Jeff Beck

I don’t care about the rules, if I don’t break the rules at least 10x every song then I’m not doing my job.

A Les Paul, which is kind of a sissy guitar compared to a Strat anyway. The Les Paul is heavier, but because of that bulk you can do bends on it more easily. Also, the Les Paul’s lack of a vibrato arm means you’re not wrestling against the spring-loaded bridge all the time. The Strat is the ultimate because it’s like having a miniature pedal steel within it. Once you get familiar with it where the bends are and where they meld down into a fourth or whatever, you can do all kinds of pedal-steel-like things, which I think are cool..

[Stratocaster vs Les Paul] It’s a totally different animal. One is for very subtle and, I would say, more musical things that you can distract and abuse. You can’t do that with a Les Paul. It’s too delicate. It’s got a very delicate tone; most people don’t ever realize that because they are plugged into monstrous amplifiers which completely, instantaneously covers up the unique sound quality it has. All those years of development go straight out the window when you overload the amp.

When Jazz broke through in England, I remember sneaking to listen on the radio much to my parent’s disapproval.

I like an element of chaos in music. That feeling is the best thing ever.

I play the way I do cause it allows me to come up w/ the sickest sounds possible. That’s the point now isn’t it?

Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory.

A Jazz musician is a juggler who uses harmonies instead of oranges.

I don’t like to look back because the whole point in Jazz is doing it now.

I always make it a point to pick songs on which players really shine.

Composers tend to assume that everyone loves music. Surprisingly enough, everyone doesn’t.

But the guitar, my lady, whether well played or badly played, well strung or badly strung, is pleasant to hear and listen to; being so easy to learn, it attracts the busiest of talented people and makes them put aside loftier occupations so that they may hold a guitar in their hands.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane were so cool, if alive today global warming wouldn’t be an issue.

I sing like I feel.

I’m not thinking about what needs to be on the radio. I’m not thinking about anything other than – I’m just going to let this music come out of me and not have any sort of preconceived notion of what I should do. I’m just going to do it.

It was in tune when I bought it.

Composing makes me feel like I’ve finally gotten all the way up the ladder as a musician.

I always had a deep feeling to be one with the very minute I’m in.

Jazz is one of the few things you can do in society to express yourself freely and creatively.

I’m my own most merciless critic onstage.

When there was vinyl, I just loved opening a record and smelling that wonderful smell.