Jason talks to Brett Garsed
Although players such as Eric Johnson, the late Danny Gatton and Jim Campilongo have used their fourth finger, few (if any) are as fluent hybrid picking with all fingers as you. Were there any exercises you worked on to even out finger independence or to build the fourth finger’s strength and control?
BG: I suppose the exercises were trying to play acoustic songs with a flatpick and the other three fingers of my picking hand. I was around 15 or 16 and had heard Leo Kottke’s The Best album for the first time and wanted to play songs like Cripple Creek, Bean Time and The Last Steam Engine Train so I had to really dig in with the fourth finger to even get close. I had no idea people used their thumbs or a thumbpick as I’d never seen it. All I knew was the flatpick and the other fingers in terms of picking. I also worked on playing Tony Iommi’s intro to Spiral Architect from the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath album. It’s a beautiful piece which I’m sure he played with his thumb so it really gave my fourth finger a workout.
Your sense of phrasing and rhythmic control is very impressive; it’s never rushed or dragged regardless of the technicalities of string crossing or hybrid picking. How did you develop this for both your legato and slide playing?
BG:By playing along with albums which meant that I was essentially playing with some of the best guitarists and rhythm sections in the world. If I was playing along with a Zeppelin album and trying to match the groove of that band I could easily tell if I wasn’t locked in, so I’d make sure to be aware of it and try to do it properly. I was in a band with my cousins and we were gigging in pubs by the time I was 15 so I had the experience of locking in with a real rhythm section as well. That was a massive bonus as
Talking of slide playing, placing the slide on the second finger isn’t particularly common, as others tend to prefer the third or fourth. Your choice may well be the best as regards melodic options in standard tuning. Who were your early slide influences and how did you hone accurate intonation?
BG: I saw Joe Walsh do a great version of Rocky Mountain Way on television which was a rare occurrence back in the ’70s and he put the slide on his second finger so I did the same. As it turned out, it was an advantage when I decided to start angling the slide to mimic the sounds I could get in altered tunings when I reverted back to standard tuning. Jeff Beck was the first to do it and I found that out in 2004 when Youtube became a thing, but I started doing it back when I was about 16 so I didn’t copy him, it was just an idea that occurred to me and to my surprise it actually worked. I’d have to cite David Lindley, Rory Gallagher and Sonny Landreth as huge influences as well.
It’s unusual for a legato based guitarist to use a heavy gauge string set. How did you settle on 0.011 gauge, even with a Strat’s or Tele’s longer scale length?
BG: That really is due to me wanting to play slide on the same guitar. I’d prefer to use a lighter gauge, perhaps .010s as there’s bending possibilities with lighter strings that are really hard on the heavier gauge but it’s a hole I’ve dug for myself I suppose. I must admit the heavier strings make me play a different way and bring a different energy to what I play. They also make me slow down and pay attention to melody as I can tend to play far too many notes.
You taught at the Guitar Institue of Technology (GIT) in LA; what are your fondest memories there as regards fellow tutors and students?
BG: I never felt I deserved to be among the great teachers and musicians at GIT. They probably thought I was quite a snob as I didn’t really interact with them very much but, to be honest, I didn’t feel like I deserved to as I had such a low opinion of my musicianship. I feel silly saying it now but it was the truth back then. It’s such an amazing environment to be in for a musician and I really wished I could’ve attended as a student instead of a teacher, but I did my absolute best to give every bit of information I could to the students and, if I couldn’t do it, I made sure to put them in touch with someone who could. I saw many young players transform themselves in the time they spent there which proves that it’s all about the work you put in.
Many fusion and rock fans first discovered you from your albums with two-hand tapper, TJ Helmreich. Especially on the debut Quid Pro Quo. What early key moments inspired your musical relationship?
BG:TJ actually thought I was doing the two-hand style when he heard some outtake solos on the Nelson album. We were recording at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles and TJ was working there at the time. He’d be doing maintenance in the studio while producer Mark Tanner was doing rough mixes and TJ heard some of my playing so he introduced himself to me. We became instant friends and would spend countless hours jamming together. I was absolutely blown away when I saw and heard him play. Mark Varney wanted both of us to do solo albums for Legato Records but we decided to pool the budget and do an album together, which was Quid Pro Quo. Writing and recording that album in particular with TJ is probably one of my favourite memories of being a musician. I think it comes through in the music too. You can tell we’re having way too much fun.
Uncle Moe’s Space Ranch (2001) was the last album you did together. Have you two discussed recording again since?
BG: We’d love to do another album together but we work best when we can be in the same room, and due to Covid that’s become almost impossible now. I don’t really want to get on a plane and fly all the way from Australia to LA and I doubt TJ wants to fly here so it may never happen. Then again, circumstances may change that will enable it so I’ll always remain open to the possibility. It’s certainly nothing to do with the desire to do it, just logistics.
What are your memories of recording with Frank Gambale and Shawn Lane for the early 90s fusion shred classic, Centrifugal Funk?
BG: I’d only seen Frank’s first instructional video a year earlier and it changed my whole approach to playing. When I saw the way Frank arranged the notes on the fretboard to facilitate his sweep picking concept I realised I could apply the same ideas using my hybrid picking. I spent months developing original ideas instead of copying Frank and lucky for that as I ended up on an album with him! I recorded my solos first, thankfully, as I’d probably have run for it if I’d heard what Frank and Shawn were going to do. I’d just finished doing all my solos and Frank arrived at the studio so it was a thrill to meet him and we’ve stayed in touch ever since. I also got to meet Shawn about a year later when I was in Memphis doing some gigs with Bobby Rock. Shawn played us the Powers Of Ten album before it was released and jammed with us that night. Bobby has a cassette of it I’m sure. He was such a wonderful person and a true genius.
How did you all work together with the band and executive producer, Mark Varney?
BG: The rhythm section recorded all the band tracks and left space for all of us to solo and we went in separately to do that. I remember doing a solo on So What and it was a very tasteful, pop-rock orientated solo with some flashy stuff in it, but Mark just stopped the tape, looked at me and said “More!”. I’d never had a producer say that to me. It was usually “MUCH LESS!” So, it was really intimidating to realise that I had to go a lot further than I’d ever done just to keep up with the monster musicians I was going to be in the company of. I hope I held my own to some degree. What an honour it was for me to be on an album with musicians of Frank and Shawn’s caliber.
Having recorded a lot of instrumentals over the years, what three are your most favourite either written yourself or where you played guitar? And can you tell us why?
BG: I really love the songs Brothers, Avoid The Void and Big Sky. I simply like them as I think they’re enjoyable to listen to as songs which is difficult for me to say about my own music. If I can listen and just enjoy them with without thinking I should change something that’s really rare so I assume it means I’ve done my best to bring the song to life in the most honest way.
You’re now on Patreon and busy with your YouTube channel. What else might you be pursuing musically this year?
BG: I have to get another album done. This one will be very different from my previous albums. It’ll be more ambient and the playing will hopefully be more concise with a heavier emphasis on melody than chops. I have done so much high technique playing that it’s time to get deeper into the meaning of what I’m doing, and let the emotion of it reach people.