You're in direct contact with the music by having the strings under your fingers. It's not mechanical like a piano.

I don't like English bands. They're too structured.

I started on drums when I was 13 and played them for two years. Then I went to guitar for a year, played keyboards for a year and a half, and went back to guitar.

When I got to LA and was with the James Gang, I got the opportunity to write a lot, to play in front of large audiences, make some money.

All the different styles I've played have really helped me as a guitarist and helped me develop my own way of playing.

I'll hear something in my head, then eventually play it. But it's a subconscious thing. Most of the time I really don't know what I'm playing.

For me, practice isn't doing scales but doing things like writing, jamming with other people, or playing gigs.