Joe Satriani : "There aren't many American guitarists known for restraint"

"I hear this quality over and over again in truly great lead singers," says the legendary guitarist.

Renowned guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani has shared what he believes is one of the most overlooked aspects of Sammy Hagar's musicianship. While many people recognize the former Van Halen frontman for his powerful voice and commanding stage presence, Satriani believes his thoughtful approach to guitar playing deserves far more appreciation.

Speaking in a recent interview with Thinking About Guitar, Satriani, who has spent the past several years touring alongside Sammy Hagar during The Best of All Worlds Tour, explained that Hagar's greatest strength as a guitarist comes directly from his experience as an exceptional lead vocalist.

"I've always believed that one of the coolest things about Sammy's guitar playing is that he somehow transferred everything he learned as a great lead singer into the way he approaches the guitar," says Joe Satriani.

"On one hand, he can absolutely play like a shred guitarist. He's capable of all that technical firepower. But at the same time, there's this internal editing process constantly happening in his mind, and to me that's something I associate with outstanding lead vocalists."

According to Satriani, Sammy Hagar possesses a natural instinct for understanding exactly what a song requires—and, equally importantly, what it does not.

"I tend to play too many notes," Satriani admits. "But Sam doesn't."

"I've asked him many times, 'How do you do that?' The funny thing is, he doesn't even think about it. It's completely instinctive for him. He's just an incredibly natural musician. Somehow he always lands on exactly the right notes, with precisely the right vibrato. That's something that fascinated me when I was a young player, and it still fascinates me today."

The celebrated guitarist says the characteristic that impresses him most is Hagar's remarkable sense of restraint.

"I remember thinking, 'Wow... that's real restraint,'" Satriani explains.

In his opinion, that particular quality is surprisingly uncommon among American guitarists.

"There really aren't many American guitar players who are widely known for that kind of restraint."

Instead, Satriani believes that approach has traditionally been associated with musicians from the United Kingdom and Ireland.

"I've always viewed that as something you typically hear from British or Irish players. Take musicians like Eric Clapton or Brian May. They always seem to choose exactly the right notes. They don't feel the need to turn the amplifier all the way up or overwhelm everything with endless playing."

For Satriani, Sammy Hagar unquestionably belongs in that same conversation.

"Sam has always had that quality, largely because he admired Clapton so much. I think he naturally learned to take one small step back from the edge and make sure he could truly deliver the performance instead of simply pushing everything to the limit."

Closing the discussion, Joe Satriani emphasized once again that this kind of musical maturity is a characteristic he often notices in outstanding singers.

"I hear that trait over and over again in truly great lead vocalists," he says.

"And what's fascinating is that they carry that same philosophy into the way they play guitar."