In the dynamic world of shred guitarists, the bar keeps rising, with jaw-dropping performances flooding social media platforms daily. Among the pioneers who blazed the trail for this genre is Steve Morse, a name synonymous with guitar virtuosity.
Morse first caught the attention of guitar aficionados as a member of the southern-jazz-prog rock band Dixie Dregs. He further solidified his place in the shred pantheon through his solo endeavors and contributions to iconic bands like Kansas and Deep Purple. Notably, Dream Theater‘s John Petrucci has cited Morse as one of his primary influences, emphasizing his significant impact on shaping the modern shred landscape.
As Morse prepares for Dixie Dregs‘ U.S. tour, he sat down with Ultimate Guitar to share insights on the evolution of shredders, and the upcoming Dixie Dregs tour.
Reflecting on the current state of shredding, Morse expressed admiration for the unparalleled skill level displayed by contemporary guitarists. He singled out John Petrucci, lauding his relentless pursuit of perfection and innovative approach to guitar playing.
“I think the level of playing is astounding. One person that I’m keenly aware of who has listed me as an influence and has really advanced the art to a ridiculously high level… I just can’t imagine anybody playing better than John Petrucci. And he just keeps getting better, somehow.”
“What makes him unique is he picks up every note with the most intense stuff he does is usually him just having perfect execution. Picking every note along the lines of what I got from John McLaughlin. And his writing, his sense of melody, and his ability to put together interesting melodies and solos. His solos are…I just heard an arrangement of something he did that’s not been released yet, a compilation album I’m on, and he did tons of clever, different-sounding arrangement ideas, too. I really liked that. I feel that my main job is as a composer and arranger. As a guitarist, I have to work to keep it up so I can play the stuff that I write. Everything across the board that I’ve seen John do is just superlative,” he added.
Morse also revealed that he once considered producing Dream Theater during their formative years, recognizing their immense potential and relentless drive. Despite not collaborating on that front, Morse acknowledges Dream Theater‘s unwavering commitment to excellence and continuous growth.
“That was very early on. I thought, ‘This is right up my alley.’ They already had all this inertia going, and we couldn’t put a quick enough time on it. And they just keep moving. They kept on writing great material, touring, and getting better.”
Discussing his reunion with Dixie Dregs, Morse shared the heartfelt motivation behind the band’s revival: “We’ve always talked about doing it. We did a 40-year reunion and I thought that every 40 years we could do another one…but then somebody pointed out my math as being a little optimistic – as far as longevity goes” he explained.
“We were in a good place we thought, with the cancer treatments my wife had been getting. So, we felt confident to do some short tours and that’s when that was booked. The guys have always wanted to play and I’ve always wanted to play. And I was out of Deep Purple, so it made the most sense.”
“And it turned out to be a really awkward time, but for me, it’s good that I have this and something to look forward to, playing music that I grew up playing with my friends…and playing for my friends, a lot of the people in the audience have seen us before. We know them, they know us. So, it’s sort of like going to that high school reunion that I never went to. It’s a good feeling.”
