1. Do you have a study program routine? Can you describe it?

I try to play different scale patterns every day to keep up my physical skill. In addition, I like to always change things each day so that it doesn't get too boring. For example, if I am writing a piece of music and I find a physical problem playing a certain part, I will design an exercise just to help play that part better. I find that the more variety of music that I play, the better is my playing level.

2. Do you think that's the ideal one? Would you like to change it in something to recomend to someone else?

I would recommend the basic concept to everyone: Keep up your physical skill every day, but also your creative and fun type of playing so that you will have a good heart for playing. Technique without heart is boring, as everybody knows. Change the pace regularly, don't always practice the same exact things.

3. Which guitar technics do you like to use more? There's some kind of step-by-step to learn these technics?

One very useful lesson is to learn the modes of the major scale. Learn all 7 modes with at least three different fingerings for each. This will help you to visualize patterns on the guitar and especially help with improvisiation.

4. At the composing and arranging ground. Do you have some special technic to play with an orchestra like you did recently at RAH Concerts?

First, I had to write down the music and what would cue me for each entrance. I picked a spot that grabbed my interest or attention while the orchestra was playing on their own, then I would count the number or bars until my entrance. This was necessary, since there were some very long sections of rests. It also was important to have my equipment laying very low on the stage, not very loud so that I could hear and see the orchestra and conductor. Arranging my song, Night Meets Light, was done with a very knowledgable helper: Graham Preskett. I sent my idea of what the strings, bells, flutes and horns would play, then he put it in the correct number or parts, plus he added more parts for fullness. He really should get the credit for the arrangement, since he did more than what I sent him.

5. Playing with scores, following a conductor... a total diferent scene for a rock'n'roll band and guitarrist. How was the interaction between you and the others and the orchestra?

At first, some of them were acting a little bit distant, but after we played a complete run through, we were all feeling like we were on the same team, a very good team. We all wanted to have the respect of each other, and everyone seemed to try their best. One clarinetist went wild on a cadenza and won a huge ovation from the crowd. He picked up on the energy of playing with a rock band, and he made it even better. It really was a great experience to play with such superb musicians.

6. Does this kind of situation improved your playing somehow? What exactly?

It surely made me practice my parts and count my entrances very carefully. I wanted to be sure that I would be a good example of a rock musician to all the orchestra players. In fact, I was a little bit nervous, but that's not always a bad thing. The way that I'm sure it improved my playing is in the area of reading and writing music. It's been a while since I've done that, also our dynamics were very important, and it was a big challenge to control the exact amount of distortion that was needed while still keeping the volume in the perfect place.

7. Something else different you realised playing the Concert that you would like to say?

Jon Lord is larger than life. He really is a fantastic musician. I love working with people that I can look up to.

8. What's your present and future plans?

Just mixed the Dixie Dregs live album called California Screamin' on Zebra Records, out in January. I'm finishing a Steve Morse Band album for Magna Carta records that will be an interesting new concept for me, and I'm having a great time with it. Dregs are touring with Dream Theater in 2000, and Purple is going out in the Spring. Lots of stuff going on.