Early Days
How old were you when you had lessons from Joe Satriani?
GT: I met Joe when I was 13. I had one lesson a week with him for the next few years. I’d go to his studio after school and wait around until he was done yelling at his other students. I played everything he showed me constantly so I think I was the only student that he never got angry at. He once called me his ‘shining silver lining’ in his teaching routine because everyone else sucked so much. Soon after starting, he scheduled me at the end of his teaching day so he could spend more than one hour with me. Frequently, our lessons would continue long past that first hour, just jamming and being crazy. We all know Satriani from his recordings, but there is really nothing like sitting in a room with him. He is astounding in ways that you can’t imagine.
How long did you have lessons with Joe for?
GT: It was close to three years, but he is still a source of expert advice for me to this day.
What areas did you cover with him?
GT: MUSIC! Joe was like the Buddha sitting on top of the mountain. He never spoke in absolutes. There was never a ‘right’ answer to anything, but rather a ‘how would you explore this thing?’, or ‘How would you develop the skills necessary to teach yourself?’ aspect to his teaching. He never said there was a process while doing things, assuming that the music of the future would come from pupils without boundaries. So we explored all the typical scales and shit, but it would always be with a ‘question everything’ and ‘make it your own’ aspect.
I remember coming to him once with a
