'INSIDE PICKING WAS A BIG DISCOVERY FOR ME'

Dream Theater’s John Petrucci on game-changing exercises and creating a solo that “feels like you’re floating”

- Amit Sharma

DON’T OVERTHINK IT

You’d be surprised, out of all the progressive and technical moments in our music, the favourites for the audience are usually the big, simpler riffs that grab your attention. You have to show restraint and not overwrite or overthink your parts. You’ll come up with something good and then that voice will start running in your head – ‘how many times have I done this, is this too typical, am I repeating myself?’ And you have to shut off that voice and carry on. Sometimes you will stumble on something that just has that special thing… if it feels good, keep going!

EMBRACE THE AMBIGUITY OF NINTHS