Randy Rhoads Guitar Seminar
Music City-Greensburg,PA 2-2-82
(Transcribed by Ironface166/AU at http://www.randyrhoads.tk)

Announcer: Randy Rhoads, from The Blizzard Of Ozz, has taken some time out from touring to come down here. Basically, the whole idea of the seminar is for all of you who are musicians in bands to get a feel for the music industry, ummm, pretty much know what you’re getting into. Talk a little bit about guitar, o.k. Uhh, ya know, feel free to ask any questions about, ya know, musically in theory or anything like that. Whatever’s on your mind, that’s the reason he’s here, is basically to help you out, ya know. Whichever situation you’re in, playing or anything, so think if you have any questions.

Randy Rhoads: Well, uh, the one thing I can say is, I just..the last one we did was the first time I’ve ever done this, so this is the second. So don’t expect me to just come out and start handling this really good, because it’s…actually I’m very nervous about speaking in front of people. So, I mean, ya gotta help me out with the questions and if there’s anything, I can help ya out, I’d be glad to do it.

(Pause/Silence from audience)

RR: So..(Chuckles)

(Laughter from crowd)

Announcer: Everybody had a million questions to ask me about him, go ahead, go ahead man.

Fan: Uh, what line of effects do you use when you’re playing out, say in concerts, or…?

RR: In..in the concerts?

Fan: Yeah.

RR: Well, I have a pedalboard and in it there’s Distortion plus, a 10 band equalizer-they’re all MXR, by the way-a flanger, a chorus, stereo chorus, cry baby wah pedal and, umm, a Roland volume pedal. I used to use them all a lot more, but now our sound man is starting to add a lot more up front, so I don’t really use them all as much as I used to. Just sometimes. I use them more for quiet rhythm parts just to enhance the sound. I don’t really use any echoes or anything for leads…ever.

Fan: Do you have a pre-amp built into your guitar?

RR: No, I have Distortion Plus on the board and, uh, I just keep that on all the time, ah, just straight Marshalls.

(Mumbles from crowd)

RR: Sorry?


Fan: Is that how you get all that distortion?

RR: Yeah, see, if you play and you use Marshalls..I had to change the speakers over to Altecs Cause they’re a very bright, clean speaker. Yeah, because the celestions are really dirty anyway and if you start adding a fuzzbox to them, it’ll sound terrible.But I, uh..I like that added treble and dirt to it.

Fan: Do you have any trouble with, like, from high pitched feedback?

RR: Yes. Oh, the guy at the last was..just asked me about that. It’s not so much a squeal, I don’t have that problem. But I have a lot of problems with, uh, if you let go for a second, it’ll feedback. I mean. You’ve gotta play so that you’re covering your pickup and if you want to do something quiet, I have to either use the volume pedal or I have to click off the fuzz, because it will squeal. I mean, I, I got used to playing that way. Ya know?

Fan: What kind of music did you start playing and how long had you been playing before picked up with Ozzy in another band?

RR: Well, I was 7 and I’m 25 now. Umm, I don’t know what I was playing when I was 7. I just played the guitar. I mean, uh, one of the early things I remember was like, I was strumming, umm..is it Malaguania? When it, Teste Ecke and I thought I, it..like that was really good, cause I could switch an E chord and strum it fast. It was just anything, ya know? It was an old Spanish guitar. And, umm, then I just started playing anything, like Gloria or Louie, Louie or whatever was out on the radio.
And to the second part of that question, I met Ozzy when I was 22. I’ve been with him since then, so it’s about 2 ½ years now.

(Mumble from crowd)

RR: Can you speak up a little?

Fan: Tommy Aldridge, is he…

RR: Oh yeah, Tommy’s a great drummer.

Announcer: Go 'head.

Fan: Uh, do you use a special tremolo in that, in your, ah, flying V you use, or is, does certain company make that or’s that just….

RR: Well, the main flying V is the white one, if you’re seeing..is a Charvel. It says Jackson. Everybody thinks, “What’s a Jackson?”, but Grover Jackson owns Charvel and he builds them himself for me. And, um, I use his tremolo units. I, I think they’re very good. Um, other than a Floyd Rose, there’s no perfect tremolo, but his are very good and he’s just about to release a brand new one he invented that’s supposed to be equal to a trem..uh, Floyd Rose. But it works with ball bearings and as, he’s just doing a prototype and he’s doing a guitar for me now and it’ll be the first to use it. So real soon I’ll start experimenting with it.
Uh, I have another flying V with the…it’s polka dotted. That isn’t a Charvel and I do have tuning problems with that one, all the time.

Announcer: Go 'head.

Fan: Hey, whenever you started , did you have to play in like, little hick bars, ya know, to get going? Play what the people wanted or did you always play what you wanted?

RR: Well, when I started, umm, I was doing, I was really young when I started playing rock. I was about 12 or 13 and where I came from, the big thing was to play parties. I mean, there were a lot of bands where I lived and they all played parties. And I wasn’t really from the city, it’s sort of a suburb, and I thought that was it- I loved it. I couldn’t wait till the weekend, so I could play. And we used to carry our own gear up and everything and, of course, I got to the club scene in LA.

Fan: That was…so you did get a start in a club?

RR: Well, yeah. There’s a great big local club scene in LA. It’s, umm.. there’s a lot of opportunity for original heavy bands to play, ya know? A lot more than there is in these parts, which is hard.

Announcer: Go 'head,

RR: Yeah, just shout em out, I mean…

Fan: Like when you first started out, you said you were 12 or 13. Were there any , uh, any guitar players you really first started listening to on record that you really enjoyed?

RR: Well, see, I get asked that all the time, “Who’s your favorite? Who’s your influences?” If you play so long, they’re bound to change. Whoever’s good, you listen to for awhile. But I never had a phonograph till, I think I was 16, so I couldn’t just play my favorite guitar players. So I listened to the radio and I liked everybody.
Anybody who was good. But I can say one of my favorite sounds was when I first heard Mountain and Leslie West with that harmonics and the sustain. I, I just thought it was the greatest thing. But since then, I just, ya know, I just like anybody who plays guitar, ya know? I don’t have a favorite.

Fan: Did you play for a band called Widowmaker?

RR: No, that’s the bass player.

Fan: Oh, yeah?

RR: The ex-bass player, Bob Daisley, was in Widowmaker.

Fan: Did you get a new bass player?

RR: Yes.

Fan: Is it…it’s not Billy Sheehan right, right?

RR: No, his name is Rudy. He used to play with me in L.A. in a local band,

Fan: Who have you played with before? Have you played with any other things before you got out with Ozzy Osbourne?

RR: Nope, I was in a local band in L.A. for 5 years. I mean, I sort of grew up in that band and I was still in it when I met Ozzy. I..I had to leave that band and , other than that, just like garage bands and little efforts that didn’t work.

Fan: How did Ozzy…(mumble)

RR: How did what?

Fan: How did Ozzy meet you?

RR: Well, when he left Sabbath he was getting a new band, like his own band together and he just went around auditioning and he spent a lot of time in L.A. auditioning. And the bass player he originally was auditioning with called me and said he still hadn’t found anybody, ya know? “Why don’t you come down and meet him?” So I met him.

Fan: Um, what do you think of other guitarists, like, uh, Michael Schenker?

RR: I think Michael Schenker is excellent. I think he’s a great rock player. He’s very melodic and lots of feeling.

Fan: Do you got any other guitarists you think that are like that caliber?

RR: Oh, I could name a hundred. I mean, everybody who’s out there is really good at what they do. I mean, Eddie Van Halen is fantastic. Michael Schenker’s great. Richie Blackmore…

Fan: (mumble, mumble) ..Frank Marino?

RR: Sorry?

Fan: Did you ever meet Frank Marino, Mahogany Rush?

RR: No. We did a show with him in England once, but I didn’t meet him. I met somebody from his band.

Fan: What do you think of Angus?

(Giggles from crowd)

RR: Angus Young?

Fan: Yeah.

RR: Oh, I think that what he’s doing he’s doing great. I mean, he’s got a,..ya know, he’s into it so strong.

Fan: Are you from…

RR: Yeah, I’m born and raised in L.A.

Fan: Um, when you write a lead, do you go for a melody type deal or do you go for more a technical dazzle thing?

RR: Well, it depends on the, whatever the progression is and the sort of mood of the song. And it’s a good question because a lot of people, sometimes they think of themselves too much first and they wanna put it all out. But ya gotta think what kind of song it is. You’ve gotta put something that suits the song really well. And it’s great to do both. I mean, if it has a melodic progression , ya know? I like to play melodic.

Fan: What do you think about Richie Blackmore?

RR: I think he’s great. He’s one of, he was one of my real early favorites. He’s very, uh, he’s got great bluesy phrasing. Ya know? It, it really made me listen to a lot of blues.

Fan: What do you think about Tony Iommi?

RR: Uh, I didn’t know much about him. Uh, I was asked that earlier. I didn’t know a real lot about Black Sabbath when I met Ozzy and, I was saying earlier, that’s probably why I get along with Ozzy, cause I…I just, ya know. We’re different, come from different music backgrounds.

Fan: Does he ever talk about the band and why he left?

RR: Oh, yeah. All the time.

Fan: What was the main reason? It was getting stale?

RR: Ah, yeah, I guess so and they weren’t getting along, things like that. I mean, it was a long time. They were together 14 years or something like that.

Fan: What do you think are the main things for having a good band?

RR: For having a good band?

Fan: Real good band.

RR: Well, I’d say the main thing, aside from that you can all play together well, is that you all really are on the same level mentally. I mean, if one of you wants to go out and earn money in a lounge and the other guy wants to go out and do originals, just to plat, then you’ve got a contrast. I think you all should want the same thing out of your band and like the same sort of thing. That’s a good start, I think.

Fan: Is it true that when you went to audition with Ozzy Osbourne, that you didn’t have to really play anything, you just hooked up and tuned? Cause I’ve heard a lot of rumors about that.

RR: Yeah, it was really, it was more embarrassing than this, getting up in front of a group of people. Uh, I thought I was gonna play with a band and, um, I met him at a recording studio and I just brought a little tune up amp, which is a small Fender.

Fan: Yeah, they say that you brought a small amp.

RR: I just…if you’ve been in a recording studio, they have the glass booth up there, but I was through the tune up amp, no effects, nothing. I mean, just straight through that mike and they were all listening. They said “OK, play”. It’s like “you’ve got to be joking”. I mean, what could I play? No musicians. So I just started warming up and he said “Yeah, you’re good”. You, ya know..I only played for a couple seconds and then I got kinda mad, cause I thought “Well you havn’t even heard me yet”.

Fan: Did he really chew a bats head off?

(Laughter from crowd)

RR: I got asked that earlier.(Chuckles)

(More laughter from crowd)

RR: I’ll leave it to your imagination.

Fan: (Mumble) Lee Kerslake?

RR: Sorry?

Fan: Why did you get rid of Lee Kerslake?

RR: Well, Lee and Bob, both of them had been in this, did this, a long time and I think, uh, Ozzy wanted to go out and do a lot of touring and I don’t think they really felt they needed to anymore. I think they just wanted to do the easiest way possible and, ya know, it was a whole new start for us. It was like starting over, so I believe he wanted musicians that had the freshness to it. That’s basically why.

Fan: How old are you?

RR: I, I’m 25. I turned 25 December.

Fan: Can you play some stuff for us?

RR: Yeah, uh, do you have anything you…

Fan: Whatever you warm up to.

Fan: How bout the lick to “Over The Mountain”?

RR: Which lick?

Fan: Uh, where the break starts, the empty break, where you play in the fast downward….

RR: Yeah, any particular one? The main lead break is the first one and it’s…

(Demonstrates lick)

RR: That’s all it is. It’s in E minor.

(Demonstrates lick again)

RR: It’s just E minor.

(Plays lick again slowly)

RR: Just follow that and if you see something that you think “What was that?”,ask,ya know? And the other break is just a real quick…

(Demonstrates lick)

RR: Then tremolo.

(Demonstrates)

RR: That’s really all there is to it. It’s just one real lick in it. The rest is just, oh, noise.

(Laughter from crowd)

RR: Yeah, the last session…oh, it’s really hard to just sit up here and play anything, so if there’s something you want me to play, ya know, I’ll try to play it.

Fan: You know that solo that you do, live, in the middle of “Suicide Solution”?

RR: I’ll tell you what.. are you coming tonight?

(Crowd laughs)

RR: It’s a bit long! (Laughs) And also, it..you sort of have to do all that loud. There’s a lot of feedback and…but if there’s anything in particular in there, like…

Fan: Play the solo to “Mother Earth”.

RR: Solo to “Mother Earth”? OK, it’s in E and it’s very similar to a harmonic scale. It starts on E flat.

(Plays beginning of solo slow)

RR: And it goes to E flat again. Then it’s just an octave with a pick.

(Continues playing solo)

RR: And it sounds a lot different live. I’m trying to slow it down so you can see what I’m playing, but it would be like..

(Continues solo slower)

RR: So it’s just coming up from E minor. Then it goes..

(Continues solo to the end)

RR: Right? The only weird notes in it are the harmonic parts in E minor, which…

(Demonstrates notes slowly)

RR: Is that any help?

Fan: Yeah.

RR: I mean, I’ve got a very clean sound here, so if you want me just to play a solo just like the record…it would be better if you wanted to learn what I’m doing here because I could never really get the same sound.

Fan: Play “Crazy Train” for us.

RR: The lead to “Crazy Train”?

Fan: The last part of “Crazy Train”, there’s a run that you do that’s like a…

RR: Like a,a…?

Fan: It’s the last lead. The last part of the lead on “Crazy Train”.

RR: Oh, the run at the end?

Fan: Yeah.

RR: Ok. It’s in F sharp. I’m trying to remember it, cause I don’t do that run live anymore. But it’s a..

(Plays run slowly)

RR: I think that’s how it ends.

(Plays run fast)

RR: See, uh, I know that’s the run. I don’t know the ending of the phrase I used on record, but it goes,uh, 1 ½ steps behind F sharp. Matter of fact, I’ll show you an A, if you’d like. OK, if you’re in A here..

(Plays scale)

RR: That would be the same thing in F sharp.

(Plays scale again)

Fan: You know when you do this “gotta stop” part?

RR: Yeah.

Fan: Is there a word for that? A name?

Another Fan: False harmonics.

Fan: Or is it just a stop?

RR: It’s hammer ons.

Fan: Hammer-ons?

RR: Well, that’s what you’re doing here. I don’t know if there’s a name or not.

Another Fan: False harmonics.

RR: Is that what they’re called? Cause they’re not really a harmonic.

Fan: No, no.

Fan: Could you play the false harmonics that you do in “Flying High Again”, in the lead in that?

RR: Yeah, sure. Um, ya know, I wouldn’t mind having an equalizer here.

(Plays a few notes)

RR: Ok, um, it starts on C sharp.

Fan: Yeah.

RR: Then you do the false harmonics, as you say….(Chuckles)

(Laughter from the crowd)

Fan: Ya learned something!

(More laughter from the crowd)

RR: Yeah! Uh, on A and you move both hands..(Pauses) He’s just gonna hook this up, it’s, it’s very clean, so I’m gonna try and get some sustain. What ya…not to say it makes ya play better, but it, it really sounds stupid.

Fan: Empty.

RR: Yeah, but anyways, while he’s doing that, you move both one ½ step. So you take the first string and you’re in A here, C sharp here and you do your hammer on. Then move it up a ½ step, both hands. In other words the string and the false harmonic. And you go up a ½ step each.

Fan: Ok, what key are you playing that in, “Flying High”?

RR: A.

Fan: It’s in A? When I play “Crazy Train”, if I go to play “Flying High Again”, I’m a ½ tone out. Do you tune different?

RR: You tune a semi-tone down.

Fan: OK, oh.

RR: OK, to show you what I mean. It would be, here’s A…

(Plays first part of hammer on segment on solo of “Flying High Again”)

RR: Then you move to the key of B.

(Plays rest of solo)

RR: So both hands are moving up a ½ step and a string.

Fan: Are they both on the same string?

RR: No. See, each string moves up. Like you start on first string..

(Hammers on example)

RR: Right?

Fan: OK, on E.

RR: Then you move to the 2nd string and ½ step up.

Fan: Alright.

RR: Then you do the same thing with your false harmonic ½ step up.

(Demonstrates sample on next string)

RR: And the next string, ½ step up.

(Demonstrates on next string)

RR: And so on. And the same thing, you go up to the 4th fret and the 7th. It would be an E. That’s an E chord.

(Plays end of solo again)

RR: And if you get lost it ends on F.

(Hits F chord)

Fan: When you play “Crazy Train”, E or F sharp, I mean?

RR: Starts on F sharp.

(Plays start of solo)

RR: Then over.

(Continues solo)

Fan: Can you play the beginning of “Crazy Train”?

RR: Yeah, sure.

(Plays intro riff)

Fan: Ok, do you have a wah wah on that, pushed all the way up, at the beginning?

RR: No, I just use distortion, like it is now.

Fan: It does sound like you have a wah wah on.

Another Fan: Do the rhythm.

RR: The rhythm?

(Plays the rhythm of “Crazy Train”)

Fan: Is that E,A,A,E,D?

RR: A,E,D,A. (Strums chord)

Fan: Don’t you do a D at the..(Imitates chord sound)

RR: Oh, yeah.

(Plays D chord)

Fan: What’s the run you do right after that?

RR: After which?

Fan: After the rhythm you just played.

(Plays lick following main rhythm)

RR: Just this.

(Plays rhythm and lick , slow then fast)

Fan: What chords are those you’re playing?

RR: A,E,D to A, and at the end, if you’re using inversions, it goes…

(Plays sample)

RR: Which is a 3rd on the bass, an E with a 3rd on the bass, then A, not D, then E. This would be a D. So, it’s A,E,D,A.

(Strums chords to demonstrate)

RR: That’s just the very last part.

Fan: Do the chorus (mumbles)

RR: Sorry?

Fan: After “Mental wounds not healing”, the riff you do after that. It’s like a…

(Demonstrates riff)

RR: That one?

(Plays riff again)

RR: Then the next verse, you do a riff.

(Demonstrates riff)

Fan: What’s the one that builds up? (Tries to imitate sound of riff)

RR: Oh, that’s, that’s a fake. Now I don’t even do that live, because it sounds really sloppy, but that’s what it is. I mean, you could….I used to do that live. But there’s nothing technical about, except you’re faking the kids. It’s F sharp minor.

(Plays F sharp minor)

RR: Right? And I’m not gonna lie and say you do that all the way up. It was like…

(Plays lick fast)

RR: And a pick slide to the chord quick before it died. I mean, when you play loud things like that, you can all the time.

Fan: Why do you tune down a ½ step?

RR: Well, I didn’t on the first album. It….on the 2nd album, it was just…a lot of people do it. I never did it, but when we were writing , ah, the 2nd album, the tuner we had was, was off. It was not on. And I got to like some of the sounds for, uh, some of those songs. It gives you a much heavier, ah, sound to the chords. Especially like an A chord, having that A flat tone or an E. Um, basically, it just gives you a more sort of meaner sound to it, to the chord.
Live, some of the songs are tuned normal, some are tuned down. So I have different guitars tuned differently. Basically, that’s all it is.

Fan: What type of strings do you use?

Another Fan: Do you have any exercises that you go through? What finger exercises before you go out onstage?

RR: Well, I do a lot of things with the 1st, 2nd and 4th fingers, just to sort of warm them up, uh, see…

(Demonstrates warm up scales)

RR: That, ya know? Just wander around. A good exercise is something like that and alternate picking.

(Plays another scale)

RR: Keep speeding up.

(Speeds up scale and repeats)

RR: Like that, um, the guy asked me this earlier. Sometimes I do a lot of hammer-ons and I…just basic..

(Does hammer-on exercise)

RR: Ya know and go up and down the neck. But I don’t do those so much anymore. I used to do them before a gig and they’d really warm up my fingers. Just different sort of….

(Does descending and ascending hammer ons)

Fan: When you write your songs, do you all get together, like all 4 members of the band write em or do you work on the music by yourself, while Ozzy works on lyrics, or….

RR: Well, the first album, when I first met Ozzy, there was no band yet. So, I was staying at his house and he and I would just sort of, knocking ideas around. And then we met Bob and the 3 of us, while we were looking for a drummer, auditioning, we were just sort of messing around with riffs and ideas and we didn’t actually get a drummer till the week before we went into the studio. So, we had most of it together. Mainly it’s just sitting around with a tape recorder on. Just keep at it. Keep looking for ideas and you’ll finally come up with some. I mean, it takes a long time, takes a few days before you come up with anything at all. But it’s not really ever the whole band at once writing, because really the song comes from either a riff or a melody or a combination of the two. It’s not like you all come up with something at the same time. Ya know what I mean?

Fan: When you do, uh, “Diary Of A Madman” live, do you do the beginning , like with an acoustic guitar, then take it away from the mike?

RR: OK, we don’t do that song live, but…

Fan: Awww! Do it now.

RR: We use the tape, but I will show you the chorus of that if you wanna learn it.

Fan: (Mumbles)

RR: I’m sorry?

Fan: Are you gonna play longer than an hour and a half this time?

RR: No. Hour and a half is what we play.

Fan: You oughta do an extra long one.

Another Fan: Could you show us the chorus of “Diary Of A Madman”?

RR: “Diary Of A Madman”? Sure. It’s like it’d be comparable to an A with a flatted 5th. So, in other words, you got a root, 3rd, then you flat the E. Used with the open E. You get…

(Plays E)

RR: You get that dissonance.

(Plays it again)

RR: You got a 7th, which is a G.

(Continues chorus)

RR: Then it goes to A minor 9th.

(Continues chorus)

RR: Then the riff is..

(Plays main riff to “Diary Of A Madman”)

Fan: Keep going!

RR: Now the intro to that is the same chord.

(Plays intro to “Diary Of A Madman”)

RR: Which is A major 9th.

(Plays A major 9th)

RR: Switch to A minor 9th.

RR: Got a G bass.

(Plays G bass note)

RR: To F.

(Plays F)

RR: A major 9th.

(Plays A major 9th)

RR: Which is a 7th. You have a 7th at the end. A major 9th would be an F sharp at the end.

(Plays F sharp)

RR: That’s all there is to it. Unless you want to learn any of the middle parts of it..

(Plays riffs before the solo)

Fan: Is that a 7th?

RR: Yeah, it’s C 7 or I use it as an E diminished, which is very, very close to the same chord.

(Demonstrates middle section)

RR: Then it goes to E minor.

(Plays quiet parts to middle verses)

RR: It’s E,C,C and A.

Fan: You guys gonna do any Sabbath numbers tonight?

RR: Sorry?

Fan: Sabbath numbers tonight?

RR: Yeah, we do “Iron Man”. “Children Of The Grave” and “Paranoid”.

Fan: Yeah!

Another Fan: Same 3 as last time.

RR: Yeah, same 3.

Fan: How much different ya gonna do this time?

RR: Well, to be honest, the main difference is the stage set. Uh, we have this, like, castle, what, the, the riser opens up and, uh, Ozzy comes out and well, in the beginning he appears in a chair, at the end he comes out in a hand and we have a midget that throws liver, um…(Chuckles)

(Laughter from the crowd)

RR: I mean, I mean it’s a lot of bizarreness as far as…

Fan: How many songs off the new album do you play?

RR: Uh, we do, 1,2,3,..5. I think some kids end up saying it wasn’t as good as the record and there’s no need to have that. I mean, that was one of examples of the studio where we went over the top with, with, ah, overdubbing and you suffer live, cause I mean, I don’t like to do it and not do it properly. Ya know what I mean? It sounded empty.

Fan: Is Don Airey your keyboardist?

RR: Yeah, Don.

Fan: Keyboardist for the Ozzy Osbourne group?

RR: Well, uh, he did the first album. He didn’t play on the 2nd. He’s on the tour now. He wasn’t touring with us last year. But I think he’s probably gonna stay, cause he’s a great player. The only reason he didn’t tour last year is cause he was still in Rainbow.

Fan: Is he gonna be out front with you guys or is he gonna be…

RR: Well, I don’t know if you’ve seen the pictures of this castle thing, but there’s big arches. At the moment he’s up in the arch, like looking out the window.

Fan: Where’s the drums at anyway?

RR: Well, there’s a riser in the center with steps. It comes from inside the riser.

Fan: Is he gonna blow himself up?

(Laughter from the crowd)

RR: (Pauses) No, he’s not. We were doing that. When we have the hand, he was meant to blow up and all this stuff flies everywhere. But, I mean, the kids weren’t really buying it, so..

Fan: That would have been good.

RR: It would have if it worked right. It would have been great.

Fan: You gonna smash anything tonight?

RR: Smash anything? No.

Fan: I think Music City ought to donate a guitar for you to smash.

RR: Well, if you wanna give me one, I’ll certainly have a go at that.

Fan: I’ve got this Gibson Explorer.

Fan: When you played here with Def Leppard you put on a hell of a guitar solo.

RR: Thank you.

Fan: When you, uh, when you play your guitar solos, do you change them every so often or do you play the same ones every night?

RR: The solos?

Fan: Yeah.

RR: You mean in the center there with just…

Fan: I think you.. I’m not sure what song you cut out..

RR: Sui…

Fan: Just you.

RR: Yeah.

Fan:And your guitar.

RR: Well, it’s basically the same. I, uh, just improvise on it. Um, it depends actually on the sound I have onstage. If it’s a bad sound, I do a very, sort of, basic form of it. If it sounds really good, I like to carry on with it. I, uh, I had a different one in, in England. It was a lot longer. But I mean, the kids didn’t really know who I was. I mean, it kind of…I just wanted to get it short and to the point.

Fan: Well, if they hadn’t nominated you for the…one of the best guitarists of the year I would have shot em all.

RR: Yeah, that was really great. The best thing that’s ever happened to me.

Fan: Are you gonna do “Over The Mountain”?

RR: Yeah, that’s our opening number.

Fan: Opening number, that’s good.

Announcer: You wanna start autographs man…

RR: (To Fan) Did you have one more question?

Fan: (Mumble)

RR: Hang on a second, I can’t hear you.

Fan: After the very first time Ozzy left Sabbath, before he came back for the “Never Say Die” album, has he ever talked about it, forming a band called Blizzard Of Ozz? Did he ever say anything about it?

RR: He didn’t have a band, no. He, uh, thought someday if he does have a band, that’s what he’d call it. No, as a matter of fact, he had a t-shirt made, but there was no band, cause even…
Fan: I read an article that he did break up and temporarily had a band, Blizzard Of Ozz, and it didn’t go anywhere.

RR: No, no, he did break up once, but he di…he didn’t have a band. This was the first band.

Fan: Is it true that he was in an insane asylum for a while?

(Laughter from crowd)

RR: I, uh, not that I know of. (Chuckles)

Fan: That’s what they write in the papers.

Fan: Uh, I’ve heard a lot of rumors that you’re like, just copying off Eddie Van Halen.

(Crowd giggles)

Fan: Was you influenced by him…his technique and playing?

(Crowd makes comments to fan)

Fan: No, was you influenced by him or…

RR: Yeah, I was actually.

Fan: Did you just like that style or what?

RR: To give you a…the best I can answer that…

Fan: Yeah.

RR: I’m trying to save myself. (Chuckles) We’re, uh, from the same town and we were both in local bands. As a matter of fact, there was a lot of guitar players. L.A. was like, everybody was a lead guitar player and everybody played very similar. There’s a lot more players out there that are fantastic, that just havn’t been out yet. But everybody used to say we all sound very much the same. I mean, if you have a circuit and you know all the guitar players, you tend to…like…

Fan: Did you put out a couple of, uh, albums, like small, small albums or something with a band?

RR: Well, the band I was in, Quiet Riot, did get a record deal. We were very young and we lost the deal. It just fell apart, like things do and they were released in Japan later. But I was 17 years old and, uh, the producer wanted to make us sound very, very much like a pop band and, uh, I mean, if you’d listen to it there was hardly any guitar on it.

Fan: Did you take lessons or are you self taught?

RR: Well mostly self taught. When I was young I took lessons. Basic folk and classical training, but I started playing rock. I’m taking lessons now.

Fan: You’re taking lessons now? (In awe)

RR: I was when I was in England.

Fan: Who’s your teacher?

Fan: Yeah?

RR: Anybody. Uh, right now on a day off I’m just taking lessons from anybody. I mean….

Fan: From other professional guitarists?

Fan: Do you give lessons?

RR: I used to teach it.

Fan: Do you have any literature out?

RR: No. Someday I’d like to. I was…

Fan: I’ll give you my address!!

RR: (Laughs) Now I’m just trying to..I’d just like to keep..

Announcer: After this we’re gonna have to, ya know, cause we’re running pretty short and there’s a lot of people that wanna come in and talk to Randy.

2nd Announcer: Tell ya what, on your way out would you guys please give me your cards? We really gotta move it so that the other people can get in for their seminar. A few of you can go for autographs, but please make it as minimal as possible.

I cleaned this up a bit with Cool Edit a while back. I'll host it tomorrow.

As promised: Randy's Guitar Seminar Audio 2-2-82, Greensburg, PA

Part 1:http://www.eternalrandyrhoads.com/seminar/01.mp3

Part 2:http://www.eternalrandyrhoads.com/seminar/02.mp3

Part 3:http://www.eternalrandyrhoads.com/seminar/03.mp3


and a little bonus:

Best New Guitarist Award:http://www.eternalrandyrhoads.com/seminar/04.mp3

I could be wrong, but I always thought Randy said, "Yeah, because the celestions are really dirty anyway and if you start adding a fuzzbox to them, it’ll sound terrible.

I'm not sure if thats what he really says, but its what I heard when I first heard it. Just food for thought. Thanks for posting that Anthony!

Matt

Nope, you are right. I got caught with that awhile back and fixed it on the first copy I posted here, but forgot to do it on my original. Well, it's fixed everywhere now.

Little mix up on the location. Greensburg,PA, just outside of Pittsburgh.

right on those were cool:)

Thanks for taking the time to post that Iron.

First, I'd like to add my thanks to Cableguy for being so gracious in sharing and for being such a valuable link to so much wonderful RR stuff.

For those of us who have listened to the seminar, there is mention by the host of other sessions that Randy did (I am assuming he did them that day). Has any audio of the other sessions surfaced?

That was a great interview/seminar. Really long and Great!! I just wish there were more.

Can´t believe I just noticed this now! Thanks huge a lot, now I finally get a back up CD and cass versions can rest in peace! [I may dust it off when I retire, sit in rocking chair and listen to tape w/ slippers on...]

great read, i learned a lot...

A great read. The mp3 links don't work for me though.

Has anyone noticed, (if you follow along with the audio), that around the 32 minute mark, Randy actually says (although, not transcribed), they were playing Diary of a Madman (after the part where he says 1,2,3,..5. songs from the new album) live, but because the middle orchestral parts were left out, the "kids" weren't buying it? There may actually be someting somewhere of Diary of A Madman. I didn't think there was, because earlier in the seminar Randy says they don't do it live, but now they might have done it in practice or in front of some kind of audience.

I think you have it mixed up. The part where he says "but the kids weren't buying it" was in regards to Ozzy blowing himself up onstage. See here:

Fan::Is he gonna blow himself up?

(Laughter from the crowd)

RR: (Pauses) No, he’s not. We were doing that. When we have the hand, he was meant to blow up and all this stuff flies everywhere. But, I mean, the kids weren’t really buying it, so..

Make no mistake, everything on the tape (unless I've had an incomplete copy or 10 over the last 25 years) was transcribed by me and it is in total order. May be a typo or two in there though. The part after "1, 2, 3, 4, 5" songs from the new album (though it was really only 3, but 4 if he counts the Diary intro at start of show) he never mentions having played Diary live or the orchestra. He was talking about too much overdubs in the studio and not being able to pull off songs live, due to that, but he never mentioned Diary in that regard, though it would apply. He just didn't say it. Tommy said they tried to work it up in rehersal once, but Ozzy was "having fits with the timing", so they just decided to not try any further. No audience or in front of any kids. The kids part was in regards to the other thing (blowing Ozzy up).

Hello,
I was at the greensburg seminar in 82 and and trying to find the mp3's, transcripts or information on the second seminar. Everywhere I go it mentions the seminar but I was there and there were two of them. I think the dudes name was Ron Wilochel and he would only let so many people in at a time. I lived in Irwin at the time and Music City was the place to go. Im trying to find any mp3s pics, transcripts or anything regarding the second group. BTW I have a baseball shirt that was signed by Randy at the seminar. Let me know if you want me to take a pic of it. Please email me at 08dangiles.comcast.net with ANY info. Thanks dude. Randy influenced my life with his playing.

Here are a few photos related to the seminar. It's one photo of Randy close up (wearing the white jump suit), a pic that was given to the photographer by Randy at the seminar as well as the autograph he received at the same time. I watermarked them, because I do not remember who gave them to me, and if I was allowed to share them. Thanks to whoever it is that sent me these ages ago.

...And to think that he was in greensburg PA, a place where I have been alot of times in my life...

I realize I am incredibly late in this thread. The seminar recording is the second session, as Randy says, "The last one we did was the first time I've ever done this, so this is the second." He also mentions, "Someone from the last session asked me the same thing." The first session is one that I haven't heard and I don't know if it exists. My copy mentions "Second Session" on it. It would be great if someone could post the first session.

i am also late in this thread. I purchased an audio tape of this seminar on ebay for $50 in 1996 I will check it to see if it has the 1st semina on it and try to upload it for you guys. I will be in touch.

Thanks for the transcript, was easier for me to follow the whole interview watching that =)

Thanks

This is really cool stuff. Thanks for posting

That was by far the best and my favorite post on this board!!!! Keep rocking