Whoever says chicks can’t play guitar needs to reconsider their statements after listening to Catherine Delgadillo. Not only is her tone to die for, she has a command over the instrument that many strive to achieve. Equipped with nimble chops, Catherine never overplays, always letting the song and melody lead the way. Catherine is not just a great guitarist, she is an outstanding musician who understands the subtleties of the sonic realm.

Hit play to listen to her song, Another Level while you read on to find out more about this Guitar Goddess…

For the readers who may be unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your music? Who are your main influences?

I describe my music as a blend between fusion and progressive rock. I like many genres of music and listen to anything from classical jazz to metal but the fusion & prog is what I tend to listen to most.

I’ve never really followed the work of one artist solely. Growing up, I’d play with anyone/anything that was on the radio. But at the same time, I gained a lot of respect for artists like Elton John, Eric Clapton, and the Wilson sisters of course. I listened to a lot of different bands like Genesis, Steely Dan, Yes, Van Halen, Queensryche, and Rush, just to name a few.

I think it’s the music that I’ve listened to over the last ten years though that has influenced my style the most and some of those musicians, in no particular order, are: Scott Henderson, Frank Gambale, Allan Holdsworth, Eric Johnson, and recently, Marco Sfogli. There’s also Ron Jarzombek, John Goodsall, Derek Sherinian, Ray Russell, Simon Phillips and Virgil Donati and many bands like Opeth, Sieges Even, Matalex, Andromeda, Planet X, Kino, Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Brand X, Spock’s Beard, The Flower Kings, Ozric Tentacles, and many, many more.

So how did you get started playing the guitar?

My parents gave me a guitar for Christmas when I was nine. I started fiddling around and then basically started teaching myself and learning by ear. Writing music on the guitar, as well as piano, became my favorite pastime. I played just about every chance I got.

When I was in my 20’s I started singing at a few open-mic’s around the Bay Area and eventually got comfortable enough with both my voice and guitar playing that I decided I was ready to play in a band. It was a little tough to find a band that took their music and playing seriously so the few bands I did join didn’t seem to last more than a few weeks. But my luck changed in 1989 when I met up with three guys, also located in the Bay Area, and formed our rock band, Charade. Being the lead singer, guitarist, and contributing songwriter in the band, I gained a lot of experience and I have to say, it was a lot of fun! We played at places including The Cactus Club, The Cabaret, Niles Station, and De Anza College where we won first place in a local band competition.

Those were definitely the days! But, even though I left the band in the early 90’s, my guitar playing didn’t stop there. For a few years, I continued to play and write songs when I could but then put my music on the backburner when I went back to college to receive my degree in Sociology and Behavioral Science. Not too long afterwards, my husband and I started our family. Aside from recording a little demo when I was pregnant with my first child, I really didn’t do much playing and it wasn’t until recently that I’ve been able to dedicate more of my time to my music. That’s not to say though that my music suffered too much during my hiatus because when I got back into playing more seriously, it seemed though that my music and writing had somehow matured. For not having played steadily, I had made big strides in my playing. I’m not sure why but perhaps it was due to the fact that I was always listening to new music, new artists, and as my appreciation for them grew, I think my abilities as a songwriter and musician did too.

It was my drummer-husband who introduced me to a lot of the bands that I was listening to at the time. He is also more disciplined as a musician and there’s not a lot I can get past him. As a result, my timing has really improved and I find myself writing in interesting odd time signatures a lot more often than I used to. But I must admit, due to my lack of formal training in guitar and keyboards, I’m not always aware of what time signature I’m writing in as I’m playing strictly by what feels right at the time. So, I often have to go back after writing something to figure it out.

What is one influential event that helped shape your playing style, or take it to the next level?

It was the creation and release of my debut CD. I look at it as an accumulation of everything I did in the past. The time available to spend on it was limited as my daughter was in preschool just part-time while my son was in full-time but I worked on it when I could. It was hard at first as I had to learn recording techniques and all that “technical” stuff. Once I got some basic recording skills down, I then had to “learn” to play what I heard in my head. So, I would spend hours just learning those licks (on both guitar and keyboards) in order to be able to record. Doing that, without question, definitely took my playing to the next level.

How do you approach your song-writing?

I’ve had people ask me that a lot lately so I actually just wrote an article on my approach. It’s my “informal and creative approach”. I don’t usually write much unless I’m by myself or the house is quiet (late at night is a good time for this!) But, in a nutshell, my approach is this, I don’t “try” to write. Writing for me is a product of playing for fun. When I play for my own enjoyment, I am relaxed and more creative and that’s when all the ideas pop-up! So, I always make sure I have access to something that I can immediately record my ideas onto. It’s usually my sequencer as I tend to write most of my compositions on keyboard first and then add the guitar later. Being able to play more than one instrument has really helped with composing I think as I will look at the idea of the song differently and it opens up possibilities that might otherwise not have been there.

What kind of gear are you using?

On my album, I played my PRS Custom electric guitar, Cordoba classical guitar and my Korg Triton keyboard. I have a Mesa/Boogie amp that I often use for playing live but for the recording I used a friends’ Line 6 Vetta II amp. I mic’d that and then also went direct with some additional effects. The right mix of the two gave me a pretty nice tone I think.

With my gear though, I try to keep things as simple as possible. I hate having to tweak a bunch of knobs and stuff. My current set-up both at home and in the studio, works for me. I get a lot of compliments on my tone, so I kind of stick with what I’ve got.

Describe a normal day for you. How much time do you spend practicing and playing, talking to fans, networking, etc. ?

I practice in “chunks” of time, kind of like I did when recording the CD. I don’t practice every day, although years ago I did. Before marriage, before kids, I practiced all the time. When I was at home, my guitar was always on me - almost more often than when it was off! I played my Ibanez 540S, which is fairly lightweight, most of the time, and so I was able to walk around the house with it on without getting too many aches & pains. It’s hard to say that what I was doing was “practicing” though. I wasn’t studying or learning scales. I was just playing “stuff” and playing along to the stereo, writing songs, etc. I sometimes wonder how much I could have learned though had I been a little more disciplined as a musician.

As far as breaking down exactly how much time I spend practicing & playing, that’s hard to do but I’ll give it a shot…

When I first started working on my CD, I was spending about 20 hours a week on writing, learning how to record, and practicing. Then about 9 months later, I went ahead and booked studio time but then soon after I realized that I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been. So, I stayed up until about 2:30am on average just about every night for the last 6 weeks of recording and spending about 50-60 hours a week, working on my music. I realized then too, just how much a labor of love this project was. I don’t think I could ever see myself work on anything so hard for anything else. My family was very supportive, as they knew just how important this was to me. But I wasn’t always the only one up late at night. My husband was my co-producer and drummer on my CD, so he definitely had his fair share of late nights too. Needless to say, we ordered a lot of take-out during that time!

When the recording was finally completed (exactly one year from the date I had started it,) my playing slowed down and I found myself in a position where I needed to start promoting my CD and networking more with people. Funny, I didn’t even think about any of that stuff while I was recording and had no clue as to how busy I would be after the CD was completed. It’s all good though. I love music. I love talking to people about it and when I do play now, I’m finding myself to be more creative than ever before. I think it’s because I am not really “working” on anything specific - yet. But, since I’ve had such a burst of creativity, not to mention a very positive response, don’t be surprised if there’s another CD in the works sometime soon!

So, to break things down even more, over the last few months I’ve been practicing guitar, as well as keyboard only about 1 hour a day combined. And, since I’m promoting my CD, I’m spending about 2 to 3 hours a day networking. I know, that’s a lot of networking relatively speaking, but right now that’s important and by doing so, I’m not only developing a great fan base, but I’m getting a lot of good exposure as well. I’m learning so much just from talking with other people.

I should also mention, that as a musician, I like to listen to a lot of music too. In order to do this, I go running about 45 minutes a day/5 times a week and I can then put on my headphones and just zone-out. I still listen to music around the house a lot, but when I’m running I can listen by myself, uninterrupted. It helps me to really appreciate what other musicians are doing too, when you can really “listen” to the music and not just hear it.

Do you have any advice for aspiring young guitarists who want to pursue a career in music or just better themselves as players?

Well, I’m still “aspiring” myself but I think it’s important to set goals – no matter how small. It’s okay to take baby steps. Just get moving! And don’t let yourself get discouraged or intimidated. What may seem like a huge obstacle will soon be forgotten with a little perseverance. Also, I think it’s important to build up your network of musician friends. Put your pride aside and be honest about what you know and don’t know. You may be surprised at just how many people out there are willing to offer their advice and want to help you to be successful.

What are you most proud of musically?

My CD and the fact that I didn’t allow obstacles to get in the way of completing it.

Any other thoughts or words of inspiration?

Don’t ever forget why you are playing music. It’s a part of who you are and a part you can share. If you are successful in terms of being able to have a career in music, that’s great, but if you are expressing your music even without that recording contract then consider yourself successful. It’s about the creation of the music and the expression of the music and making yourself happy. Not everyone needs to hear it, not everyone needs to like it, but you need to do it because it’s what you love. Don’t make compromises with your style/sound because you think that’s what the “industry” wants. You have your own unique voice, let it be heard!

Check her out on Myspace and show her some love!

http://www.myspace.com/catherinedelgadillo

CatherineDelgadillo.com

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