{"id":235474,"date":"2026-01-13T09:48:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T09:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/235474\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T09:48:42","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T09:48:42","slug":"i-opened-the-door-he-had-the-guitar-in-his-hands-it-was-him-playing-the-jazz-i-had-no-idea-that-he-was-that-good-mark-tremonti-on-alter-bridges-secret-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/235474\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI opened the door… he had the guitar in his hands. It was him playing the jazz. I had no idea that he was that good\u201d: Mark Tremonti on Alter Bridge\u2019s \u201csecret weapon\u201d and his soloing strategies for avoiding the same old pentatonic patterns"},"content":{"rendered":"

If Mark Tremonti<\/a> is feeling any jet lag from flying into London for a round of press interviews for Alter Bridge<\/a>\u2019s eponymous new studio album, he isn\u2019t showing it. <\/p>\n

Here in a well-kempt west London hotel, it could be the coffee doing its thing, or it could just be that Tremonti and Alter Bridge<\/a> frontman\/guitarist Myles Kennedy<\/a> are still basking in the afterglow of getting to make an album in 5150 Studios<\/a>, the Los Angeles recording facility that the late Eddie Van Halen<\/a> built from the ground up.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, tracking with their favourite producer, Michael \u2018Elvis\u2019 Baskette, in a studio both describe as a \u201csacred\u201d space, all thanks to an invite from long-time friend and now owner of the studio, Wolfgang Van Halen<\/a> \u2013 though with Alter Bridge and Van Halen\u2019s Mammoth sharing management, it might not be a one-off after all.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had such a long relationship. We love hanging out,\u201d says Tremonti. \u201cWe\u2019d go to 5150, he\u2019d come hang out with us, we\u2019d go out have dinner with him, and he\u2019d let us into his sacred studio.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inside there was all kinds of stuff. There was a 5150 III tube amp<\/a> that made converts of both Kennedy and Tremonti to the merits of the 50-watt head. There was some other stuff that you might call \u201csacred\u201d too. Tremonti says they knew where the limit was. They didn\u2019t actually play Eddie Van Halen<\/a>\u2019s instruments on the record. \u201cNo, no\u2026 We didn\u2019t want to push it! \u2018Can we play this on the record!?\u2019 No, we respected the space,\u201d he says. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t something that we deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there was everything they needed. Tremonti\u2019s electric guitar<\/a> tone has never sounded so good, and that was the platform he needed.<\/p>\n

Tracks such as Silent Divide (where you really hear that 5150 III cook) and the wah<\/a>-squawk of Playing Aces, both shared ahead of the album\u2019s release on 9 January, are Tremonti pushing the envelope \u2013 because, as he admits here, in an interview in which he reveals his most underrated player, soloing strategies and discusses his Dumble addiction, he feels he is \u201cyet to arrive\u201d as a player.<\/p>\n

Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here. <\/p>\n

Alter Bridge – Playing Aces (Official Video) – YouTube
\n\"Alter<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

Tremonti insists he is learning new things all the time \u2013 he’s right now in the process of reinventing his picking style \u2013 and that is making him feel like a kid all over again. Is that so bad?<\/p>\n

What guitar did you learn on?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell I had two older brothers who were huge music fans. My brother Mike was into KISS and Ace Frehley<\/a> had this black, awesome Les Paul that I thought that was the coolest. A black Les Paul was something that I was just obsessed with. That\u2019s when my friend, Geoff Blake, back in middle school, maybe sixth or seventh grade, he had said, \u2018I\u2019m buying a nicer guitar. I\u2019ll sell you mine. Ten bucks.\u2019<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was black Les Paul imitation called Tara. I can\u2019t remember how it played. It was so long ago. But to me it was amazing. [Was it a bolt-on?] No, it wasn\u2019t! And I sold it for a hundred bucks and made ten times my investment on it. I wish I had kept that sucker but, y\u2019know, I betcha I could put my eye out to find one just to reminisce.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"Myles\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Roberto Ricciuti\/Redferns)<\/p>\n

Was there a moment where you felt you had arrived as a player?<\/p>\n

One of the most fun times as a player is after you\u2019ve recorded a record, and then it\u2019s like, \u2018I don\u2019t have to worry about the songwriting. I can just play fun lead guitar stuff\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t. I feel like there is so much to learn, all the time, that I have just scratched the surface, but I have always focused more on songwriting. The guitar playing has kinda come along for the ride.<\/p>\n

One of the most fun times as a player is after you\u2019ve recorded a record, and then it\u2019s like, \u2018I don\u2019t have to worry about the songwriting. I can just play fun lead guitar stuff.\u2019 But my main focus has always been on songwriting so the lead guitar thing is fun but it\u2019s not my number one.\u201d<\/p>\n

You never feel like you make it. There\u2019s always something else to learn. The guitar humbles you.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh it does, yeah. Every time I learn something new I feel like I\u2019m a kid again. \u2018Urgh! I suck at this.\u2019 It takes a while to get it. And I have learned something about my playing that I have just given in to; I lean heavily on upstrokes, when probably 90 to 95 per cent of players are downstrokes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see a lot of players who almost exclusively play downstrokes. My upstroke, when I am learning a lick that someone is playing, I\u2019ve got to reinvent it for myself, because I\u2019m a different player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alter Bridge – Silent Divide (Official Video) – YouTube
\n\"Alter<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

That is a good thing, though, because sometimes these foibles give you the style that makes you you.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. One of the biggest compliments you can get as a guitar player is when somebody says, \u2018When I hear you play, I can tell it\u2019s you.\u2019 Because you can fall into the trap of learning, say, I\u2019m obsessed with Steve Vai<\/a>, and I learn all Steve Vai\u2019s stuff. \u2018Oh, you sound like Steve Vai!\u2019 No, I want to sound like myself, but at the same time I wish I could play some of those Steve Vai licks as well as some other people!\u201d<\/p>\n

I think what threw me off initially was I was trying to play like Frank Gambale or Eric Johnson<\/p>\n

This is related. What is the technique you tried hardest to learn?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I am learning new techniques all the time. Right now I am trying to incorporate more economy picking into my playing because I used to think alternate picking is the way I want to play. I want to hear that snap of the attack. But more and more I just figure out patterns where I can get that attack and aggressiveness with the economy picking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what threw me off initially was I was trying to play like Frank Gambale or Eric Johnson<\/a>. Like Eric, I would guess has got a light approach to his pick, and I have a very aggressive approach, so some of his lines wouldn\u2019t necessarily work \u2013 it would work when I am sitting at home with the guitar on my lap but when I am onstage and have the adrenaline going, all that stuff is out the window, so I had to figure out ways to make it work for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a lick I learned from a Zakk Wylde<\/a> solo when I was younger that has some more aggressive economy picking, and I was like, \u2018Okay, this can work for me. I just have to find the right avenues.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Alter Bridge – What Lies Within (Official Video) – YouTube
\n\"Alter<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

There is too much heartbeat going on when you are up onstage. That makes you you. You are so clean with that picking. And it jives with your amp<\/a> choices. The Dumbles especially have a really fast attack. You like that immediate note transfer.<\/p>\n

When I do guitar clinics, the first thing I start out with is improvisation. I tell people that that\u2019s my warm-up<\/p>\n

\u201cI like a very quick attack. And a lot of people have said that about the Dumbles is that it\u2019s uncomfortable because it\u2019s such a quick response, but the quicker the better for me. I love it. And the reason why I like Dumbles is that it makes me play differently. If I sit down with a Dumble, the last thing I\u2019m going to do is do any kind of fast techniques.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to express with a Dumble. You want the amp to sound good, so you are playing chord voicings, doublestops, things that bring out the best tones out of the amplifier \u2013 it\u2019s not the shreddy techniques. It\u2019s the bloom.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an addiction. I love it. Dumbles are definitely my addiction, and they\u2019ve gotten so pricey it\u2019s tough. The only reason why I can keep on buying and selling is because I can trade one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alter Bridge: “Fortress” Live At The Royal Albert Hall (OFFICIAL VIDEO) – YouTube
\n\"Alter<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

What do you play when you are just relaxing with the guitar?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll improvise. When I do guitar clinics, the first thing I start out with is improvisation. I tell people that that\u2019s my warm-up. I just put on a backing track, pretend that grandma is in the room, and then I\u2019ll play something sweet, start with a limited range of notes and then develop it, build up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who would you say is the most underrated guitarist out there at the moment? And is he in your band?<\/p>\n

\u201cMyles! Like, when we first started in this band, I had no idea that he was that good on guitar. I remember walking down, he wasn\u2019t even recording guitar on this record, I was walking by the room he was staying in at my house, and I remember hearing all this jazz guitar<\/a> coming out. I opened the door to see what he was doing and he had the guitar in his hands; it was him playing the jazz. It was like, \u2018You sonofabitch! I had no idea!?\u2019 So that became our new secret weapon.<\/p>\n

Because me and Myles\u2019 styles have gotten more similar on the songwriting side of things but as guitar players we have different styles. I think Myles\u2019 vibrato and feel is some of the best I\u2019ve ever heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alter Bridge – Holiday (Official Video) – YouTube
\n\"Alter<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s because he is such a great vocalist it pulls focus. Okay, here\u2019s one: what is the greatest solo of all time?<\/p>\n

\u201cGreatest solo of all time? I\u2019d go back to Comfortably Numb<\/a> as something that you can\u2019t ague with. It\u2019s just the most emotive piece of music. [Both solos?] Yeah, actually right through the entire song. Another song that I think is a beautiful piece of music is Lenny\u2026 Like the point you make, it\u2019s not the 20-second solo because there is solos throughout the song.\u201d<\/p>\n

I love writing in alternate tunings because you are not going to use the same patterns that you normally would<\/p>\n

This is something you do in Alter Bridge. Lead guitar is often this thread through the song rather than always just being the solo.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, a lot of the solos on this record \u2013 and a lot of Alter Bridge records \u2013 are written in alternate tunings<\/a>. I love writing in alternate tunings because you are not going to use the same patterns that you normally would.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I am playing a song that\u2019s in standard tuning, I\u2019ll rely heavily on pentatonics and diatonic scales that I am familiar with, but in an alternate tuning, I have to dive in and go, \u2018Woah! What am I gonna do!? What open strings work? What little patterns can I remember quickly?\u2019 And I have always been a pattern player to begin with, so with alternate tunings, you take that to my younger self, say, \u2018Okay, these picking patterns work. How can I use them?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Which young guitarist should we be listening to right now? Who is blowing your mind?<\/p>\n

\u201c[Without hesitation] Oh, Matteo Mancuso<\/a>. He is blowing everybody\u2019s minds. And it\u2019s not the kind of style you can just go and learn. His fingerstyle, it [takes] years and years.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If Mark Tremonti is feeling any jet lag from flying into London for a round of press interviews…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235475,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,409],"class_list":{"0":"post-235474","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}