It's so satisfying as a guitar player to play stuff that's related to the blues.

On a more serious note, my challenges with hearing loss are certainly an interesting journey. The surprising upside is that my difficulties in hearing have motivated me to know my guitar fretboard better. My playing has become much more melodic and intentional as a result.

The instrumental stuff is a good challenge, and it keeps my fingers athletically tuned, but I'm totally happy to bang away on some chords, sing some harmonies and play some wailing blues solos after the second chorus.

After 35 years of bone-crushing rock guitar playing, I'm finally starting to get my head out of the harmonic sand and learning how to play over chord changes.

My guitar playing was born from playing in my teenage heavy rock bands.

I'll have a chorus pedal or a flanger or an echo, that kind of thing. But as far as specific pedals, the one that's really been a mainstay is the TC Electronic MojoMojo.

When it comes to songwriting, I grew up in the Seventies listening to AM radio. So I've all these pop songs running through my head from Paul McCartney and Elton John, and a lot of stuff that was written on piano.

Sometimes a couple notes are worth a thousand words.

I probably spent more time as a kid playing air guitar to Jimmy Page than any other guitar player.

I am trying to build the biggest callus possible on my first finger so I can do one-finger bends and vibrato like B.B. King.

Writing is a chore.

Mimi Fox is one of the most exciting contemporary jazz guitarists I've heard.

In the morning, I know everyone has two things: an empty stomach and a fresh brain.

I lived in Los Angeles for around 20 years. I love the place, but the driving can wear thin.

I was driving home and thinking about what rock and roll should be about. 'Adventure and Trouble!' I thought. I sang the song first and then added the chords later.

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!