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Zack Uidl --- Added
16/July/07
Hi
Zack, welcome to shred academy, how long have you been playing
for and what musical education did you attend?
It is great to be here and be involved in such a great instructional
website. I have been playing guitar since I was 14 years old.
Originally, I was a saxophone player, but I was drawn to the guitar
due to the endless possibilities for song writing. The knowledge
that I gained from playing the saxophone, however, definitely
improved the speed in which I progressed on the guitar. I began
studying classical guitar for about a year, but soon discovered
the music of Dream Theater and instantly switched to electric
immediately. Searching for a professional teacher that could help
me reach my goals and teach my how to perform and compose in that
style, I found guitar virtuoso Tom Hess, www.tomhess.net.
I was very fortunate to live only one mile from his teaching studio.
I studied with him privately on a weekly basis for years.
I have also studied extensively with jazz guitar virtuoso Zvonimir
Tot, www.zt-music.com. I
wanted to expand my knowledge of multiple genres. I owe a great
deal of my knowledge and success to these two instructors.
In addition to them, I have studied with Mike Walsh Jody Fisher
for guitar and Tara Singer for piano and compositional studies.
I recently went back to school to earn a bachelor’s degree
in music composition and in performance at Roosevelt University.
I did this because while I already have learned what these classes
and degrees teach, they are taught in slightly different ways
and I wanted to get the absolute best education I could. I believe
that education should be highly valued, no matter what the cost.
Who
are your influences and what music are you listening to at the
moment?
I have many influences, each for different things. I have influences
for things like song writing, orchestration, virtuosic technique,
and lyrical aspects. However, in general, my influences are: Dream
Theater, Symphony X, Rusty Cooley, Joe Pass, John Scofield, Tony
Macapline, Steve Vai, HESS, Allan Holdsworth, Planet X, Franz
Liszt, Chopin, Beethoven, George Bellas, Vitalij Kuprij, and many
more.
Today I have been listening to “Un Sospiro” by Liszt,
the Not Too Soon album by Allan Holdsworth, and Scenes From a
Memory by Dream Theater. I listen to multiple styles daily depending
on what I am doing or working on.
I
recently got your instructional DVD, the stage is yours to tell
the readers what it involves and what it is designed for, how
long did it take?
Basically, I wanted to design the ultimate instructional product
for 7-string guitarist. There is very limited resources for information
for 7-string guitar players so I wanted to share some of the main
concepts that I discovered on my own. I wanted to help save people’s
time in figuring out everything for themselves as I invested a
lot of time into mapping out 7-string concepts such as arpeggios,
scales, and chords.
My
goal as an instructor is to allow and help others meet their goals.
I remembered that when I began playing 7-string guitars, I wanted
something like this desperately, but found nothing. So, when creating
this product, my focus was to give everyone new and creative ideas
for their own music. Rather than just giving out “licks,”
I wanted to show anyone who watches the DVD how they can create
things for themselves.
It took about 8 or 10 months for me to complete, because I am
a very busy person. But mainly because, I will not submit anything
but the highest of quality in anything that I am involved in,
so I believe it was worth the long wait.
Topics include rhythm and lead 7-string guitar playing. There
is a complete product description here
The
thing I liked most about your DVD was rather than a bunch of licks,
you gave the arpeggios and modes that make them up too, was this
suggested to you or your own idea?
This
was my idea. I got this idea for two main reasons:
1-As a professional instructor, I get new students all the time
that just know licks and exercises, but have no idea how to create
anything for themselves. While learning licks are cool and can
serve technical purposes, what is the point if you cannot apply
them to your own personal contexts.
2-When I was in the beginning stages of developing my guitar playing
and musical skills, I would always apply whatever I learned and
make something out it that I could call my own. I was told by
numerous mentors to do this because it will allow you to gain
the full benefit out of whatever you are learning, not matter
what it is.
Besides
playing guitar, do you play any other instruments?
I do play other instruments, but I do focus heavily on guitar.
I play piano as well, but not for performing necessarily. I learned
how to play piano so I would have stronger knowledge of chord
and music theory, and to support my compositional skills. There
are mainly great chord voicings and solo ideas that can be gained
even from knowing just the basics of piano playing. I have played
other instruments in the past such as clarinet and saxophone,
but I do not pursue these anymore. And, of course, like nearly
every guitar player, I play bass as well.
Do
you have any projects or solo music in the works?
I am currently finishing an album with a progressive-rock band.
This album, along with information about it, should be released
very soon. I am also composing music for my solo album. I do also
have many plans for other albums and projects, but these will
be completely only after the other two have already been released.
I will be a musician on the Compilation Album Chronicles: City
of Sound. This will be released shortly as well and will feature
some great musicians in many styles of music.
What
is a typical practice schedule for you and what advice can you
give for making the most of your practice time?
I practice for one to three hours a day depending on how much
work I have to do on that particular day. In general, I make the
most of my time by multi-tasking. For example, on days when I
am very busy and will be working from early morning to late night,
I begin my practicing with melodic improvisation. This way, I
am warming up and practicing my improvisational skills. I alternate
days between concepts like arpeggios and sweep picking and scales
and modes just like weight lifters alternate days of training
muscle groups. This way, I am completely focused on what I am
playing for a longer period of time, rather than changing concepts
frequently during a practice session.
In short, making the most of your practice time comes down to
focus, dedication, organization, and perseverance. A recent article
I wrote explains how to “Master Technique in Minimal Time.”
You can read this articles HERE. (Insert link to article on SA.com)
Now
for some gear talk, what amplification, guitars and effects do
you use?
Being
a studio musician, I use a large assortment of gear, especially
amplifiers. However, there are some items of gear that I use more
than others. I tend to keep things simple as far as effects go.
For live performances, I tend to have between three and four rhythm
distortions, two or three clean channels with an assortment of
reverb or chorus, and I use three lead distortions/overdrive.
I do not use many other effects. But, it always depends on the
performance that I am doing. I perform with jazz and rock groups
throughout Chicago on a weekly basis so obviously there will be
some differences. When playing jazz, my effects tend to be two
clean channels, and one slightly overdriven for the fusion tunes.
Amplification:
• Mesa-Boogie Stiletto Deuce
• Mesa-Boogie Mark IV
• Carvin V3
Guitars:
• Carvin Custom Shop 7-string guitars
• Ibanez Prestige 7-string guitars
I recently became endorsed by Q-tuner pickups so I am installing
them into my guitars now. Currently, these pickups can be seen
in my Ibanez 7-string. Check them out at www.q-tuner.com because
they are incredible.
Are
you a fulltime musician or do you have other jobs to make ends
meet?
I
am a full time professional musician only. I do not have any other
jobs. However, I do much more in the music industry than instruct.
I perform both live and as a studio/session musician, I am a composer
for numerous situations like film and TV, I am an instructor for
individual and group lessons, instruct clinics and master classes,
etc. I could make this list about ten pages long, but you get
the idea.
The best part about what I do, besides loving every minute of
it, is that my schedule is never really the same. It never gets
old. Between all the projects, instructing, and studio work, no
two weeks are the same. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Do
you have plans for more instructional material in the future?
The
simple answer is yes. I am currently working on several instructional
products that cover nearly every aspect of music and guitar playing.
A few of these products will be released in 2007, but due to time
constraints, many will be released in later years. There will
be instructional material for nearly every technique and musical
concept for all levels of difficulty. Currently, I am finishing
up a project on sweep picking with Mike Philippov called The Ultimate
Sweep Picker’s Guide. This project is nearly finished and
will be the next project that I release.
My
goal as an instructor is to help all my students reach their needs,
if there are topics that you want to see products on, just send
me an email.
It
has been a pleasure to talk with you, and we at shred academy
wish you all the best, any closing statement?
Well,
first of all, thank you. This website is great and it is an absolute
honor to be involved with such a place. And, thank you to all
of the readers and their support. I am very responsive with emails
so if anyone ever has any questions, comments, or wants to request
lesson material, etc., feel free to email me at zack@zackuidl.com.
I love to receive feedback so do not hesitate.
If
you would like to learn more about me, what I do, and what I have
planned for the future visit my website at www.zackuidl.com.
Zack Uidl
www.zackuidl.com
www.myspace.com/zackuidl
Interview arranged and conducted by Alistair Campbell
(Blackorchidx)
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