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YOU WONT BELIEVE: Al di meola - What They Never Told You

“I would go by John’s room and he’d be working on alternate picking to a metronome. I’d never seen anyone do that before”: He arrived on the shred scene with Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker and John Petrucci… then he vanished

After starting a family and his own company, Darren Housholder's priorities changed – but he’s gradually brought music-making back into his world

Guitar World

“There’s more to life than just guitar. Once you've had a heart attack there’s always that thing in your mind that it could happen again”: How Al Di Meola’s heart attack led to his anti-ICE concert with Tom Morello and Bruce Springsteen

Aware he’s in the last quarter of his football game of life, the health alert has made Di Meola determined to make more of a difference – politically and musically

Guitar World

Clearaudio's Celebrity Edition is arguably the best-looking turntable ever made

Legendary jazz guitarist, Al Di Meola, has made his mark on this design.

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“I know myself better musically thanks to this album”: Steve Vai features on the new Matteo Mancuso album – and he had one piece of advice for the young virtuoso

We’ll have to wait a little longer to hear their track, but the record’s dazzling first single is ramping up the excitement

Guitar World

“Al Di Meola would call Yamaha and other companies, and say, ‘I think you need to pay attention to what’s going on here’”: Paul Reed Smith remembers his attempts to build guitars for other brands before starting his own company

Before launching PRS, Smith had another plan, and some high-profile backers

Guitar World

“The more I got to know him, the more I could tell he was interested in different sounds, from Indian classical to Middle Eastern”: Nicolas Meier was hand-picked by Jeff Beck. Now he’s honoring the late guitar icon with a sound that seeks new horizons

Meier on what he learned from Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía, and how in Jeff Beck he found a kindred spirit for guitar sounds with no limits

Guitar World

“One of the most visionary and influential bassists in the history of our instrument”: Anthony Jackson, low-end legend who pioneered the concept of the modern six-string bass, dies aged 73

Al Di Meola has led the tributes to a session icon who took the instrument to new frontiers

Guitar World

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"Rest in Power": Anthony Jackson, six-string bass ace, dies aged 73

Jackson played for stars across the jazz-fusion-pop spectrum, including Buddy Rich, Al Di Meola, Madonna, Chaka Khan, Roberta Flack and more

MusicRadar

“After Kirk introduced me to Greeny, it felt only right to return the favor”: Kirk Hammett let Al Di Meola play his iconic Greeny – so the fusion virtuoso let him play his prized Elegant Gypsy Black Beauty

The two guitar greats let each other have a go on their cherished Les Pauls

Guitar World

“As a composer I’ve needed and wanted to evolve. As I grew, hopefully my writing was growing too”: Five great Al Di Meola albums

From fruitful fusion forays to gentle world acoustica, the revered guitarist has covered a lot of ground since joining Return To Forever at the age of 20

Louder

“His future is as bright as his talent is undeniable”: Jason Becker hails Matteo Mancuso as a guitar hero destined for greatness – after the two virtuosos meet up

Mancuso impressed Becker with both his virtuosity and his heart

Guitar World

It was the era of the Superstrat, but along came an all-new high-end guitar that found fans in Al Di Meola and Ted Nugent – celebrating 40 years of Paul Reed Smith’s first production model, the PRS Custom 24

Birthed amid the Superstrat mania of the 1980s, the Custom 24 bucked the trend with a set-neck build –and hit a spot with players that wanted timeless looks and modern, high performing upgrades

Guitar World

“Al Di Meola was at one of the John Petrucci camps and he said, ‘Learn as much theory as you possibly can and then forget it!’” Progressive virtuoso Jason Richardson gives his take on the timeless ‘music theory versus ear training’ debate

Is music theory necessary to write guitar solos that stand the test of time? All That Remains' lead guitarist weighs in...

Guitar World

“I did spend a lot of years by myself, getting into New York City and hanging out in salsa clubs, tapping rhythms”: Al Di Meola reveals one of the most important lessons he’s ever learned in developing a great sense of rhythm

The fusion virtuoso discusses why the foot is key to anchoring a great sense of rhythm in any guitar player

Guitar World

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MusicRadar

“Imagine not knowing Eric Johnson, Vai and Satriani and seeing this for the first time? It literally blows your mind”: Matteo Mancuso – 10 albums that changed my life

The Sicilian virtuoso salutes Jimmy Page's stylistic adventurism, the compositional genius of Pat Metheny and Al Di Meola, and declares Jaco Pastorius “the Jimi Hendrix of bass”

Guitar World

“It was very simplistic compared to my later compositions”: It may have been inspired by the Kinks, but Al Di Meola's Race with Devil on Spanish Highway is one of the great virtuoso displays in guitar history. Watch the maestro play it with Steve Vai

This intimate rehearsal clip shows the fretwork of both guitar legends up-close

Guitar World

“When I joined, Ozzy told me I'd often hear people scream out Randy's name during a show”: Zakk Wylde discusses Ozzy Osbourne's hard-and-fast guitar rules, and the friendly shadows of Randy Rhoads and Jake E. Lee, in his first Guitar World interview

Not long into his dream gig, Wylde sat down with GW for a chat about his favorite guitarists of the era, and what Ozzy discouraged him from doing on the guitar

MusicRadar

"When he died, I cried. And I actually jumped into the ocean at San Francisco. And let me tell you, the ocean at San Francisco is cold": Bass legend Jaco Pastorius

We salute a true bass guitar virtuoso

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Guitar World

“We’re probably better off than the previous generation. Not because we’re better, but because it’s easier to reach a certain level faster”: Matteo Mancuso on how he plans to take his playing to even greater heights – thanks to some advice from Steve Vai

The Sicilian virtuoso is changing guitar in real-time and we are all along for the ride. Here he explains why he might be too lazy to use anything other than a Line 6 Helix, but won't rest in his pursuit for the perfect performance

MusicRadar

“The record industry is, pretty much, dead”: Al Di Meola speaks out about the lack of opportunities for young musicians

Al Di Meola bemoans the death of the record industry

Guitar World

“There are a lot of electric players that just cannot play a nylon-string guitar”: Al Di Meola on why he opts to practice on an acoustic guitar – even when preparing for electric-heavy tours

Di Meola says a nylon guitar's response time is slower than that of an electric, which forces the player to work harder, especially when executing fast phrases

Guitar World

Matteo Mancuso’s otherworldly technique has blown the minds of Al Di Meola, Steve Vai and Joe Bonamassa – in this exclusive video masterclass, he shares the secrets behind his breathtaking fingerstyle approach

Mancuso has lit up guitar since his arrival on the scene, with his debut album, The Journey, a modern classic. And he has nothing to hide; here he is showing us exactly how he does it

Guitar World

“A relentless speed and accuracy rarely heard before on the electric guitar”: Al Di Meola’s peerless alternate-picking style changed the landscape of guitar playing – just ask John Petrucci and Nuno Bettencourt

The fusion master influenced a generation of players, and this lesson will show you why – and make you a cleaner, more accurate player in the process

MusicRadar

"When he died, I cried. And I actually jumped into the ocean at San Francisco. And let me tell you, the ocean at San Francisco is cold": Bass legend Jaco Pastorius

We salute a true bass guitar virtuoso

Guitar World

“Had he recorded nothing but the 10-minute Maggot Brain solo, Eddie Hazel’s place in guitar history would be complete”: The 30 best guitarists from New Jersey – from Al Di Meola and Richie Sambora to Gibson's best-selling signature artist

We gone and made a list of our favorite Garden State guitar heroes... Do write in for which state you'd like to read about next. One way or another, it won't have better pizza

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