STEVE MORSE

(Deep Purple)

PRODIGAL MAN The Amboy Dukes, Migration GUITARIST: TED NUGENT

“Ted Nugent was shredding decades before anybody thought of it as a thing. He taught me that playing short phrases was appealing. I immediately learned the upbeat solo to this song, which has plenty of two-bar phrases. It helped my playing a lot.”

I’M GOING HOME

Ten Years After, Woodstock: Music From the Original Soundtrack and More GUITARIST: ALVIN LEE

“It’s one the best flashy blues/boogie solos I’d ever heard. At the time I heard it, I was trying to pick every single note. Alvin’s style was very legato. Fifty years ago, he showed us how much power could be packed into a 12-bar blues.”

A LOTUS ON IRISH STREAMS Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Inner Mounting Flame GUITARIST: JOHN McLAUGHLIN

“John McLaughlin has always been on my list of influences, and I love his playing on this beautiful acoustic composition. It’s a great example of his dexterity

— he picks every note in a seamless flurry, with incredible ease. This is why I continue to practice so much: I reasoned that if I could pick as effortlessly as John, then

I could use that skill with any style of music and on any type of guitar.”

DARK STAR The Grateful Dead, Live/Dead GUITARIST: JERRY GARCIA

“This is where I got the most out of Jerry Garcia’s playing. It’s so relaxed, smooth and tasty. I still love to jam on Mixolydian drones, and this is a great example of the Dead doing

exactly that.”

COUNTRY BOY Heads Hands & Feet, Heads Hands & Feet GUITARIST: ALBERT LEE

“Albert Lee is still an influence on me. We see each other and play together every few years or so. He’s the most interesting, melodically twangy, truly improvisational country player around, and his solo on this song absolutely kicks!”