For five years now, Guitar Center stores nation wide have been hosting the annual Guitarmageddon contest. They refer to it on www.guitarcenter.com as “A terrifying story of monstrous guitar shredding.”
There’s nothing better for closet axe-slingers than an event like this to get excited about and practice for all year, not to mention the monster amps to crank up to 11, the free backing track CDs, and the cool prizes to dream about winning. I enjoy Guitarmageddon so much that I have canceled paying gigs to judge it free for the last five years. I even play myself, though I’m not allowed to compete, and I probably wouldn’t win if I did, but it’s always a gas, just rocking out!
Having been an insider since day one I’ve had a chance to hear a lot of excellent guitar playing, and well, some not-so-excellent playing, meet the contestants, and judges, hear the chit-chat, and experience the whole ball of wax.
Every year some teenage shred wizard is warming up on Steve Vai’s Crossroads Suite in the back room. His fingers are flying along and never missing a note, and I think to myself “Man, I couldn’t play it that well myself,” or something like that. No one else will warm up after he plays because the kid seems to have stolen all the notes that matter, and only the scrawny ones are left over. The tension in the audience is palpable beneath the awkward attempts at levity that ripple around the room. Guitarists are an egotistical and competitive breed, especially the adults. They usually show up expecting to win, and sort of even counting on it, and many of the youngsters are of the same mind.
Inevitably Stevie Vai JR. freezes-up on stage and totally screws up his arpeggios. The look of amazed horror in his eyes, while his fingers stumble all over the fretboard, is heartbreaking and comical all at once. No one says a word, but they all clap loudly at the end. We’ve all been in his shoes, and know how it feels. The next guy does really well. It is his turn for the choice notes. All the scrawny ones have been played.
A number of my personal students have competed at the Towson store over the years. A few names that come to mind include Billyjack Mast, Dirck Ober, Dan Book, Chris Rainer, Dan Price, and John Pope, great young players, all. But none of them ever won the store finals. In fact for the last three years we have had Ryan McDonough take first place and move on to the next level.
Right before heading off to the finals in LA, Ryan stopped by my studio for a quick jam session and a Shred Planet interview. The kid is definitely a “ringer.” At only 19 years of age he has achieved astonishingly high levels of both technique and musicality. I found it inspiring to play with him, and picked up a few interesting new ideas just by watching and listening. I guess he’s living proof that age has nothing to do with musical ability.
Interview: Ryan McDonough
SP: How long have you been playing?
Ryan: Since I was eight, so that’s ten years.
SP: What made you pick it up?
Ryan: Honestly … Green Day was my first inspiration that made me pick up the guitar. I saw Billy Joe on MTV strumming away and that was it.
SP: So you eventually moved out of the interest in Punk Rock toward an interest in Shred and Heavy Metal?
Ryan: Yeah. I was about thirteen when I got my first Steve Vai CD. I think it was Alien Love Secrets, and since then it’s been one artist after the other that inspire me that much more. Satriani, Yngwie, Dream Theater, and all the guys at the guitar workshops have been influences.
SP: So, you’ve been to some guitar workshops?
Ryan: Yeah, I’ve been to two National Guitar Workshops and one Berklee Summer Session.
SP: And who were some of your favorite teachers?
Ryan: Oh, a guy named German Schuss, John Finn, Dave Martone, they’re all great!
SP: How many years have you been involved in Guitarmageddon?
Ryan: It’s been four years now.
SP: What’s it like to practice hard for a contest and then have to get up and put yourself on the front line in front of the judges?
Ryan: Basically, what I do is, I take the CD home and practice improv over all of the tracks until I know which one I like. Then I work with that track for hours until the muscle memory is there and it’s all in my head, exactly what I want to do. Then I just play.
SP: Is your performance the same, worse, or better when you get on stage?
Ryan: I do get a little nervous, but the more I practice, the more my confidence increases.
SP: Do you have any interesting stories to tell about the contest so far?
Ryan: Yeah, I got interviewed by 98 Rock and I got to play my song on the radio! And, I have a web site now, its www.purevolume.com/ryanmcdonough . And, I’m going to be interviewed by The Sun Paper tomorrow.
SP: In LA, will you be competing against shredders, or players of other styles?
Ryan: I don’t know, but I’m sure its gonna be some great players. The only thing I’m intimidated by is a real good jazz player. I think that would impress the judges more than anything, but I’m just gonna go for it, and give it my best!
Well, he didn’t end up winning the LA finals, but, there’s always next year, and, I was so impressed with Ryan that he will be a DayJams guitar teacher this year. He told me via cell phone from Maui, that the guy who took it (Robert Provine) was incredible. According to Ryan, he plays in the Stanley Jordan style, like a pianist, and also in a unique “drumming” style. I’m sure we’ll be hearing from MR. Provine!
Shred On!
Tobias Hurwitz
