“I’ve learned grown-up chords”: Anthrax’s Scott Ian says playing with these experimental rockers stopped him being a “caveman” on guitar
He may play a part in the Big Four of Thrash, but Anthrax’s Scott Ian has never been that fussed about shredding. As far back as 2015, he’s branded himself as a “caveman rhythm guitarist”, ignoring advanced technicality in favour of using the guitar as a “tool” for shaping rhythms and songwriting.
However, that all changed in 2019 when Ian joined Mr. Bungle. In a new interview with Guitar World, Ian explains how the band’s experimental funk-metal-jazz-rock clusterfuck entirely transformed his approach to guitar. “Being around the guys in Mr. Bungle for six years has opened my caveman world,” he says.
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Rather than treating his axe like a basic tool to carve out songs, he’s understanding that there’s a lot more to guitar playing than he thought. “Outside the basic realm of major and minor, I didn’t really know a lot of other stuff,” he admits. “Getting to play with them has definitely made me a better player. And playing a lot of crazy cover songs like Olivia Newton John’s Hopelessly Devoted, I’ve learned grown-up chords.”
While he admits that he still doesn’t know many official terms or techniques, he’s just having fun fleshing out his palette. “I still don’t know the names of most of [the chords I’m playing], but I know how to play them, and I’m moving them around the neck now,” he says. “I also learned a lot of cowboy chords playing on and off with [my wife] Pearl Aday [in hard rock band Motor Sister] over the years.”
He closes off with his ultimate piece of advice for any other stubborn “cavemen” guitarists out there: “Any time you dip your toes into another genre, it’s only going to make you a better musician.”
Back in 2015, Ian explained what his “caveman” approach entailed. “I look at guitar in a completely different way than most people,” he told Guitar Interactive. “I would rather listen to [AC/DC’s] Malcolm Young play an A chord than anything else on guitar… other than maybe Eddie Van Halen.”
“I’m a caveman when it comes to guitar,” he said. “Guitar, for me, has only ever been a tool to write songs. Guitar is a tool used to create music and to play with other people. That’s what guitar is for me. That’s what makes me happy as a guitar player… From a technical standpoint, [shredding] is amazing… But I didn’t become a lead guitar player, and I didn’t focus on that, because the work wasn’t fun for me. I just wanted to get up there and rip big chords.”
Of course, when he’s not dabbling in his avant-garde Mr. Bungle antics, Ian has still been ripping up big chords with Anthrax. The band’s latest album, Cusum Perficio, is set to drop on 18 September.
The post “I’ve learned grown-up chords”: Anthrax’s Scott Ian says playing with these experimental rockers stopped him being a “caveman” on guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
