Bio: Marc Seal, guitarist and instructor, has been playing since age 11. He graduated from the Guitar Institute of Technology in 1989 and teaches full-time, instructing 50 students per week.
Marc also writes, records and performs his own music as well as doing studio work for outside projects and performing with a variety of artists.
Marcs past guitar instruction shows (Guitarmania for Digevent and TUGS for Guitarschool.net) were a huge success and with a future TV/internet show in the works, things are looking even better. For more info on Marc, check out
http://www.marcseal.com
On a more personal note, Marc is the reason I started playing again after putting it down for 2 years. His Guitar Mania show was the huge boot in the ass that I needed, lol. So anyway, it's a great honor to have this opportunity to interview Marc.
PG: Describe a typical Marc Seal day?
Marc: Wake up, hang out with my 2 year old boy, go to breakfast, head off to the park. Then put my son down for a nap. While he is sleeping I will work in the studio (Usually a couple of hours) writing, demoing or recording various material. In the afternoons I teach about 12-14 private lessons, come home and putt around the studio for 2-3 hours til about 1:00 in the morning!
PG: Who would you say you're style is the closest to?
Marc: I have been told a cross between Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani (A little edgier than Johnson, not as heavy as Satch).
PG: Name some of your influences when you first started playing guitar and what was the first album you sat down and learned, note for note?
Marc: David Gilmore, Jimmy Page, Robby Krieger, Andy Taylor, Andy Summers,
Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson and, of course, Randy Rhodes. I'm not sure I ever learned an entire album note for note, but I did learn a lot of Blizzard of Oz by Ozzy.
PG: Who are some of your current guitar influences?
Marc: I love Pat Metheny, Johnny A, Eric Johnson, John Mayer is fantastic, SRV, Eric Clapton,
John Petrucci, Vai, Satch.
PG: What's your current setup on stage? In the studio?
Marc:
Stage: Taylor 814 ce acoustic, Fender American Deluxe Strat, Rocktron Vendetta 100 watt head, Rocktron All Access midi controller, Rocktron xpression effects and bad horsie wah. Different cabs depending on size of venue.
Studio: Taylor, strat, cubase and amplitube.
PG: You recently switched from Parker to Fender. What prompted you to make the change?
Marc: Playing at the crossroads festival last June with John Mayer, Erci Clapton, Johnny Lang, Eric Johnson. I was interviewed for a strat documentary and I realized how much I love just a simple ol strat, so i got in touch with the guys at fender and worked out a deal, they were very kind and i gots me a new strat! Parker Guitars are great, I am just not as into shred as i once was. Much more into tone, soul and feel! I would take David Gilmore over Vai these days, that wasn't always the case.
PG: You played the Crossroads festival in Dallas this year. Out of all the greats there (Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Joe Walsh, Buddy Guy, B. B. King, Pat Metheny...to name a few), who impressed you the most? and why?
Marc: Honestly, Eric Clapton was just amazing, not technically, but just the sound of his band and his guitars and voice, great stuff. I also met John mayer there and became a total Mayer fan, he is incredible, I had no idea he could play like that!
PG: Any news on the new album? What should we expect, compared to your other releases?
Marc: Working on a gospel CD and gettting ready to sign a record contract for my CD Transformation 7.
PG: What is the current status of TUGS? Are you still doing lessons for Guitarschool.net?
Marc: We are taking the show to TV, looking like it will be out second or third quarter of this year in so cal, and will also be availble on the internet.
PG: Any other surprises for Marc Seal fans in the new year?
Marc: I may be playing a lot more live, there is a lot of interest in what I am doing in the Asian markets. I may head east for some dates!
PG: We have an ongoing discussion on the board about emotion vs ability - Which is more important? What's your take?
Marc: When your young, it's all about ability. When you mature, it's emotion and tone. As you get older, you become less impressed with chops and more impressed with musicality. I wish I'd spent more time on the latter of the 2 when i was younger
PG: You've been a teacher for years. Have you ever had a student teach you something? If so, What's the best lesson you learned from a student?
Marc: My students teach me something almost everyday, literally. The best lesson, hmm, encouragement works much better as motivation that criticism, even if it's constructive.
PG: One of the greatest things I love about guitar is...you never learn everything. There's always something new to try. What would you say is your biggest weakness when it comes to guitar playing? How do you approach it? Do you keep working at it, or accept it as a limitation in your abilities and move on to other things?
Marc: It's a struggle not to get locked into playing in your comfort zone. I constantly try new techniques to keep it fresh. My biggest weakness is that i don't practice much anymore. I only play, teach and record. I play alot, but not focused practicing like I used to.
PG: What advice would you give to someone (like me), who is stuck in a rut and can't seem to reach the next level?
Marc: Learn something you would not normally learn, a bizzare technique, or a song like Jenny on the block by J-lo
PG: Anything else you'd like to add for the maniacs out there?
Marc: Can't wait to come to your city and play for you live! Also, be on the look out for TV and internet shows from me this year!
PG: Thanx for taking the time out to talk to us here at guitars101.com!
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