GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you?
VM: I love playing and writing, and instrumentals seem like a direct and immediate way for me to express myself. I learned to improvise by recording chord progressions that I made up, and then playing over them every day. So without really being aware that I was writing instrumentals, I was well down the path when my intention was really just to work on my playing. Hearing Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton, Al Di Meola, and Carlos Santana opened up all kinds of doors in my mind.
GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can’t?
An instrumental can provide a more intricate melody because there are less limitations than with a voice. I don’t actually prefer one over the other, a good song is a good song. So I guess the best of both worlds is a great vocal song with some awesome guitar melodies and solos in there too. You could maybe say that since an instrumental song has no lyrics, it can leave more to the imagination whereas a
