“One of my favorite guitar shapes is the ‘pusher’ guitar, where you pick a chord and play that by pressing a certain finger on the guitar, and then you’re able to bring that chord along.
“It really helps you to focus. You learn that pattern quickly, especially when you learn it out loud, and you’re not in a jam, which helps you get all of the nuances you need.”
Do you still practise guitar?
“I just go to guitar school with some of my friends, and I like learning in a group setting because we get to listen to the best players in the world.
“I have two guitar teachers – one is a real bass coach, and I’m learning the drums, and another is a great guitarist, and I play together with him. One guy comes out every Monday when we’re playing, so he gets to teach us.
“Our goal is to make a band with a singer and a drummer. It’s kind of tricky when your band just plays together all the time.
“The two people who take charge are the first person who sees a line in a song, and then they say: ‘What are your thoughts on this? How can we change this? How can we improve this? What are you thinking about? Let’s get this done, OK?'”
A quick word on songwriting
“I write in a notebook before a gig. I do a rough demo on the spot with my songwriter friend, who I’m also in a band with. Then I go through them all that night and start going through them again the next day.
“One song has that four-chord, six-measure riff – you could do a six-bar, four-solo riff and then add just one or two chords. I’m writing in a notebook while writing these songs, and then recording them, and I can actually listen to everything on repeat.
“It helps me to go back and get a better understanding of the song, and I’m able to do it in a way that allows me to focus on the ideas.
“You’ll be writing a song and you don’t want anyone to hear it, because you don’t want to ruin it. I’m never satisfied with a song until I get it down on paper.”
That’s a fun quote, by the way. What’s in the penultimate verse?
“Sometimes I just
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