Joe Satriani has been instrumental (pun intended!) in promoting the shred guitar movement to the mainstream level in the ’80s and continues to do so today as well. His instrumental tracks such as Satch Boogie, Always With Me Always With You, The Extremist, Tears In the Rain, Surfing With the Alien, Crystal Planet, etc. are some of the genre-defining songs.
Here is a collection of 19 quotes by the shred guitar legend – Joe Satriani to inspire you!
Advice to Guitarists
“Relax. Be yourself. Play a lot.”
"Some of us are going to play faster than others. Hitting the right notes and getting your technique right is so much more important than speed." Click To Tweet“Guitarists shouldn’t get too riled up about all of the great players that were left off of ‘Rolling Stone Magazines’ list of the Greatest Guitar Players of all Time’ … Rolling Stone is published for people who read the magazine because they don’t know what to wear.”
When you hear something you don’t like, don’t ever play it again.
How He Learned Guitar
“My first (guitar) lessons lasted two weeks and it was “Jingle Bells.” It didn’t make any sense at all. I wanted to know how to play like Hendrix.”
“I started out playing guitar because Jimi Hendrix was my hero, so my roots were really based on Jimi Hendrix and his style of playing.”
“I started out playing guitar because Jimi Hendrix was my hero, so my roots were really based on Jimi Hendrix and his style of playing.”
Personal Philosophy
“I pride myself on being incorrigible. I have a very hard time being told what to do.”
"I've always done 'the wrong thing' and had a pretty wonderful time doing it." Click To Tweet“If someone can relate my guitar solo to an exercise in a book … that’s no fun at all.”
“I’ve always spent a lot of time on my records with what I think were unique rhythmic approaches … but no one ever writes about your rhythm playing.”
“When you hear an instrumental song someone is singing over, you know right away it’s wrong.”
“When you’re a guitar teacher, you teach people for a few years, and you become comrades after a while. Because everybody eventually catches up to everybody else, and you want to help each other out – to see if you can make the dream a reality.”
Common Observations and Some Humor
“Basic anatomy. That has got to be the ongoing frustration: Why can’t my fingers do what I want them to do? Not being able to play what I hear in my head — that is the ultimate source of frustration.”
Satriani’s Law: There’s at least a 30% chance that someone will print the name Satriani incorrectly.
“I can embarrass myself very easily on guitar. It’s funny because people say to me I can play anything; I’m God on the guitar. But I could make a big list of everything I can’t play… I’m grateful that people don’t notice that.”
"It's funny how you can struggle with one piece and write a better one in a minute. When things come easy, it means it's good." Click To Tweet“Guitars are fun. There are plenty of different kinds to play. They look cool. They sound cool. Don’t you want to play guitar?”
“I assume most guitar players are like me. They’re playing, having fun; then they get a magazine in the mail that says “Shred Is Dead” and they say, “What the Hell?” They throw it away and keep on playing.”
Which quote resonated with you the most? Share with us in the comments below along with your favorite album of Joe!
