Guitarist Of The Year: John Petrucci

In a result that shocked (and thrilled) us to our very cores, the Dream Theater wizard has seen off the toughest of challenges to claim total guitar’s most coveted title!

Question: What do Robb Flynn, Herman Li and Matt Bellamy all have In common apart from their superhuman axe-hand ling abilities? Answer: They were all pipped to the post of TG Guitarist Of The Year by the even more superhuman John Petrucci! Dream Theater’s prog- wizard has seemingly come from nowhere to see off the challenge of some of guitar’s most lauded luminaries, and we at TG would like to thank you readers for making it so! It’s hardly before time. after all.

Petrucci has been shredding like a madman for over 20 years, and has become one of the most revered guitarists on the underground metal circuit. Thanks to the likes of you readers he’s getting the recognition he deserves as a true axe pioneer. We tracked the great man down to get his reaction...

Congratulations! How does it feel to be voted TG’s Guitarist Of The Year?

John Petrucci: “You know. I saw it on my interview schedule today and I thought. ‘Wait, that can’t be right!’ It’s really cool! There are just so many great guitar players in the world and so many great bands, so to be recognised like this is really meaningful to me on a lot of different levels.”

What inspired you to pick up the guitar?

John: “I was always a really big Rush fan, so Alex Lifeson was a really big influence on me, especially his role in the trio and the really big chords and sounds he used. As I got better I started to move towards more challenging stuff and I discovered Steve Morse and Al Di Meola and Allan Holdsworth. And Steve Howe. Also Stevie Ray Vaughan and Steve Vai. They’re all named Steve!”

Your Rock Discipline DVD is a staple for many of today’s young shredders such as Matt Heafy and Herman Li...

John: “At the time [1995] I was gaining some recognition as a guitar player. Instructional video was a big thing so I took a lot of time to do that. My idea was that I wanted to compile a guide to everything. I kind of didn’t leave anything out. The editing process was exhausting. I didn’t think then that it would be something that’s still relevant today.”

What is your favourite guitar technique?

John: “One of the things that I learned early on that is still a big part of my style is having a strong sense of synchronisation between your two hands and having a powerful picking style. I realised that in order to play powerfully in certain situations you have to have a very strong picking technique, and that’s how you get that sort of driving rhythmical power. Not only in rhythm playing but also when you’re soloing.”

You’re heavily involved In the production side of Dream Theater’s albums. Does this affect your guitar performances?

John: “Yeah, most guitar players are perfectionists when they’re in the studio and a lot of producers don’t want to deal with that. But I never felt comfortable with settling for a take that wasn’t perfect. As a producer, I just have so much control over the situation. I can sit there as long as I need to in order to get It right. I don’t feel that outside pressure of somebody looking over my shoulder.”

Did you feel you’d won real recognition when you were invited on the G3 tour in 2001?

John: “I did, but I felt scared because I never really broke out of the setting of Dream Theater. The thought of playing solo was overwhelming. I didn’t even have music to play and I had to write stuff to be able to do the tour. But it turned out that I sort of fit right in, and it’s been fantastic. I’ve done six now and it’s a real honour to be part of that circle.”

You’re renowned for playing on both six and seven-string guitars. Which do you prefer?

John: “Definitely the six-string standard. The other guitars and tunings are really more of a songwriting tool for me. There are just certain things that sound better in certain keys. As far as what is most comfortable for me to play, it’s the six string.”

Is there anything in your guitar career you’d like to accomplish that you feel you haven’t?

John: “I put out a solo album a couple of years ago and I’d like to continue in that direction. I’ve played with all these players as passing live performances, but it would be a great thing to get creative with these people and put something out. I have tons of people in mind – any of those guys I mentioned before! I’d love to do something with Steve Morse.”

Finally, what would you like to say to the TG readers for voting for you?

John: “The reason I think it means so much to me is that there were a lot of these readers’ polls when I first started out playing guitar. and I was always trying to gain the popularity vote. Fast forward to today and Dream Theater have been around for over 20 years. I turned 40 this year! There are a lot of young guitar players out there, so to be recognised at this point In my career as being a presence and being respected among my peers – and especially the readers of Total Guitar – makes it that much more special. Thank you, guys!”