THE TOP 10 BEST PLAYERS RIGHT NOW

THE TOP 10 BEST PLAYERS RIGHT NOW

01 NITA STRAUSS

The no.1 guitarist in our poll talks to TG about her classical influences and the art of improvising

Nita Strauss is the very definition of a guitar hero in the modern age. In 2018, she joined the likes of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani in having her own signature Ibanez model – an achievement that made her the first female musician ever in its history to have done so. Similar things can be said about the Pandemonium DiMarzio pickups that come fitted on her JIVA axe, a feat she also holds close to her heart having idolised many of the company’s virtuoso endorsees. None of this would have happened if it were not for her dizzying technique and hard work ethic. When we caught up with ‘Hurricane’ Nita, we asked for a tip on improvising...

BAROQUE ’N’ ROLL

“I grew up listening to classical music in the house; our dad instilled that into us – the importance of being aware of that lineage and, of course, living up to that! So we knew about [ancestor] Johann Strauss II even when we were little kids. I started out listening to Metallica or Maiden like everyone else, and then when I finally heard Yngwie playing harmonic minor I thought, ‘Wait a second, I know these passages!’ That was like a light bulb moment going off in my head, when it started to make sense. Before that point, I didn’t put two and two together or understand how metal and classical could be linked. No one can twist that scale like Yngwie – but to play in that style, I would recommend learning every sweep pattern within each chord of the scale and breaking them up into smaller chunks for your leads.”