John Petrucci
John Petrucci

To play sweep arpeggios correctly, you have to mute each note with the left hand immediately after picking it.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

I'm realizing this more and more that it's one thing to get involved with your own political beliefs and stand behind you believe in personally. But as far as bands doing that in a way where they think they're going to fight the government, the only people they're really hurting is the fans.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

I've always employed a melodic style with my leads, placing strong emphasis on infusing romantic sensibilities into what I'm trying to say. Those big, epic melodies come from influences like Pink Floyd, Journey, Marillion... bands that have these guitar parts that are just soaring!

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

There's successes you have in your career. For me, for example, as a guitar player, as somebody in a band putting out albums, the success that we have in our field and how we're viewed by our fans; that type of success means more than anything to us.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

Growing up on Long Island, I think Billy Joel albums come with your driver's license.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

Once you've developed some technical facility on the guitar, the musical side (which entails theory, harmony, chord structure, ear training, sight-reading, composition and being able to hear chord progressions and licks) comes into play a lot more.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

Just because something is melodic or catchy doesn't mean that it doesn't have depth and substance and progressive sensibilities.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

Before you start a practicing regimen, you have to be aware that the study of music is a lifelong process-it's a discipline. And the key to mastering any discipline is consistency.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

When I look back and think about how I played when I was 16, and moving on to my 20s, 30s, 40s and now 50s - to me, it seems like you gain more experience, you gain more technique, you get better.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

Rush and guitarist Alex Lifeson are among my biggest influences.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

I always get frustrated when I hear someone talking about sweep arpeggios. Though there are plenty of licks and examples out there, no one has ever really broken down the mechanics of the technique. As a result, guitarists have had to figure them out by trial and error.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

In my touring rig, there's a pedal drawer, where I'm able to switch pedals in and out, going into the front of the amp.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

Where I lived, on Long Island, you had the radio stations that always played Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath and AC/DC and all that. I grew up on all that stuff.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

I've listened to musicians who say that using a metronone makes you robotic, that it decreases your 'feel.' That's ridiculous. Either you have feel or you don't. Feel is one of those intangibles that can't be taught. But if you do have feel, using a metronome will allow you to play cleaner - and that'll make your 'feel' have more, well, 'feeling.'

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

One of the main things I look for in a guitarist is in the sound itself. I go for a certain sound, and I think it's an important thing for making a player more identifiable in the big giant pool of musicians out there. You want a sound that people will recognise just as much as your playing.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

I don't know if people know this about me, but I'm into Billy Joel. I'm a huge fan of his and always have been. He's just a quintessential songwriter of our time. Talk about a storied career - so many classic songs and great albums.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

Early on in my career, I was really into the volume pedal techniques that somebody like Steve Howe or Alex Lifeson would use.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

I could talk about technique, theory and gear for days!

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

When you use a metronome, you'll start to notice where the notes are falling, if they're on the beat, behind the beat, between the beat, and so on.

John Petrucci
John Petrucci

There should always be some sort of conclusion or climax to your solos.