JEFF McERLAIN - At age 12, Jeff McErlain picked up a guitar and never looked back. Inspired by Beck, Hendrix and Page in his early years, he attended the Berklee College of Music where he was introduced to legends like Coltrane, Miles and Monk. After school, he headed to New York City, where he hooked up with Liquid Hips, a funk-metal group. After releasing three CDs and touring Europe, he started an instrumental trio where he has focused his efforts since. Jeff also produces and writes music, teaches at the National Guitar Workshop, and has a successful teaching practice. I am fortunate enough to make a living on the instrument and I think that is something people can learn. Schools don’t really teach you what you learn on gigs. For example, as primarily a rock guitarist I didn’t learn the importance of repertoire. I found out the hard way that I really didn’t know a lot of tunes and that worked against me at a lot of sessions. Most players try to play things before they actually know what it is they are trying to play. If a student is having trouble with a song or riff, I ask them to sing me the melody and then play it. The student is often surprised that they didn’t actually know it. Once they have the melody in their head the difference is amazing.

I have always loved blues influenced music like Zeppelin, The Stones, The Doors and Sabbath. I am also a big fusion fan. There is an emotional component to the blues that can speak to everybody. You don’t need to be educated in music to understand Muddy Waters when he sings – it’s just the truth coming out. Mix that with a Strat and a Marshall and to me that is what guitar is.

A good tone helps you express what you hear in your head. Ultimately tone is in the hands; it is a cliché, but it is true. No matter what I play through, I still sound like me. After that, there are many variables, especially for players using distortion.

A few of the guys I look up to for tone are Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ritchie Blackmore, Michael Schenker, Brian May, Hendrix, Mark Knopfler, Michael Landau and David Grissom. All of these guys sound like themselves; the second I hear them I know who it is. To me that is good tone. Play with less distortion! Heavy gain sounds are very difficult to translate on stage.

Muriel Anderson's All Star Guitar Night benefits the Music For Life Alliance

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