There is a basic language of music that I think is important for communicating with other musicians - just the kind of terminology that might make it easier to describe your ideas to the other guys in your band.

I worked out the keyboard parts on the progressive rock classic 'The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway' and somehow managed to play it all on acoustic guitar.

Andy Timmons is someone I've jammed with many times over the years, and we always have a great chemistry when playing together.

Philosophically, I think riffs that start with E repeating itself are almost guaranteed to be great.

Being a fan of pop music and rock bands, I am a reluctant convert into the art of instrumental rock music.

I love all my guitar solos.

From the start, I held the pick in an unusual way. I used to bend my thumb way back in order to get a good angle for fast playing. I played that way for 10 years.

The first song on my first album is not a song - it's a guitar solo! It's called 'Frenzy,' and it's pretty much nonstop maniacal guitar playing. I had just turned 19, and I had some serious muscle then.

I grew up in the '70s, so I even love the music that I didn't like from that era.

With Racer X, whenever we have time, we try to put a record together. And that's always fun because the guys in the band are great friends and I don't think I ever laugh as hard as I do when I'm with the Racer X guys.

At the time, it all seemed pretty normal. It was okay to have a pink guitar and glow-in-the-dark pants, and play with a drill. 1987, that was the worst year. I think that was the worst year for capes and for hair!

Everyone has to start somewhere! I certainly didn't sound great when I first started playing, and I remember all my guitar teachers, both good and bad, and what it felt like to struggle with even the simplest of things.

Teaching is just something that has come naturally to me. I didn't set out to be a teacher. I wanted to be a Beatle! But there were only four of them, so the job openings were really limited.

There's nothing like sitting down and playing music with somebody. It breaks down all the barriers in life.

When I look back at the span that Mr. Big lasted, we had some unbelievable times. But there were grueling times, too.

Being in a band is hard. Even if you like somebody, you start to argue over silly things.

A rock band with vocals is what I always wanted to be a part of; in fact, it feels very natural for me.

I prefer playing in songs where I have a tempo, groove and harmonic map to hang on to.

Tony MacAlpine not only plays guitar, but is a stunning classical piano player, so he can show how that influence molded his guitar playing.

My brain has been programmed to listen to music a certain way because of the Beatles.

I turn complaining into music! I'm thinking I might have invented a new style. I call it 'cantankerous rock.'

Before I even became a guitar player, I wanted to be a Beatle. That was my first dream as a musician, was to be like a Beatle.

That's the nice thing about being in Mr. Big, is I'm not only the guitar player. I'm the background singer, and so I get to do both of those things. Sometimes we even switch instruments and I get to be the drummer.

I've found that as I've learned to improvise melodically, it seems like I can come up with a bigger variety of stuff. I kind of selfishly enjoy it more, because I'm in the moment so much.

When you record an album in six days, you don't have time to work out a lot of stuff.

My basic setup is my Ibanez Fireman guitars and for pedals, the TC Electronic MojoMojo is the mainstay of my board, along with a Catalinbread Calissto Chorus.

Every Mr. Big album is an event.

You could take any four people, no matter how wonderful they are, and if you make them live together on a tour bus for eight years and don't give them any time off, after a while everybody gonna start going crazy.

Yeah, my very first teacher when I was 6 was a big influence, because it was so boring that I quit guitar.

Mostly, I'm much more of a guitar player than I am a singer.

It is the universe where all rock players live- we all use distortion, overdrive, gain and saturation. I call it 'fuzz.'

Rock shows are loud, so I try to use a sound that is warm on the high frequencies.

On 'Fuzz Universe,' I think I've taken a giant step closer to the ultimate rock guitar sound and playing of my dreams.

As always, my influences are diverse and not what you might expect from a 'heavy metal' artist.

My life is a glorious tornado of musical projects!

The band that made me want to be a musician in the first place was the Beatles. And I think John Lennon used to say something like, 'We're just a singing group,' when he talked about the band. So that's what I say about Mr. Big - we're a singing group!

When I sing, there is an almost constant struggle with pitch and with reaching notes in the higher register.

A scale is just the notes that are in a chord played one at a time instead of together. That's what has allowed me to go through the possible notes that work with a chord and make choices about which ones I like best. I go through by ear; you can do it by theory too, but the best way is to learn by ear.

There's always more than one way to play the same notes because of the nature of guitar.

I did take some cooking classes in high school. Boys weren't really supposed to take them. I had to risk being made fun of.

As far as pedals are concerned, the test for me is if I step on it, do I seem to be playing better?

I've realized that, as the years have gone on, I have become completely impatient with the demo process.

When it comes to vibrato, a lot of people look at their hands when they do it. Which is pretty much of no use. Because vibrato is one of those things you have to hear. There are some guitar things where the visual is really useful, like seeing chord shapes or scale patterns. But vibrato isn't one of those things.

Blues is the first step to get to jazz.

I waited until the end of the 'Behold Electric Guitar' recording sessions to record 'A Herd of Turtles,' as I knew the unusual arrangement might raise some eyebrows.

Normally, I can get through a whole show with one guitar pick.

I especially like the songs Hurry Up and The Curse Of Castle Dragon, and I often include them in my live show.

My initial ideas are just a starting place. As a record goes along, it becomes more about making discoveries and getting excited about new songs.

It took me a long time to accept the idea that the guitar can take the place of a singer.

It's so easy to make albums with overdubbing and editing these days, but I really prefer playing live and just getting the music to sound right because the musicians, the songs and the performances are good.