For a band like us, one that you don’t necessarily hear on the radio, it’s our fans that keep us alive and keep us going, and it’s been an ever-growing base, especially with the younger kids that play guitar and want to play complex music. John Petrucci Read Quote
For anyone who doesn’t know his work, Andreas Vollenweider is a harpist who creates very atmospheric, new agey music that’s totally beautiful. John Petrucci Read Quote
Growing up on Long Island, I think Billy Joel albums come with your driver’s license. John Petrucci Read Quote
The guitar is a funny instrument because you have bendable strings and distortion – there’s a potential for noise. It is more exposing. Actually controlling the instrument, using proper vibrato, bending notes in tune, not fretting too hard, controlling the noise is a skill in itself that takes many years. John Petrucci Read Quote
One very important side of my playing lies in rhythm; I have a very percussive style. It’s one I’ve developed with Dream Theater over the years, and requires the guitar to be very locked into the rhythm of the drums… way more than what would normally entail. John Petrucci Read Quote
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 Read Quote
Seeing Rush the first time was huge for me. That was my favorite band and I couldn’t believe they were actually in the same building as me. I was totally freaking out when the show started and when they started to play it was almost like cartoon characters coming to life. I couldn’t get my head around the fact that it was really them. John Petrucci Read Quote
Rush is one of the common denominators in our band as far as a band that everybody loves and grew up with and was a big influence. John Petrucci Read Quote
To me, there’s no question that using a metronome develops your speed and accuracy. If you’re learning scales or you’re jamming on parts that you can’t quite pull off, it’s a must. John Petrucci Read Quote
When I listen to symphonies, or long pieces of music, there are so many different moods and movements, and things that are really beautiful going to something with a lot of tension. John Petrucci Read Quote
