Shred Knowledge!

Daniele Gottardo was born on 26 August 1983 in Rovigo, Italy and he is a young Italian guitarist and composer. He starts playing guitar for pure change when he was 14, inspired by his father’s red Fender Stratocaster which is still his favourite guitar. In the long run, painting – his first form of expression – gives up to music.

At the age of 19 he realized for “ Playgame Music “ an instructional DVD, based on his own personal 8 fingers tapping technique, entitled TAPPING.

He then graduated at an Italian Music Academy and continues today his study as self-touch man. His main guitar influences are Charlie Christian and Pat Metheney.

In 2004 Daniele starts his experience as lead guitarist of the international pop singer Alexia and up to 2008 he takes part to intensive live shows among conventions, television shows, touring in Italy and abroad ( Malaysia, Canada, Croazia, Slovenia and Switzerland).

From the age of 21 he teaches electric guitar in several Italian Music Academy and schools. Currently he is an electric guitar teacher for MMI-Modern Music Institute and teaches in different Italian regions, where he held also specialization courses, approved by Frank Gambale.

He’s engaged with different workshops and clinics around Italy. His video on YouTube “Come sei veramente” was inspiring the contest “Reinterpretazione di Giovanni Allevi” at the MEET Show in Milan.

Daniele is collaborating since 2005 with Italian Guitar Magazines, dealing with arguments on instrumental technique, chromatic harmony and transcriptions work. These works are also published in his own educational column.

His style of playing was transcribed at JamTrackCentral, where he also is a regular contributor.

On the podium at the final of GUITAR IDOL 2008, the international online worldwide talent competition held at the London International Music Show. GUITAR IDOL 2009 grant him also both a recognition for his two-hands technique and the Steve Vai 2009 Award.

He realized his first instrumental album “ Frenzy of Ecstasy” where his jazz, nu-metal to high-romantic classical influences are concentrated and where his own personal guitar playing is put into evidence. Frenzy of Ecstasy is available now by digital download worldwide , distributed by Digital Nations (Steve Vai - Favored Nations Records).

http://www.danielegottardo.com, http://www.myspace.com/danielegottardo

http://www.youtube.com/user/gottyboy, http://www.digital-nations.com/

INTERVIEW WITH DANIELE GOTTARDO

SK: Hi Daniele, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to do us this interview and lesson when you’ve got chance

You're currently doing a new tuition DVD , tell us about this and this is not your first one is it?

Daniele: Yes, it’s true. I’ve realized my first DVD in 2005 for the Italian market and this is dedicated to the tapping technique. My new instructional DVD will also be translated in English. It is the first one of my series and it’s related to my own technique which I’ve have developed during the past few years and also tested on several of my students.

This first is applied to the correct visualization of the freatboard, re-mapping and re-fingering which are fundamental for a quickly musical progression on the instrument. Do you know that the guitar is a tool difficult to be well visualized and this bring to loose a lot of time to the music ? Therefore this will be not a method turned only to shredders, even tho this will contain innovative techniques, it’s also addressed to all kind of guitar players.

SK: Nice one buddy, I hear you Daneile , the fretboard is a strange mapping. I first noticed you as the Italian virtuoso in guitar idol 2008, Did you manage to meet many contacts from this? please tell us what guitar idol did for you?

What its like playing with our UK hero Guthrie Govan, or being on promo vid with all those great players on bluesjamtrax? Has it sunk in how good you actually are?

Daniele: I attended at Guitar Idol also in 2009 and I was lucky enough to have been contacted personally by Steve Vai after he saw my (bad) performance. I’ve actually signed a contract for my album “Frenzy of Ecstasy” with Digital Nation, the new digital division of his label Favored Nations.

I have to say “ thank you “ to Guitar Idol for this opportunity!

Guthrie, besides being an outstanding guitarist, is really a humble and nice guy. I will continue my collaboration with JamTrackCental offering new transcriptions soon.

SK: After research I compare you as Italy’s Guthrie and have a gift on your instrument that cant be earned by hours of shredding, but do you have a practice regime

Daniele: Thanks Mark, as I said, I do have my own method of which I will produce in 2 or 3 tutorial DVDs. Of course not only is a method sufficient but you need to have a lot of determination and real mental effort in trying to find your own musical style!

SK: Can a guitarist with less technique make better music than a clever fretboard gymnast?

Daniele: Of course ! The musical content is not a matter of technique, they are two different things; you must be good enough to do both things together! When I was a little bit younger, I spent a lot of time in studying technique and it’s logical that over the years the mechanical study gives way to the musical study. I always try to bring out my “best side” while I play or I compose... :)

SK: You were recommended to us to interview (not that you need recommending) by fusion virtuoso Derryl Gabel.

What do you think of his style of “outside” playing using enclosure (playing around the target note with chromatics), could you give a tip on chromatics

Daniele: He is very cool and his legato is really remarkable !

I think playing “outside” in the true sense of the word does not make much sense, for example I never play out, also if sometimes it looks like it, I always think about overlapped harmonies that collide with the underlying tunes but this are always referred to the tonal center, all the big Jazz players are using this technique. I don’t know any other intelligent way to play OUT, I’m also trying to work on polytonality, but I am still a beginner in this genre... :)

SK: I’ve tried to define your genre but found it difficult, what’s your title?

Daniele: I do not even know, it’s a mix between my musical influences. Usually when I make a song I'm not worried about the style and I mix everything up and it can just stay there. I always try to make a coherent mix, not a just an approach of different styles but a true merger, it is very difficult but I try.

SK: Is Fusion is your favourite genre to play or are you on the fence where prog meets neo classical metal?

Daniele: Yes sure, I like to improvise even if I’m not a great lover of traditional fusion, but I prefer jazz. I am not a lover of neo classical metal and I think that this term is also wrong, neo classical was for a certain period Stravinsky. Malmsteen, for example, plays metal with a few licks taken at random from the baroque style, such as Vivaldi. Neo classical is a great word ... it remains the classic metal, so I do neo-romantic.. :) but in the sense of Malmsteen style, using chromatic harmony and a little bit more ... :)

SK: What music do you listen to as apposed to play?

Daniele: I listen to a lot of classical music and early twentieth century.

Even jazz, especially the old one’s like Charlie Christian and Benny Goodman for example.

I usually listen to any music which can be useful to a musician, thus avoiding unnecessary or empty music!

SK: I love some of the simpler solo’s like hotel California and freebird, these are classics.

Daniele what simple melody floats your boat?

Daniele: Hum, simple melodies that would pass through my mind are perhaps songs, but not music for guitar, eg. right now I am listening “summer/estate” by Bruno Martino, but I also like some songs of Schoenberg “Quartet in D min” or the music of Nino Rota, great Italian composer who collaborated in Federico Fellini's film.

SK: Other than your own what dvd and book would you advise an intermediate player other than rock discipline and Paul Guilberts vids (which are awesome ….)

Daniele: I can advise all methods of Scott Henderson and Joe Pass as the best among those who I saw ! Many educational videos Rock 90’ years from the musical point of view offer nothing much and the big risk is to loose time on techniques which then have no real value in application.

SK: What gear are you using to record and live ?

Daniele: It depends on what I have to play ! if I play my songs I use my Bogner Uebershall and some pedals: noise gate (my Fender is noisy) Tuner, Delay Vox, a few pedals of Eleven Electrix such as N20 boost, the distortion that sounds crunch and is one of the best on the market, and the “Gottyboy” pedal. There is a different situation during pop gigs, there I need two heads and more rack effects.

SK: Please tell me what was your first 4 transcriptions you learned note for note?

Daniele: I do not remember well, surely the songs of KISS and Ace Frehley solos, then I switched to Yngwie Malmsteen “Black Star” and to Jason Becker “Perpetual Burn”, but I always get bored with old things I've learned note for note.

SK Member question – why did you choose to cover the Simpsons theme song?

Daniele: Because, besides the cartoon, I also really like this composition and I tried to see if I would be able to play it ! It was very funny and I probably will play it live in the future.

SK Member question, Do you recommend any drills or exercises for practicing?

Daniele: To break down some lick and repeat it by adding one extra note at a time.

To work on one aspect of your way of playing at a time, but also to study simultaneously all these aspects: dynamic technique, touch, form, improvisation, harmony & balance. Because when you play all these aspects contemporary, you have to get used to all of them to make them go together well!

SK Member question -How to develop tapping techniques like his

Daniele: I started with a method by Dave Celentano, then I developed my own ideas for myself, using a lot of imagination. Often, when I didn’t find good fingerings, I broke ideas into two hands and so I quickly developed personal formulas.

SK Member question -compositional skills - where did he develop them

Daniele: Studying and listening to good music! I often do a lot of tests trying to find a balance between the parts that satisfy me. For example, in a great deal of instrumental rock music I,ve heard, the process is often very weak: I mean, parts sound like they are put together at random.

I always try to tie parts of the same composition; I refer to classical music for this aspect as well and besides this also I refer to the harmonic aspect. The Harmony I mean 0-)

SK: Do you learn by ear (how important is that and what can you do if your ear is not so good)

Daniele: It is very important to have a good ear, if you know the rules of musical harmony it’s easier to understand what happens and reinterpret it in a personal way.

Important is not to become only imitators.

Developing a good ear accelerates a lot a musical development, so that’s really important!

SK: Some guitarists THINK THEY are good and are not, some think they are CRAP when they are great – I think I’m average but depending on to whom I compare

Do you think the EGO is a block to becoming a musician and sticks people into just playing fast ‘’’’The Ego ….what’s your take?

Daniele: It is difficult to answer; I think that the EGO can help in terms of self-confidence.

It is clear that there is a boundary and if you exceed this, it risks turning in on oneself and that knowledge can be a shield to reality.

I think we know that it is not what you want to believe but what is. Thus, we must always aspire to be students and we will surely see the results.

SK: All time favorite bands , guitarists and do you recommend an obscure instrumentalist to listen too?

Daniele: As guitarist I recommend to listen to Diego Figueiredo, a really good guitar player. There is alot of good music in the world, you just need to look! But in our times it’s not easy, thanks to Internet you can find everything, but often garbage covers the good music useful for a musician.

SK: Do you have a faith? Does it affect your music?

Daniele: I’m a believer in life after death.

I think many things we do not see, but maybe we perceive, have a strong influence on our lives.

When I die I'll see if I was right….. or not.. :)

SK: What advice can you give the average hard working practicing rock lead guitarist out there ?

Daniele: Record a lot and listen, to understand where are the weaknesses of your playing are and put a lot of work on mastering these. Try to play what you hear in your head, not necessarily going crazy on instrumentation, but try to find the sound in your mind and bring it back on your fingers. Use at least 0.10 strings and good picks.

SK: Now tell us about your album Frenzy of Ecstasy.

Daniele: It’s an album that I started working on many years ago, then when I felt that the time was ready I started recording at the NFRS recording Studio in my home town Rovigo.

It’s a concentrate of my musical ideas and there isn’t a clear stylistic direction. There are songs that I presented at the Guitar Idol 08 and 09, Guitar Sbrego and Cardilogy, in these versions you can appreciate the arrangements, which were lacking at Guitar Idol, which severely messed up the composition. There are other tracks "Metal - Neo-romantic" style as Marrakech Market and Frenzy of Ecstasy, where the search of the chromatic harmony is merged with simple melodies. Scarecrow's Dance and Piccions are very short shred pieces but very difficult to play, they made us sweat in the Studio to get the right effect we wanted.

Ziprexalake has a pop / fusion arrangement and is a bit hallucinated.

Caffeine is a piece with piano and guitar played with Federico Solazzo, an excellent musician who played the keyboards and helped to create the jazz metal sound.

We could not miss a blues, I really enjoy playing it even if not in the traditional way. "Dick play the blues" is in fact based on continuing tritone substitutions and I really enjoyed to mix my different influences of Yngwie Malmsteen and Bireli Lagrene.

Apocalypse Ape is a fairly unusual piece where I mixed nu-metal sound with pop / fusion, it doesn’t contain any shred and I inserted it in the middle of the disc deliberately to rest your ears! The CD is distributed by Digital Nations available in digital download worldwide.

SK: Who are the other musicians?

Daniele: In addition to Federico Solazzo on piano and keyboards, the drums was played by the excellent Riccardo Quagliato, a very versatile drummer who ranges from pop to metal, he often played over electronic grooves drawn from David Antonio Pio, which helped with the arrangements. Bass played by different bassists, including Ronny Aglietti, Luca Aspidistra and Mauro Catellani, all bassists with pop extraction. The album was recorded and mixed by Ugo Bolzoni at NFRS Studio (www.nfrs.it) where I also will register my new instructional DVD.

SK/Daniele: This is a game where you can only give 1 word answers

Tribal tech= crazy

Dream theatre= repetitive

String gauge= thick

TV= pastime

Software= boring

Scale= many

Food= to eat

Picks= useful

technique= useful

fame= risky

money= death

Pirates= bad

politics= corrupt

Satch= pentatonic

Vai= fantasy

Hendrix= lefty

Exercise= boring

chord= deep

Film= nice

Bible= book

terrorists = ignorant

Bad breath= backup

Ego= Yngwie :)

Spandex= bulge

ibanez= guitars

les paul custom= very good

blues= origin

fake= society

Valves= hot

Fx= superficial

SK: Thanks a lot Daniel its been a pleasure and God bless . We hope to see more of you and your art in the near future.

Daniele: Thanks so much to you  Mark and Shredknowlege !

LINKS

http://www.danielegottardo.com

http://www.digital-nations.com/artists/gottardo/

http://www.myspace.com/danielegottardo

Last Updated (Saturday, 30 January 2010 09:26)