeggio playing examples.

IC: Do you have any new instructional releases planned for the near future?

Joe: Yes, I’m about to shoot a new one entitled “Advanced Hard Rock and Metal Soloing Techniques”. I take several of my solos, demonstrate them, break down all the ideas and explain all the techniques and ideas used in detail.

IC: Not long ago you participated in the filming of Troy Grady’s upcoming shred documentary, “Cracking the Code”. Did you get a chance to see some of your picking in slow motion? If so, did you discover anything new about your technique that you hadn’t known before?

Joe: Nothing too earthshaking other than every once and awhile I’d be missing a note with the pick on certain licks and making it sound with my left hand. Normally you’d never hear it or notice it, but under the watchful eye of the slow motion shred cam it comes across. That was a lot of fun, Troy’s a sharp guy and it was cool to be included along with all the other monster players in the film.

IC: I know this is kind of a though question to answer, but what is your creative process like, and what inspires your songwriting?

Joe: I’m always playing, so most times I come up with stuff just rocking and banging around on the guitar. I’ll get into a vibe and things start to flow when it’s happening. I’ll write riffs, melodies, scripted technical sections, Hendrix-ey groove shit… it all depends on what I’m channeling. If I’m in a Jimi, Frank Marino, Robin Trower kind of vibe I’ll start throwing things together. If it’s a heavier thing then I’m riffing out over faster speed metal stuff or classically influenced things. Most times it starts with a specific groove and time feel. When I compose a melody it’ll be very organic, just hearing it in my head and trying to get it out. I never write the chords first, any strong melody I’ve written always comes before the harmony. Sometimes I’ll have things laying around for awhile before I put a whole tune together and other times it all falls right into place.

 

IC: Do you listen to your own music for personal enjoyment very much?

Joe: When I first finish a record and the record company sends me the final product with the artwork and everything I’ll bask in the glory and listen to it a few times, but after that very rarely. I throw the disc in the pile and it’s on to the next project.

IC: How important a factor is improvisation in your music? Do you improvise the solos on your albums, or during your live performances?

Joe: I do improvise quite a bit; I’ve played many solos on my records right off the cuff. One way I’ll work on solo sections when I’m getting ready to do a record is take the section, loop the groove a bunch of times and start letting go over it. If I play something I like I’ll go back tidy it up and keep it, then all of sudden that gets married to another cool idea and before you know it I’ve got this solo that’s somewhat worked out but it’s comprised of all these ideas I came across while improvising. But I’m an old-school rock / metal guy and improvising is such a huge part of rock guitar.

IC: Do you have a favorite song of yours to play live, and do you perform any covers?

Joe: I have a ton of them, with so many records out I’ve got a lot of stuff to pick from. And I have many tunes I’ve been playing live for over a decade or longer now (stuff from my earlier releases). Cover-wise I do a bunch live. Always some Blackmore stuff… “Burn”, “Kill the King”, an instrumental version of “Still I’m Sad”, a Yardbirds tune Blackmore played instrumentally on the first Rainbow album. Some Hendrix, bits of Third Stone from the Sun, Voodoo Chile, Purple Haze. Some Uli and bits of Yngwie things as well.

IC: Is there anyone you’d especially like to play or collaborate with someday?

Joe: Ronnie James Dio! I’d love to do a record with him or play in his band.

IC: Since this is an instrumental guitar website, what instrumental albums have you heard recently, and which are your all-time favorites?

Joe: Cool question, I really don’t listen to a ton of instrumental stuff in general except for classical music. But more recent records include Marty Friedman’s newest offering ‘Loudspeaker’, which is rockin’, The Uli Jon Roth record, ‘Metamorphosis’, is one of my favorites. That’s where Uli plays Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and adds his own season at the end, it’s really quite an undertaking. I also like Michael Angelo Batio’s newest offering ‘Hands Without Shadows’, even though it’s primarily cover tunes Mike adds his own twist on them and of course his playing is ripping. I also enjoy the playing of a few neo-classical players that maybe everyone isn’t familiar with. Walter Giardino from Argentina’s Rata Blanca is a great player, very much in the Blackmore / Yngwie mold, as well as Japan’s Katsu Ohta from the band ArkStorm, and Norifumi Shima from Concerto Moon - both of those guys both kill when it comes to classically influenced European style guitar playing. All of those guys do mostly power metal vocal records, but they contain some instrumentals. As far as my all-time favorites… Yngwie’s “Rising Force” debut, Yngwie’s “Concerto Suite” with the orchestra, Jason Becker’s “Perpetual Burn”, Marty Friedman’s “Dragon’s Kiss”, The Uli-Jon Roth “Metamorphosis” Vivaldi record, as well as Uli’s “Transcendental Sky” guitar album which is predominantly instrumental. Michael Schenker’s “Adventures of the Imagination” and “MS 2000 Dreams and Expressions”, Alex Masi’s “In the Name of Bach”, David T. Chastain’s “Instrumental Variations” and “Within the Heat”, and Tony MacAlpines’ first two records, “Edge of Insanity” and “Maximum Security” are great neo-classical records.

IC: Do you have any advice for aspiring young guitarists who want to pursue a career in music or just better themselves as players?

Joe: Just to work hard and dedicate yourself to it if that’s what you really want to do. I got into guitar playing early on in my life and never considered for a second doing anything else. I did it because I love music and the guitar, and I still do it for those reasons. If you truly love to play and work your ass off then good things are bound to happen, but you’ve got to live, eat, breathe and sleep it, or else don’t bother.

IC: For someone at your level of musicianship, what are your technical and musical aspirations?

Joe: I’m content to keep doing what I’m doing; touring, making records, doing clinics, DVD’s, master classes, working at Berklee, etc… And just like everyone, I still keep trying to improve in all aspects of my playing and abilities as a musician and performer. You always want your newest record to top your past work and your latest show to be better than the previous one.

IC: Are there any guitarists who you still look up to?

Joe: All my heroes. Ritchie Blackmore (my biggest influence), Yngwie Malmsteen, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, Jimi, and Uli-Jon Roth. I still listen to those guys all the time and always find their playing inspiring.

IC: Which newer guitarists have caught your attention?

Joe: I’m sure there’s all kinds of new killer players out there but I’m so busy doing my thing that usually if I’m going to listen to guitar it’s going to be one of my favorite guys.

IC: Do you listen to any non-guitar oriented music? If so, which artists, bands or genres do you like?

Joe: Classical music of course, Bach, Vivaldi, CPE Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Paganini, etc… mostly stuff from the Baroque and Romantic periods.

IC: If you could visit any musician or group in history, who would it be?

Joe: Well musician it would be either Vivaldi or Paganini, but band wise it’d be Deep Purple back in 70’s during the Machine Head / Made In Japan-era or Thin Lizzy in the old days with Gary Moore and of course Phil Lynott.

IC: Do you play any other instruments besides guitar?

Joe: Just bass on my records and demos every once in awhile.

IC: What are some of your hobbies outside of guitar and music in general?

Joe: I like to travel, vacation and I do enjoy watching the New York Yankees play baseball when they’re winning and playing well. It’s always cool to have a few interests outside of music, but I really don’t have too many.

IC: And finally, what’s the one thing you want people to know about you?

Joe: Well playing a certain way and looking a certain way in press photos many people tend to perceive me as some arrogant pompous prick or are intimidated by me for some reason, but anyone that knows me knows that couldn’t be further for the truth. I’m very easy going and laid back, quite a departure from the evil looking metal guy they see in pictures or on stage.