I wanted something different. I'd been using the C+ amps for a long time, and I love them - they're one of my favorite amps ever. But on this album [Road Kings] I wanted - there were a couple reasons, actually. One is that I wanted a more aggressive sound, some more teeth and hair.

John Petrucci

Categorized in : Hair Kings Couple

When I think of a lot of the players I admire, they could always play their parts without hiding behind distortion and sustain. Put the time in. Hear your mistakes. Yeah, it sucks, it's humbling, it makes you want to throw the guitar out the window. But if you work on your mistakes, they'll eventually go away, and you'll become a strong player.

John Petrucci

strong player mistake

Music is a communication. It's a two-way street. You need people to play to in order to make that connection complete. That's the way we look at it.

John Petrucci

communication two order

Obviously the best way to retain the most profit is to not give any of it away. That's something that you certainly learn through the years.

John Petrucci

giving way years

I remember feeling for the first time going somewhere where I was part of a community where I didn't feel like an outcast. I felt like I belonged. Everyone had a guitar strapped to their back.

John Petrucci

guitar community feelings

A lot of people around the world were, like, very frustrated, you know "Why don't you just release the name? Why is it taking so long?" But the cool thing is that it brought people together, like you said, it brought our fans into the experience, it sort of exposed us, exposed the process, and I think it welcomed Mike Magini, because people saw what happened to get to that point.

John Petrucci

names long thinking

You try to play the song better than you had before.

John Petrucci

play song trying

Real thick strings - your hands start to get fatigued. As much as you practice, and as much experience as you have, and as long as you've been playing, there is a fatigue point during the show, as with anything that's physical. So I wanted to basically pace myself better.

John Petrucci

real practice hands

Dark master of sin, now my soul is yours.

John Petrucci

sin soul dark

Stay focused when you're playing alive, so you're not distracted by something going on.

John Petrucci

stay-focused distracted alive

If someone is feeling out of sorts or detached it's a great time to bring them in and restate why we are here and what we are trying to do.

John Petrucci

why-we-are-here feelings trying

I do a lot of the stuff that I started out doing that I think any guitar player that's concerned about the craft needs to do. It's basic practicing of the basic elements. I try to practice like a well rounded regiment of things where I can kind of do whatever I wanna do and I also have to practice the actual songs to keep that under my fingers as well.

John Petrucci

player song thinking

If you bring somebody into the band you are going to be with them a lot whether it's in the studio, on the tour bus, or at dinner every night; you want somebody you enjoy being around. You don't want an annoying guy .

John Petrucci

band guy night

I really rely a lot more on memory. I'm definitely not as good of a sight reader.

John Petrucci

reader sight memories

We're always in that head space about the audience and less about us at that moment.

John Petrucci

that-moment space moments

The Majesty guitar symbolizes the very reason why I am so proud to be a Music Man artist. I had the idea for this guitar a couple of years ago but it is because of their innovative spirit and dedication to the art of guitar building that it is now a reality. I am so grateful that I am able to collaborate with the best guitar company on the planet and so incredibly proud that together we have created what is to me, the perfect musical instrument for guitar players. I really hope you get a chance to play one and am confident that you will feel the same!

John Petrucci

grateful couple art

I don't have very eclectic tastes in music.

John Petrucci

taste-in-music eclectic taste

Guitar players get inward and analytical about their playing but when you start to get positive feedback from other players it makes you think that it is coming together.

John Petrucci

guitar player thinking

The C+ amps is vintage at this point, and it definitely has a certain sound to it. I wanted something that was going to keep Dream Theater in more of a current musical landscape, as far as being the producer and producing the type of album I wanted to hear.

John Petrucci

vintage musical dream

I have a lot of guitars. Yeah, I'm not like a guitar collector, I don't have all vintage instruments. I don't even own a Strat or Les Paul. I don't have one.

John Petrucci

vintage yeah guitar

Usually we're all comfortable playing the songs, but during the song there might be one part where you're like „oh, this part's coming up, I have to really focus", a lot of songs have those moments in them.

John Petrucci

focus song might