French eight-finger guru Daniel Peroine

First off, tell us a little about yourself and your music...


I'm 43 years old, I'm living in Nancy (France) and I’ve been teaching guitar for twenty years now.

I'm a graduate of CMCN (musical school in France) and of Los Angeles GIT.

I played in many rock, heavy or top 40 bands in the east of France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Deutschland and Switzerland.

In February 2007, I created my own band which is instrumental progressive rock.

Actually, it's a solo project. I recorded in May 2009 at 'Mon Studio' with Yann Klimezick as sound engineer, Olivier Baldissera on drums and Philippe Chevallot on bass guitar.

It's an instrumental album with nine original songs.

Who were your earliest musical influences?

When I was a teenager my first influence was the heavy metal bands of the 80s. When I started to take some guitar lessons, I began to be interested in the fusion guitar players like Allan Holdsworth or Scott Henderson. The Allan Holdsworth sound was like a revelation to me, especially with the Metal Fatigue album, and I was very interested in the legato technique too.

At what point were you introduced to the eight-finger tapping style?


One day I found the tapping book of Jennifer Batten. I listened to it and I thought it sounded like Allan Holdsworth. But when I was looking at the exercises, I couldn’t understand how to manage with all the fingers on the neck. Finally, I’ve practiced a lot and my sound began to be legato which was very motivating.

How long did it take for you to develop the technique to the point where you felt comfortable with it?


After two years (practicing with two hands tapping), I met T.J Helmerich at the M.I. of Los Angeles. He corrected all my bad habits. For example, I used to play with my right hand all the "pull-off" downs. He recommended me to play "pull-off" inside the hand. It's easier and the sound is definitely better.

He helped me a lot and after six months, I could improvise with major scales.


How do you approach visualizing the fretboard when employing the eight-finger style?


Actually I visualize the right hand. The left one is well trained enough, and I’m practicing with the right hand only which is a good exercise.


Do you tend to compose or improvise your solos?

Fifty-fifty. I like following a melody way and then improvising the end, for example. But before recording a solo, I prefer improvising on rehearsal or on a gig, to find some new ideas on the same solo.


Do you have to modify your guitar setup to accommodate the technique (with super-low action and/or light strings for instance)?

I use low action; I feel comfortable with the right hand.

Six months ago, I used to play with light strings 008-038. Now, I play with 009-042 strings; it's better for the rhythm part. In the future, I would like to play with 010-046 strings, to get a brighter sound.


What initially attracted you to Steinberger guitars?

Because Allan Holdsworth and T.J Helmerich are playing with it and I like their sound.

And a great thing with Steinberger Guitars is that the graphite neck doesn't move. That's why I can play with low action.


What other guitars and gear are you currently using?

I use Steinberger guitars only. I have a MESA/Boogie amp, the Mark IV. I use a Roland VG 88 in effect loop for the reverb, delay and chorus. I have a little box called the Axess, which drives the channel switch of the Mesa with the VG 88.

What musical projects are you currently involved in?

Actually, I do the promotion of my album and I try to find gigs or clinics. I begin to think of the second album too.


How do you feel about the current state of progressive music? Are there any new bands or artists you feel have promise?

I am listening to famous bands like Planet X, Dream Theater, Opeth or early Genesis, and a lot of instrumental guitar players too...and I'm always happy to hear a new band. The last musician I've heard who was exceptional was Alex Machacek. He's just amazing; I saw some videos when he plays with Planet X, and his sound is like Allan Holdsworth’s.


What can we expect from you in the future?

Another album, an instructional DVD...

Daniel, thank you for your time!


Thank you Tom for this interview.

www.myspace.com/danielperoine

www.youtube.com/user/DanielPeroine

Tom McLean of To-mera

Since their debut in 2006, To-mera have fast become one of the leading lights of the UK progressive metal scene. With a new line-up, and a new EP on the way, I caught up with guitarist Tom McLean to talk about his history, gear, technique, and the future of the band.

Tell us a little about yourself and your musical history...

I started playing classical guitar aged 10. I studied it formally up to grade 8, then made the switch to electric, which has been my primary focus ever since.

Which guitarists were major influences on you early on?

Way back in the beginning, it was Slash. I maintain to this day that he's never played a superfluous note. He made me take up the guitar to begin with actually. When I discovered shred, it was the likes of Marty Friedman, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci and Steve Vai, the latter of whom had a particularly strong influence on my style and phrasing (hence the UV777, which I got back in 2000 and was my first seven-string).

How were you introduced to jazz? Did you ever formally study it?

That's a funny one. I can't pinpoint the exact moment when I got into jazz. In fact I think it was something that grew on me gradually until one day I woke up and realised I actually enjoyed it! I think mainly it came through studying at Cambridge. I wanted to form a metal band there (and eventually did, in fact - the aptly titled "Forlorn Hope"), but I really couldn't find any like minded musicians. I was so desperate to play, that I joined a saxophonist friend of mine to form an avant-garde jazz-rock band. The music was pure self-indulgence, but I learned a lot about improvisation.
After finishing my neuroscience degree, I was set to do a postgraduate medical course, but decided to spend a year learning more about jazz, which by that point had become an obsession. So I went to Trinity College of Music for a year. I learnt a lot about harmony and theory, but to be honest my improvisational ability was so primitive compared to a lot of the kids there that it made me realise I was probably never going to be a jazz pro :P

How did To-mera originally come about?

This already seems a distant memory, but basically a chance encounter at a Dillinger Escape Plan concert with Julie (whom I knew from her previous band Without Face) and Lee (original bassist) set the ball rolling. This was whilst I was at Trinity and desperate to form a metal band that would be interesting in trying out a jazz approach. I think Julie and Lee were the only people crazy/ foolish enough to indulge me!

What gear are you currently using live and in the studio?

Well, I'm still using the Framus Cobra head and cabs. I have a couple of pedals, namely the Holy Grail reverb, a Boss chorus pedal and the ISP Decimator. Guitar-wise, the LTD SC607B is still my favourite for chug, but I've recently acquired a JP7 which I'm hoping to make use of on our upcoming EP.
Studio-wise, the guitars will be DI'd through and M-Audio interface, recorded on Logic, and will be reamped at a later date.

Do you use any alternate tunings, especially for the super-heavy sounds on Delusions?

On Delusions there were three seven-string tunings: dropped F sharp, dropped A, and standard B. Now we've settled on dropped A as the standard tuning.

How do you get your fat jazz-guitar sounds? Is it your regular set-up?

On the album I used a Hamer Studio GATSSO for the jazz tones. It's a lovely warm-sounding guitar that I bought with the original intention of becoming the next John Scofield/ Pat Metheny, but that project has been shelved for now :P

What does a typical practice regime entail for you these days?

I haven't had a serious training regime since 2007. Life has been pretty hectic and disruptive since then, but when I find time I try to just enjoy playing the guitar for the sake of it, and focus more on being creative than technical workouts. I guess it's a phase I've been going through for a while, but that said, I feel a new technical regime is just about due.

What would be your advice to metal-heads interested in exploring jazz for the first time?

I guess venturing down the fusion route, via players like Greg Howe, Brett Garsed and Tony Macalpine, would be the most enjoyable and immediately relevant. It's from there that you can take it further and delve into the origins of this kind of music.

Have you considered doing some form of instructional video in the future?

Honestly, no. I don't feel I'd have much to offer that hasn't already been done much better.

Are there any new bands or players that've caught your ear recently?

Hmm.... well, the UK seems to have quite a healthy underground progressive scene, although it's been growing for quite some time I suppose. There's a big emphasis on rhythmic precision these days, which I quite like. Bands like Tesseract I think could have a lot of potential, although at the moment perhaps their influences are a bit too raw. Also, check out my friend Nik Wolf's project, at http://www.myspace.com/eideticblur . This could yield some interesting things I reckon :)

What can we expect from the new To-mera material?

I'm quite excited about it. I suppose, logically, we're following on from where Delusions left off, but I think the style has started to boil down to something quite fresh for us. More groovy but more melodic. And, dare I say it, perhaps not quite so dark anymore :P (but, don't worry, it'll be anything but power metal!).

Tom, thank you once again for your time, and good luck in the future!

My pleasure!

www.myspace.com/tomeraband