Book writing can often be a lonely existence, a writer locked in a study with nothing other than a laptop and the Internet. Guitar Zero was anything but, the most pleasurable experience I have ever had as a writer.
As I tried to transition from being a mere listener to being someone who could play for himself, I chanced upon three of the nicest communities of people I’ve ever encountered: musicians, music teachers, and the scientists who study music. Virtually everyone I met along the way welcomed me warmly. Perhaps the first was my new friend and colleague Mary Farbood, who is both a world-class harpsichordist and a scholar of music, and now one of my closest collaborators.
Master guitarists like Pat Martino and Doug Derryberry invited me into their homes. Tom Morello and Lennie Kaye both gave no less generously of their time. Music teachers like Ruth Alperson, Jamie Andreas, Rebecca Cherry, Curt Gill, and Michele Horner all welcomed me into their classrooms, while pedagogical pioneers Marienne Uszler and Edwin Gordon supplied historical perspective. Even Grammy Award–wining producers and record label presidents, like Russ Titelman, Danny Goldberg, and Bob Hurwitz, took the time to talk to me. Most extraordinary of all was the incredible Pat Metheny, who took three hours out of a rare Saturday morning in which he wasn’t on the road to visit me in my own home, answering every question I could imagine on the guitar, technology, and the history of jazz, in exchange for nothing more than a chance to help spread the gospel of music.
On the academic side, virtually everyone I spoke to was delighted to help. Peter Keller read every word of the manuscript and prepped me for a public conversation with Metheny at the World Science Festival. Laurel Trainor helped me better understand the likely origins of my troubles with rhythm. Robert Rowe helped me to get to know many of the music scholars at New York University, and Fred Lehrdahl, Ray Jackendoff, and Gene Narmour all spent hours sharing their wisdom on a science of music that they helped create. David Rothenberg carefully critiqued an early draft and opened his Rolodex.
One of the greatest pleasures in writing this book was the interviews I did, with Ruth Alperson, Richard Barone, Dave Barratt, Perry Beekman, Tim Burke, Sterling Campbell, Carla Capretto, Marilyn Crispell, Eran Egozy, Mark Freundt, Michael Geezil, Cirt Gill, Danny Goldberg, Jason Gonsky, Edwin Gordon, Fareed Haque, Hank Heijink, Smokey Hormel, Michele Horner, Hot Lixx Houlihan, David Huron, Elise Jackendoff, Ray Jackendoff, Tristan Jehan, Phil Johnson-Laird, Lenny Kaye, Paul Lamere, Cyril Lance, Lisa Margulis, Pat Martino, Pat Metheny, Tom Morello, Dan Morris, Patrick O’Brien, Caroline Palmer, Ani Patel, Terre Roche, Morton Subotnick, Laurel Trainor, Björn Türoque, Marienne Uszler, Paul Vo, Duncan Watts, and Brian Whitman. Meliset Abreu, Alex Demos, Anders Ericsson, Susan Fast, Paul Hoffman, Panos Mavromatis, Paul O’Keefe, Caroline Palmer, Adena Schachner, and Glen Schellenberg answered e-mails on everything from how to use your imagination to practice guitar on the subway to the foibles of chess masters, while Zoran Josipovic and Michael Dorfman made sure I saw all the latest studies. Danny Goldberg and Brady Brock set up my interview with the inimitable Tom Morello. Joe LeDoux introduced me to Lenny Kaye. Fareed Haque introduced me to Pat Martino, and Charles Lindsay introduced me to the Moog guitar.
More than a dozen musicians and scientists were gracious enough to read drafts of the book, including Doug Bemis, Iris Berent, Carla Capretto, Alex Denker, Lila Gleitman, Aaron Kheifets, Dave Rothenberg, Dave Soldier, and Morton Subotnick. Elika Bergelson, Mary Farbood, Erin Hannon, Josh McDermott, Ezequiel Morsella, and Athena Vouloumanos all deserve special thanks for the detailed, incredibly perceptive comments they made on early versions of the book, each bringing something significant that would not have otherwise been there. Carla edited with the sharp eyes of a professional copy editor, and Michael Dorfman made so many helpful suggestions I lost count. Ken Perlin, Ofter Tchernichovski, and Zach Woods lent a valuable hand with early chapters and would happily have labored through more. Even among all these exceptional readers, Terre Roche stands out, supplying the kind of comments an author can only dream of, line-by-line responses that made me laugh, cry, and reach for the cut-and-paste; never I have had a more supportive reader, nor one who brought so much new to a manuscript.
Terre, Fareed Haque, David Soldier, Paul Frazier, and Marlon Cherry later convened in my apartment in the Village and allowed me to sit in on an amazing jam session. Soldier also brought me into the editing studio to watch the dynamic duo of the violinist Rebecca Cherry and the Grammy-winning Rory Young. Jessie Murphy, Amy Schildige, and Marcia Webb were no less welcoming and even gamely backed me onstage when I endeavored to sing “With a Little Help from My Friends.” (Kathena Bryant lent a hand, too; Roger G. played ukulele. Dave Barratt helped record a studio performance.)
Richard Barone brought me inside the world of Gibson guitars and even helped me peek in on Dave Brubeck recording a new version of “Take Five.”
Jason Gonsky introduced me to Michele Horner and graciously allowed me to watch the amazing Shiloh’s first steps as a guitarist.
Michael Raitzyk introduced me to Tobias Hurwitz and the wonderful world of Day Jams. Tobias Hurwitz let me sit in on Day Jams and got me my first gig as a musician.
Seth Austen, Kathena Bryant, Terry Gourley, Roger Greenawalt, Fareed Haque, Tobias Hurwitz, Jessie Murphy, Terre Roche, Tyler Volk, Paul Weinfeld, and another gentleman who prefers to remain anonymous gave me lessons, each one putting up patiently with an absolute beginner who had far more curiosity than talent. Roger helped me write my first real song.
Athena read and improved countless drafts, supplying her usual mixture of laser-sharp comments and emotional sustenance, while never once demanding that I choose between her and my guitar.
Mom, Dad, Linda, Julie, Peg, Vickie, Nick, and George supported me, as they always do, even though they knew better than anyone else how ridiculous the whole endeavor seemed at first. Ed and Steve were there from the beginning and helped with everything from choosing agents to choosing titles. Josie, Eric, Zach, Sandy, Tim, Christian, Ken, and Katie brought friendship. At the beginning of this journey, Michael Dorfman was just a friend of friends; by the end, he was one of my staunchest allies. David, Elaine, Nancy, Gabe, Joe, and Michael stood by me during my first solo performance. (Michael even loaned me his heirloom guitar.) Zoe and Clare helped keep me in shape.
Daniel Greenberg managed to turn an unfinished proposal in a very uncertain market into a book contract with one of the best publishers in the business; his partner Jim, too, was incredibly supportive. Ann Godoff was the first person in the publishing world to see the book’s potential. Ginny Smith helped shape a mere book proposal into a real book, reading more drafts than I can count and showing more patience and enthusiasm than any editor I have ever met. Bruce, Ingrid, Mally, and Meighan all helped in creating the final product.
I thank all of these people, but most especially I thank Greer, Riley, Ryan, and Sarah for giving me a chance to play.