Vivian Campbell: I was frustrated by my lack of technique

Vivian, did your guitar style change when you joined Def Leppard?

CAMPBELL: Yes. My guitar-playing has always been a work in progress. When I was 16 or 17, I just wanted to play a lot of notes, and play as fast as possible. Then, when I worked with Ronnie Dio, he tried to make me embrace something in my style that he heard, something I hadn’t recognized before. He would point out specific moments and say, “That’s you. That’s what you should emphasize.” Life is all about change, whatever the endeavor. Things never stay the same. When I joined Def Leppard, I found things less challenging as a guitar-player, but more challenging as a vocalist. And that’s a challenge I wanted at the time. Being in this band made me a much better singer. The guitar challenge was different, because I was taking on Steve Clark’s guitar parts. To this day, those songs constitute 80 percent of our live performances – stuff from the classic, Steve Clark era. His parts are very thematic, very melodic and very integral to the song. They certainly can’t be omitted. I’ve had to step into Steve Clark’s musical persona, to carry off these parts. But I do bring my own physical side to the playing. I’m a much more physical player that Steve Clark was.

Do you pride yourself more on individual style, as opposed to technical expertise?

CAMPBELL: Well, in my younger years I was frustrated by my lack of technique. That was especially in the 1980s, when I was playing with Ronnie Dio. I was living in Los Angeles – that’s where the band was based – and I was surrounded by guitar players with great technical skills. The GIT thing was in full swing. I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t play guitar like Paul Gilbert and Yngwie Malmsteen. But I’m fine with that now. The guitarists who influenced me most were blues-based players, and that’s more about phrasing than about the technical aspects of the instrument. I do believe it’s more important to have your own voice than it is to have great technique. You could cite Bob Dylan as an example, in a different way. No one would ever say Bob Dylan is a great technical singer, but you sure as hell know it’s Bob Dylan when you hear him. more

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