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Gretchen Menn: I originally fell in love with the guitar through guitar-centric music: Led Zeppelin, Eric Johnson, The Dixie Dregs, Frank Zappa, etc. I love the versatility of the instrument. It is one of the only instruments at home, and often featured, in virtually any genre: pop to punk, classical to country, blues to be-bop. Guitars are chameleons—they are intimate in a living room, yet commanding a stadium. They can sound transcendentally beautiful as well as downright brutal. Because of this tremendous flexibility, they allow for a huge expressive palette.
"Scrap Metal," the first song on your album, opens with some intriguing, industrial-sounding guitar harmonics. How were those played?
How did you learned to play? Were you self-taught, or did you have formal training?
I started playing guitar my first year of college, and I studied classical guitar with Phillip de Fremery, a student of Segovia. He was an absolutely amazing teacher, and the first person to say unequivocally that I wasn’t starting too late in life to do something meaningful with the instrument. He was meticulous about technique and tone, and incredibly patient. I am not even remotely an inherently patient person, and I credit him largely for my learning to slow down and be thorough. Concurrently, I began applying the music theory I was learning in the classroom to the electric guitar, and drawing upon the technique and discipline of classical guitar. If tedious at times, this approach had some benefits, as it meant I had to figure out things for myself, which helped deepen my understanding and familiarity more so than if I had just been shown finger patterns.
"All of the electric guitars on my album were my Music Man Silhouette and Silhouette Specials — I have three."
Among many other favorites, some of my first and enduring inspirations on the guitar are Eric Johnson, Steve Morse, Jeff Beck, Eddie Van Halen, Django Reinhardt. Compositionally, I am a huge admirer of Mozart, Beethoven, Stravinsky, Frank Zappa. All these people are clearly monstrous talents, and I would never presume to liken myself to any of them. They have just informed my aesthetic and provided endless inspiration.
"Scrap Metal," "Valentino's Victory Lap," and several other songs on Hale Souls are powered by huge, overdriven guitars. How did you get your sounds? What amps/gear did you use?
All of the electric guitars on my album were my Music Man Silhouette and Silhouette Specials—I have three. The pickups are all DiMarzio—stock single coils in one of the Silhouette Specials, and stock single coils in the neck and middle positions and a Fast Track 2 in the bridge position of the Silhouette and one of the Silhouette Specials. My main amp, and the only amp for the overdriven sound, is my Engl SE 670 EL 34. The cabinet is a custom-built Stewart Guitar Cabinet with Celestion Neodymium speakers. I use GHS strings (0.10 - 0.52), and Dunlop Jazz III picks. The cleaner guitars were through my vintage Fender Deluxe Reverb, in a few places boosted with an Xotic Effects AC Booster pedal. The steel string guitar is my Santa Cruz Guitar Company custom OM model, and the classical guitar is my Kenny Hill Ruck model.
At this stage of your career, you could surely land the direct support of any of a number of great guitar companies. What is it about Music Man guitars, specifically, that you favor over all the other great instruments on the market?
My Music Man Silhouette—a gorgeous blue burst—was my first guitar, and I’ve loved it from the moment I first had it in my hands. I learned to play on it, so it is home. It is the guitar in the video for “Valentino’s Victory Lap.” I never even thought about getting another guitar until I started playing gigs, and realized that I needed a back-up instrument. So, I got a Music Man Silhouette Special—the fraternal twin of my first Silhouette. My third Music Man, another Silhouette Special, is white with a tremolo bar, and is the one in the “Oleo Strut” video. As a company, Music Man has had my loyalty from day one. The beauty of their instruments is subtle and solid, which is my preference over ornate or flashy. I’ve never found necks that feel as good, or picked up a guitar that stays in tune better. The truss-rod system is brilliant, and allows for simple, easy adjustments. Their instruments are so well-made, and the perfect aesthetic balance of form and function.
You piloted jets for the airlines and now you are a rising star in the world of progressive guitar. You have excelled in two very male-dominated industries. Why do you think there are so few female jet pilots and lead guitarists?
I think it's a function of the fact that society has changed a lot in the last generation or two, particularly with respect to gender roles. There will always be a lag in churning out new guitarists or pilots, as they need to be born, and then formed, all of which takes place within a social context. Many girls in my generation are the daughters of feminists and enlightened fathers, and so we were raised without as many gender barriers in our consciousness. In the past, it might have been emasculating for a man to be a nurse or a flight attendant, yet now it's perfectly acceptable. Likewise, roles that were viewed as "not feminine" were more likely to be eschewed by women. Nowadays, it's an arcane way of thinking, though there are still vestiges of it. While girls may not have been discouraged to pick up an electric guitar or fly a jet, what my generation lacked were great, visible female role models. Jennifer Batten and Amelia Earhart were anomalies, though they gave a few of us tangible evidence that musical or flying ability wasn’t located on the Y chromosome. Now there are MANY more girls playing guitar and getting really good at it, and more women flying planes at the highest levels. I bet all we'll need to do is wait one more generation, and being a girl in either field will no longer be considered a novelty.
"Guitars are chameleons—they are intimate in a living room, yet commanding a stadium."
I have only recently taken two hands to the neck, and that part in “Fading” came about through exploring some of the possibilities of superimposing two arpeggios, one played with the left hand, one with the right hand. The left hand alone of “Fading” isn’t very interesting: it is just an e minor arpeggio that moves to d minor and then back to e minor. However, because of the arpeggios the right hand is tapping, the result is more interesting harmonies, and harmonies that melt into one another though the movement of one hand, and therefore half the arpeggio, then the other hand, and so forth. For example, the first few harmonies of “Fading” are: e minor arpeggio with the left hand and a minor arpeggio with the right hand, thereby creating a C Maj 7 (13). The left hand then moves to a d minor arpeggio as the right hand remains on the a minor arpeggio, thereby creating D min 9. The left hand then stays on the d minor arpeggio, and the right hand taps an e minor arpeggio, thereby creating a G 7 (13), and so forth.
Do you practice a lot? Are you an organized and disciplined practicer, or do you just follow the muses of the moment?
I am diligent about practice, but not someone who runs scales and arpeggios all day. I consider two hours a day the absolute minimum under normal circumstances, but aim for more like four hours of solid, focused time. I could not consistently maintain that level of intensity for very much longer. For me, it gets to a point of diminishing returns. A typical day of practice is generally spread out throughout the day, and starts first thing in the morning. I try to keep a diverse regime and work on technique (both new techniques as well as improving speed, accuracy, and dexterity within techniques that are familiar), improvisation, learning tunes by ear, the nuances of improving bends and vibrato, rhythm playing, as well as lots of writing. I also try to carve out free time for trying out completely new ideas, approaches, and general exploration. My most strict policy is that all yields to creative inspiration. I may be in the middle of running a lick with a metronome, or even warming up for a show, but if something fires up the compositional center of my brain, that’s where I go.
If you could land a gig playing guitar for any artist(s) you wanted, what name(s) come to mind?
There are so many amazing musicians with whom I’d be over the moon to get to work, but Jeff Beck is the first name that comes to mind. There are too many others to list.
Do you have a piece of advice you’d give to aspiring musicians?
Stay connected to what you love about the instrument. Figure out what drives you to play music, determine what your goals are, and find a path that leads toward your ultimate goals while also being a joy in itself. You must love the process or you’ll abandon the path. Surround yourself by people who inspire you. Seek out challenges. Never lose sight of what makes you unique and try to bring that to what you do on the instrument. Music is a form of communication, and therefore a voice. Let yours be as genuine as your speaking voice. Seek out new vocabulary and greater technique if your creativity demands it, and learn enough to say what you want to say clearly. Be true to yourself, and listen to your muses—they are your integrity.
