Alter Bridge Mark Tremonti Interview: My Champion, Kirk Hammett Hardwired Solos & More

7. Advanced Guitar Techniques, Kirk Hammett & Improvisation Vs. Practice

S.T: On Dust I remember talking to you about more advanced guitar techniques, like you were busting out double-stops and hybrid picking. Are those things that you carried forward into My Champion and/or the album overall?

M.T: As far as the right-hand techniques go, yeah there's a couple different sections of the solo where I'm using my middle finger to grab some notes. I do an ascending octave, like four little octaves that I'm doing that on, and then almost immediately after that, there's another on the B and G string where I'm just grabbing the B string with my middle finger and picking the G.

S.T: As a weird comparison to all this, I'm assuming you've heard the new Metallica album (Hardwired... To Self-Destruct, 2016)?

M.T: Yes!

S.T: About 99% of Kirk Hammett's solos were completely improvised. I kinda appreciate having the 'guts' to lay down improvised solos on a record and go with it, but what are your thoughts on the balance of improvisation versus meticulous planning?

M.T: For My Champion, that solo was completely written. When you have alternate tunings, you have to write it, or else you're improvising in an unknown territory (laughs).

I think that's the magic with alternate tunings, you're forced to compose something that's not gonna sound anything like what most people are doing with a pentatonic scale and whatnot, 'cause your scales are modified and you're kinda looking at a blank canvas. All your shapes are different, but that being said I enjoy trying to create something brand new out of the new configuration of how the strings are laid out.

Playing in a different tuning like that [on My Champion], even though it's just the bottom string I like to take advantage of that and really compose something.

S.T: Would you ever try an improvised studio solo? It is a lot harder to do, but would you feel comfortable committing something like that to record, or does it seem kinda crazy?

M.T: I like to practice the hell out of a song before I go in the studio, so I'll have my 'anchors' for things that work. I'll have melodic phrases and whatnot that I like, that maybe follow the vocal melody, and then I'll go in the studio. I'll make sure I've got something solid, and after a couple passes, maybe improvise a little bit to see what turns out to be the best outcome.

Sometimes you improvise sections, they just flow smoother and sound more natural. I never write something and tell myself "No matter what, it's gonna be like this", it's just, I don't like to go in the studio without writing anything, and just feel like, "Well, I'm just gonna let this go to chance and hope for a good day!"

I like to prepare and be over-prepared, and by being over-prepared, give myself the freedom to have extra time to improvise if I want to or not. There's a little bit of both, but I'd say mostly, my solos come together beforehand.