Death metal legends Deicide are about to land on UK soil, and shredder Ralph Santolla has checked in with Terrorizer’s extreme guitar mag Sick Sounds to offer some advice for budding guitarists and to talk about the artists that have inspired his own playing.TIPS:“The main thing is just practice. I don't know any secrets about playing guitar, I just work at it. Having said that it's important to remember that you need to be aware of what you actually sound like, and to that end, you should constantly record yourself as you practice and play, then listen back asap and repeat the process every day. “It's a self correcting mechanism. It's also important to fill your mind with great music, and not mediocrity. So only listen to the best players and the most profound music. If your soul is filled with trivialities, your playing will be as well. Other than that, I have only one "tip": learn the entire set of Bach's Pratitas for solo violin, it will change your life!”GUITAR GODS:1. “Michael Schenker, he is the reason I am even being interviewed here. I started playing when I was 6, but I was more into soccer. When I was 12 I heard Only You Can Rock Me, and my path was set. I had no idea it was possible to play guitar like that. I gave up everything to do this after hearing him. I could go on and on about him, I'll write a separate column just about Schenker if you want to publish it! The UFO ‘Obsession’ album is his peak in my opinion.”2. “Randy Rhoads. His genius is self evident. I don't wanna say too much about him, because I contributed to a book by Joel Mcgiver about RR that's being published this month. I actually saw him play before he died, it was astonishing and revelatory. Check out Ozzy’s ‘Diary Of A Madman’, brilliant all the way through.”3. “It's a tie between Gary Moore, Uli Jon Roth, and Jeff Beck. For Gary, I'd pick ‘Victims Of The Future’ - totally amazing. For Uli, ‘Beyond The Astral Skies’ - incredibly melodic and innovative. For Jeff Beck, anything he's ever done!Catch Deicide at London’s Camden Underworld on June 25, Plymouth White Rabbit 26, Liverpool The Masque 27, and The Rescue Rooms Nottingham 28.
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