Jude Interviewed by Soundbox Magazine, India, November, 2010 Vol. 1 Issue 4

American guitarist Greg Howe was in India this month, but many were not aware that accompanying him on guitar was Jude Gold - the director of Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) and LA Editor of the Guitar Player Magazine. In an exclusive interaction with Sound Box, Gold said, “We regularly have very talented, musical, and smart guitarists attending GIT who are from India. I love how Indian music has permeated the globe, and how American electric guitar styles have become popular in India.”

There’s no doubt why concerts by guitar virtuosos always receive a grand reception in India - the most recent was American guitarist Michael Angelo Batio who was on a three city tour last month. But having said that, Gold himself loves what the sitar can do musically, “If you’re a guitarist, the frets can be limiting. I love how Indian musicians get to those sweet notes that lie ‘in Between’ the frets on the guitar. A sitar raga can be as powerful as or more powerful than any electric guitar solo,” he opines.

Gold has toured and recorded with artistes like Lapdance Armageddon, Angelo Moore, JGB (formerly the Jerry Garcia Band), Miguel Migs, Queen V, Eddie Money, 2 Live Crew, Merl Saunders, BX3 (feat. Stu Hamm, Jeff Berlin, Billy Sheehan), and others, however, his fascination for Indian music is a strong one - “I love Indian music and hope to someday graduate to a deeper understanding of it. In the meantime, I have to mention Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. I am mesmerized by his sound and his improvisations and amazing bent notes.”

There are many young musicians who want to take up guitar professionally in India, for those Gold advices, “Experience and relationships are key. Build strong fundamentals on the guitar, develop a strong general work ethic, and establish a strong network of peers who are as serious as you are about forging a career in music, and never let those people down. And, as the late, great Joe Pass use to joke, “There are three things you must develop to become a great guitarist: Tunes, tunes, tunes.” So learn tons of songs in many dierent styles and you’ll learn the language of music.” Point Noted!