He may be a world-class shredder, but Joe Satriani is also celebrated for his work as a guitar teacher, and with good reason. His past students include some of rock and metal’s most celebrated players, including Steve Vai, Kirk Hammett, Alex Skolnick and Primus technical expert Larry LaLonde.
But not everyone has clicked with his teachings.
Cake guitarist Xan McCurdy says he wasn't thrilled about his Satch studies. After first picking up electric guitar at age 12 to impress his brothers, McCurdy developed an appreciation for “super mod and British sounds” in his teenage years. That led him to link up with teachers in the Berkeley, California area, including Satriani, in the mid 1980s.
“I felt like he was trying to build an army of shredders,” he says. “Like nonsensical, not musical things; just finger exercises. It was not even scales, just, like, getting your hands to flow, and have the ultimate dexterity, you know? And that was not what I was into because I did not care at all.”
Their differences boil down to two things: taste and, for McCurdy, a distaste for regimented routines.
“I mean, there was a moment when we all got into Van Halen,” he continues. “But I sort of found my little niche subculture world, and I was all about Chuck Berry and the blues guys.”
And so, while a generation of players practiced two-handed tapping and emulating the world’s hottest guitar player, McCurdy was putting his attention elsewhere.
“I didn’t take a lot of lessons, and he hated me because I didn’t practice his stuff enough,” he adds. “And then I found a guy who, instead of having this long-hair shred-master [vibe], this guy would just smoke a joint, and be like, ‘All right, so what do you wanna do?’”
That resonated with McCurdy, and he was able to home in on the parts of guitar playing that mirrored his emotional connection to music. His band's music grew past a sole adoration for Chuck Berry, with country, mariachi, disco, rock, folk music, and hip-hop all flavors for their widespread sound.
Obviously, not every had the same experience with Satch. Skolnick said he learned volumes from his strict attention to detail and practice. As his skills improved and he could go toe-to-toe with the local guitar teachers, he decided to study with their teacher.
“And the guys in the neighborhood had all studied with a guitar player named Joe,” he recalls. “I didn’t know anything about him. I just knew he was an Italian guy. His name’s Joe, and he’s a very serious musician. If you don’t do your homework, he’ll fire you as a student.
“Years later, everybody knows who that is. But at the time, he was this local legend. So I studied with him for a couple years, and that obviously had a huge impact.”
Skolnick's time with thrash icons Testament ultimately got him a gig with Ozzy, but it would be curtains after just one show — even though he doesn't believe his playing was the problem.
As for Satch, he's not teaching anymore, but he does keep an eye on up-and-coming talent, including one next-gen player who he says can “shred any guy out there.”
