Doug Doppler

Name: Doug Doppler

Playing (years): 36

Style: Instrumental Rock/Metal

Gear: Ibanez guitars, DiMarzio pickups, Krank Amplifiers, Boss GT-6, Radial Headbone, M-Audio Black Box

Endorsements: Ibanez, DiMarzio, Krank, D’Addario, M-Audio

Past accomplishments: Sitting in with Joe Satriani and Neal Schon at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. To get a chance to play along side such incredibly iconic guitar players is a highlight that will be hard to match.

Similarly, I was invited by Joe to play along with Randy Jackson (American Idol), and Denny Carmassi (Heart, Montrose) at the Bill Graham Memorial in front of 250,000 people in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Bill’s death was totally tragic, but it was amazing to see so many musicians and music lovers turn out to celebrate his life. I grew up n the San Francisco Bay Area, so to be able to play on the same stage as the Grateful Dead, Journey, Santana, and Crosby Stills Nash & Young in dedication to Bill’s life is something that meant a tremendous amount to me.

“Diatonic Theory and Harmony” was the first title to be released in my Guitar 411 instructional DVD series. This title sums up the core curriculum that I have taught over 1,000 students in the 20 years since Joe Satriani invited me to come take over teaching duties at the Berkeley, CA teaching studio where I studied with him. I get eMails from students all over the world whose ability to really understand how music functions has been deeply impacted by this DVD. The long-term impact of this DVD is very meaningful to me, and is incredibly rewarding.

Current and upcoming projects: I am about to tour Europe opening for Gilby Clarke, supporting my Favored Nations release “Nu Instrumetal”. Touring opportunities for instrumental acts can be few and far between, so this is a huge opportunity for me in so many ways. I will also be doing a clinic for Ibanez and their Italian distributor in Milan just after the tour ends and that is going to be really exciting.

When I return to the States, I have been invited by Uli Jon Roth to play as a Guest of Honor at his Sky Academy series in Los Angeles. I first heard Uli when I was studying with Joe Satriani. Joe said, “you have to hear this guy”. Now so many years later to be invited to play with Uli is pretty amazing – and quite humbing.

This week I will finish shooting “Whammy Bar Mojo”, the next DVD in my Guitar 411 series. I have had so much fun making this DVD, as the whammy bar can really add so many great textures to your playing. To the best of my knowledge no one has ever made a DVD specifically about how to master using the whammy bar, so it will be nice to help, uhum, raise the bar.

I also just did a solo for a track for Geoff Tyson (another former Satriani student) has coming out on an all-instrumental disc called Alchemy II, that will be released on Liquid Note Records. Geoff is an amazing player and an old friend. I hope we get a chance to do more stuff like this in the future.

Favorite guitarist: Joe Satriani

Most Underated Players:Neal Schon, Wes Borland, Jude Gold

Best musician you’ve ever seen: Jeff Beck

Four words that best describe what you want to get across in your playing: Passion, excitement, joy, intensity.

Your hero: God

Ultimate goal: G3. My band actually played a G3 show here in the S.F. Bay Area. To be invited to play with Joe and Steve has been a goal long before G3 ever existed. When I went to GIT in L.A., Joe gave me Steve’s phone number. I’ve known both of them for over 20 years now. To tour with those guys would be nothing short of a dream come true.

Contact: dougdoppler@hotmail.com

Website: http://www.dougdoppler.com
http://www.guitar411.com
http://www.myspace.com/dougdoppler