Paul Gilbert Quotes

I stepped back from being out front to playing bass. So we started switching: I'd play bass on one song, we'd switch on the next song; I'd play piano... we'd play mandolin.

I wasn't originally a bass player. I just found out I was needed, because everyone wants to play guitar.

I love not being in charge of writing all the songs, and being the front person - the whole thing is cool.

A lot of times, I played bass on songs. Gene plays guitar on some songs.

Yes, I always say that we're a National League band. What I mean is, if you play an instrument, you have to sing. So I always call our drummer up. Even the drummer has to take a turn on the microphone.

We're all very sensitive that Jim has the shortest history with the band. He wants to be somewhat of a free agent. I'm just going to let time dictate how Jim's future evolves.

A bass player has to think and play like a bass player. A drummer has to play and think like a drummer, and stay out of the way of the vocalist. The guitar player has to respect everybody else.

If you're playing with a number of people, there are all sorts of textures, all kinds of possibilities you can get into. So why just play a theme together and then take solos?

Joe Walsh is somebody who... he's a writer, obviously, and he's a singer-songwriter, whatever, but at the end of the day, when it comes to the Eagles, he's there to play guitar, and he's there to supply whatever is needed for that band, and that is what I feel with Metallica.

I can just be one of those guys that used in the mix, playing 4 or 5 if we play smaller.

I think that's the great thing for us - we're a band full of songwriters, and we're capable of writing all kinds of songs.

I guess, from the beginning, Thurston and Kim were the dominant singers in the band, and although I was singing in bands previously, I guess I mainly deferred to them a lot in terms of who was singing the bulk of the songs.

Everyone tried to be a singer other than just a player. We had four voices in The Moody Blues.

I love to play guitar. I've never really been the type of guitar player that goes, 'I'll only play this style of music or that thing.'

I started composing when I was around 13, and back then, people used to say that I needed to be a composer or a performer, but I can't be good at both of them. I could never understand why anyone would say that. Jellyroll did both, Bessie Smith did both, and so did I.

I think some bands thrive on the idea of changing instruments. When they're off their real instrument, the ability to go very far from the original idea is reduced.

I like to consider myself an all-rounder, and I'm not trying to be King of the Scene or anything. I'd like to do everything, from writing film scores to producing pop albums.

Andy Chase and I were keyboard players originally, and we became guitarists later. But it's fun for us to focus more on the keyboard stuff sometimes.

I don't like to focus on just hip-hop because with hip-hop, I can only do so much; with a vocalist, I can only do so much, but the limitations are varying.

I never wanted to be a solo artist.

I can't just play in a rock band. The National is a great, exciting band to play in. We improvise a lot onstage, and it's very intense, but after a while, I crave other kinds of experiences.

A band can be so much more than just a way to play songs.

My musical output has been consistently acoustic, but my taste has not. I love everything. As long as it's good, I'm in.

I'm going to be testing waters in all genres.

We really hated being in a band. The joy for us and why we slipped nicely and neatly into it was because we didn't need a band anymore. We became a duo because of technology.