Tom
Hess is gaining a big reputation amongst the neo-classical community
largely thanks to his work on the currently available Hess albums,
Opus 1 and Opus 2. In addition Tom is also in the newly formed
group Holy Hell (also featuring Joe Stump). We caught up with
Tom to get an insight into these works as well as his critically
acclaimed study methods and tutoridge.
Tom,
many thanks for agreeing to this interview. For those readers
that may not have heard of you, can you give a little background
information of your career to date.
I play in two bands: Hess (progressive rock/metal, neo classical
guitar playing with 19th century Romantic era expression and harmonies)
and HolyHell (a melodic metal band fronted by female singer Maria
Broen. Joe Stump also plays in this band). In 2000, I released
my first record: HESS ~ Opus 1. The second record (Opus 2) was
released in 2004. HolyHell recently toured with Manowar and Rhapsody
in North America and Europe including the huge metal festivals,
Earth Shaker in Germany and Masters of Rock in The Czech Republic.
We will be continuing that tour in late 2006. (Tour dates available
here http://tomhess.net/tour.php
). I’m releasing a new solo acoustic
record this Spring called “Should Truth Be Told”. I’ve done a
bunch of other things but these are the main highlights of what’s
been going on. In addition to writing, recording and touring,
I also teach other guitarists from around the world via correspondence.
Ok,
if we can start right up to date with your latest band project
'Holy Hell'. We had a little insight in September from Joe Stump
on the project, but I am guessing quite a bit has happened since
then. What's the current state of play with the project and when
can we expect the album?
At the moment, we are working non-stop finishing the recordings.
All is going great and we are really excited. This band is very
unique and will forge a new direction. The album will be out for
sure this year, an exact release-date is not known yet for now,
but all latest news can be found on www.holyhell.com We will launch
a brand-new website very soon, so check it out. We are glad that
the future looks very positive now and that we can be on the road
later on this year with HUGE concerts in Europe especially.
How
would you describe the music in Holy Hell?
Mystical, magical metal which is both heavy and melodic, but its
done in a new way. Certainly it will be very different from what
I do in HESS and what Joe Stump does on his records.
How
are you interacting with Joe as double pronged guitar attack?
Joe, is a bad ass guitarist and the fans can expect an awesome
show with the two of us together in one line-up, but these songs
are much less about guitar playing and much more about the entire
picture and mood that is HolyHell.
Having
released 2 of the most successful independent instrumental releases
of recent years (and two perennial Guitar9.com top sellers) with
Hess. What do you think this band brings to the neo-classical
genre?
The neo-classical genre is really not a good label for the style
as very little of what is called neo-classical is actually classical
at all. neo-baroque would be a much better label. Classical implies
the Classical era (circa 1750-1820) (composers like Mozart and
Haydn). Players like Yngwie and Stump are more related to the
Baroque era (circa 1600-1750) Composers like Bach and Vivaldi.
This misunderstanding among fans has always bothered me since
I think the distinction between the two eras and what they represented
is important. Obviously your site got it right (hence the name
Baroque & Roll!)
Certainly
the Hess band has elements of Baroque era (counterpoint for example),
but the harmonic structure, musical form, increased dynamic range,
timbre and textures, use of exotic modes and a much deeper level
of expression all derive from the ideals of the Romantic era (1820-1900).
The harmonic language in HESS (especially on the Opus 2 record)
is more similar to Chopin, Brahms or Liszt than it is to Bach.
When you hear HESS Opus 2, the difference will be obvious. I think
the Romantic era ideals in HESS are the biggest differences between
us and the cool neoclassical guys like Yngwie.
How
do go about writing a Hess composition?
I don’t use the guitar much for writing anymore. I have many compositional
processes that I use. I have a composition degree from Roosevelt
University and learned many great things there, but the one area
I feel I learned the most in was compositional processes and pre-compositional
thought. I can’t get into all of these methods here (the interview
would be many hours long if I did), but I’ll just say that my
fundamental idea in composing HESS music is to think about what
it is I want to express first, then consider how every single
musical might be able to contribute to bring out that expression.
On the HESS Opus 2 CD, you can really hear this on tracks 1, 4,
5, 6, 9. A bit less so on the other tracks since I used different
processes for each of those.
There
is a lot of intricate guitar work, time signatures, key changes
throughout both Opus 1 and Opus 2. How do you guys manage to stop
the music being a barrage of scales and no substance?
I don’t think about my abilities as a guitarist when composing
HESS music. I am focused generally on expression, the musical
tools I use are just that, “tools”. The tools are there to help
create the music, but are not generally the focal point of the
music itself. Honestly, I am surprised that more musicians don’t
focus more on expression as the primary goal. But, hey whatever
they want to do is cool, we all do our own thing.
How
would you sum up Opus 1 and Opus 2 now looking back?
They are both highly self expressive records. I certainly do not
intend to do anything original. I don’t think “trying” to be original
is a good goal to have. I say that because by attempting to do
only “new things”, one is severely limiting great musical options
and possibilities from the palette. I don’t think about sounding
like anyone else and I also do not think about trying to avoid
sounding like anything else. I write what I want to express and
if its original, that ‘s cool, if it is not original that’s cool
too. That being said, because my approach to writing is generally
very different from others writing music in these genres, the
music ends up being quite original. If others decided to follow
the same ideas and write music that is similar to mine, that wouldn’t
bother me or anything like that. I do what I do regardless.
I
believe you are currently writing material for Opus 3? What can
we expect on the third instalment?
Listen to track 4 of Opus 2: “The Cynic, The Sad, And The Fallen”.
The entire Opus 3 is based on that piece of music.
Having
just seen your cool website I see that you offer lessons tailored
to the player yet with strong structure and definite goals. Can
you tell our readers what you can offer to say someone that has
been playing 10 years, but has never been able to reach the levels
they wished they could in the neo-classical genre?
No I can’t. Because every single player has different goals, different
experiences, different skill sets, different potential, different
needs, different learning styles, etc, etc. I can’t give general
advice without knowing all of these things about the person in
advance. I teach people, not situations or circumstances, so that
information is vital for me to know before I can teach anyone
anything in the best and most effective manner.
How
far widespread are your students?
I have students from all over the world. Many of them are already
making a good living in the music business, but I do teach less
experienced guitarists as well. BUT I ONLY ACCEPT VERY SERIOUS
STUDENTS THAT ARE COMMITTED! In general I only accept about 1/4
of the people who contact me regarding instruction. I am very
fortunate that I can choose which students I want to invest my
time into. I’m all about getting results and will only teach guitarists
who have that same type of mindset and are committed to that.
Teaching
must be very rewarding for you, what do you get out of it?
I am very, very committed to the people I teach. It brings me
great personal fulfilment and satisfaction to see students reach
their really big goals. Because I know I had a lot to with that
success, it’s very cool. The success of the students is the only
thing that matters.
What
led you to taking up the guitar?
My first desire to play came at age 10 or 11 after hearing Def
Leppard’s Pyromania album. When I heard Ride the Lightning [Metallica],
I was on fire and had to play! Who were your influences then,
and now?Besides the above bands, I was into Iron Maiden, and lots
of other 80s metal. I heard Yngwie and was blown away (who wasn’t!),
he inspired me to listen to baroque music and aspire to become
a virtuoso. Later I got into Dream Theater and Symphony X. In
college I discovered the Romantic era composers - mainly Chopin
who is my biggest influence today. He was the master of self expression
and I studied him, his life, his music and everything else about
him. He inspired me to want to become a great composer and not
merely a guitarist.
For guitar
phrasing and vibrato I love Jason Becker, Marty Friedman and George
Bellas (my former teacher) and of course my all time favourite
guitarist is Andy LaRocque (King Diamond’s guitar player) – although
I prefer his stuff from 1986-1990.
I have
many non guitar influences also that have helped both my guitar
playing and composing skills. Fabio Leone (Rhapsody) is my all
time favourite singer. It was totally cool to have been on tour
with Rhapsody and hang with Fabio, Luca and the rest of those
guys. I also love the writings of Goethe, the paintings of Rembrandt,
and I almost forgot the composer Gorecki! There are tons of other
influences but these are the main ones.
Where
do you feel the neo-classical genre is going?
I have no idea honestly, I don’t think about that really.
Are
there any players or bands that readers should check out that
maybe don't have the exposure they should for whatever reason?
Top of my list are: Bellas, Becker, Freidman, Yngwie, all the
standard guys, but I also love Andy LaRocque, Mike Walsh (he also
has another band called SAGE), there are tons of great (lesser
known) players at guitar9.com I would suggest people to start
there after they are done checking out the rest of your great
site!
Guitars
- what do you look for in a guitar and what are you currently
using?
I use various Carvin V220 guitars. I also have a bunch of other
guitars, but mainly I am a huge Carvin fan. Generally I used fixed
bridge guitars and Metal Live Wire Pickups, 10 or 11 gauge strings,
high action (makes the guitar sustain better) and I prefer ebony
fingerboards with neck through construction. The number one most
important thing for me is the position of the pickup selector!
I must be able to change pickups while playing blistering solos
so I can get optimum tone for each phrase.
Amplification
- I believe you endorse Randall amps, what model are you using
and why?
Yes both Mike Walsh and I use Randall X2 heads and Randall cabs.
Why because the tone is killer and tight.
Any
tips for getting a good sound on tape?
My opinion, it begins with the pickups! Metal Live Wire Bridge
pickups Rule!
What
do you feel are your strengths and weaknesses as a player?
My greatest strengths as a player is my ability to express myself
completely and totally with the guitar. My weaknesses are all
in areas that are non supportive to my self expressive goals.
For example, I suck at finger picking, but I don’t care because
this tool is not needed to express the types of things I want
to express. I focus on the tools that matter to me and have worked
very hard to master those to the best of my ability. I don’t waste
my time on other areas that are not a part of my own self expression.
How
do you feel you have grown as a player?
Having something to say! Some players don’t seem to have much
to express and just play guitar. Don’t get me wrong, that’s cool
too, but for me, having something to say with music has done more
for my growth as a musician than anything else.
What's
the one bit of advice you would give to anyone thinking of going
into the music business?
Sign up or my music careers mentoring class here: http://tomhess.net/musiccareer.php
Any
final messages for our readers?
Yes, thanks to all of you who have supported me over the years!
The best is yet to come! Many thanks for your time.
Tom,
many thanks for your time.
My pleasure, and thank you.
Web
Links
http://www.tomhess.net
http://www.hess.4t.com
http://www.holyhell.com
