“I FEEL LIKE I’VE COMPLETED MY TONE MISSION”
DREAM THEATER GUITARIST JOHN PETRUCCI ON HIS NEW ALBUM WITH LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT, AND HOW HE HAS REACHED A “PERFECT PLACE” WITH TRIED-AND-TRUSTED GEAR.
The last couple of years have arguably been the most prolific of John Petrucci’s career to date – with Dream Theater’s 14th album Distance Over Time followed by his first solo album in 15 years and now the long-awaited return of instrumental project Liquid Tension Experiment (featuring ex-dt drummer Mike Portnoy). By John’s own admission, the studio he works from – which also serves as Dream Theater’s HQ – has started to feel like a second home...
On this new album, Liquidtension Experiment3, we’re guessing you stuck with your signature guitars and amp…
“Yes. After all these years of developing the guitars, amps and pickups with Ernie Ball Music Man, Mesa/boogie and Dimarzio, I’ve gotten to this perfect place. Starting with my solo album and then moving onto this, I feel like I’ve completed my tone mission. I just plug that guitar into that amp and it sounds unbelievable. I’m able to get all the tones that I need. We’ve experimented with different mic combinations just for fun, but we’re always able to capture it perfectly. I mostly used the Purple Nebula plus a basswood Kinetic Blue Majesty, and the seven-string was my Ember Glow. Those guitars through the signature Boogie is my sound. I don’t have to search anymore, it’s just right there!”
You made a playful yet dissonant progmetal opera in a version of George Gershwin’s Rhapsodyinblue!
“That Gershwin piece is one of the most recognisable pieces of music in the world. Those melodies are so familiar to us. He was a genius and used music to be playful or gritty or ominous. There’s a brilliance in how he did that. Obviously I can’t take credit for the writing, but knowing which chords conjure which emotions is really important. With one chord you can make something sound beautiful, ominous, foreboding, dark, mysterious, questioning... Chords elicit that. You can use them to manipulate the listener, taking people on a journey by pointing them in the right direction with the right chord. It’s definitely something all guitar players should focus on and explore.”
And it’s interesting how you react with the other members of Liquid Tension Experiment on this album...
“Music is a big communication. It’s about listening and knowing when it’s your time to shine. Sometimes it’s your job to let other people shine. Just playing over everything isn’t really the answer. In the case of LTE, there’s definitely a baton that’s being handed from guy to guy, from instrument to instrument – whether it’s the drums, keyboards, bass or guitar that’s being featured at any given moment. It’s important to be a team player, to be in that setting and know when to sit back and when to step up front. With my playing, I don’t know if it’s a maturity thing or just a musicality that develops over time, but it’s certainly become more and more important. Thinking like that makes music more dynamic, giving it an ebb and flow that also makes it more emotionally gratifying too.”