We are The Aristocrats, an instrumental rock/fusion power trio with Guthrie Govan on guitar, Bryan Beller on bass, and Marco Minnemann on drums. Ask Us Anything!

[u/aristocratsboing]

Yes, it's really us.

https://www.facebook.com/aristocratsband

This is our first time on Reddit, for all of us. Be gentle!

[u/aristocratsboing]

Ok everyone, thanks so much for having us - this was our first time doing something like this and hopefully we didn't fail the Reddit Test or anything like that. :-) See you out on the road when we get our next record done! - The Aristocrats

[u/jimi2094]

Question for all 3 of you: If you could jam with any musician(s), living or dead, who would you choose?

On a sidenote, you guys shred beyond belief, and thanks for the music

[u/aristocratsboing → u/jimi2094]

GG: I would choose living musicians.

MM: I would choose dead musicians.

BB: [speechless]

[u/iamvillainmo]

I just want to know what Guthrie's favorite beer is.

[u/aristocratsboing → u/iamvillainmo]

GG: I won't know until I've tried all of them.

[u/brakkum]

Hey guys! This is Dan B from Minnesota. Hope the road has been treating you well!

I would like to ask each of you, what is the one thing, technique-wise or anything else, on your respective instrument that you feel you still need to work on after all this time?

Hope you guys can come back to MN sometime! And definitely in a better situation, where someone doesn't steal all your beer out of the back, obviously.

[u/aristocratsboing → u/brakkum]

BB: Hey Dan, I C U. I don't think GG or MM need to work on anything! I'm the one who needs help there, and I get it by having to play with them. :-)

[u/squidonthebass]

Huge Aristocrats fan here! Bryan's been a big inspiration to my playing style for the last couple years, and Guthrie and Marco are incredible players, so when I came across this band a few years ago it was really easy to fall in love with them. I got to meet Bryan before the Aristocrat's show in Philly on their last tour, he was a super chill guy and even complimented me on my Newsted Heavy Metal Music shirt. That show was awesome - my friend and I both described it as magical experiences. Can't wait to see you guys back in the states supporting a new album soon!

Anyway, here's a few questions. I'd love for Bryan to answer them, but having all three of you guys answer would be even cooler:

What were some of the albums that inspired you to start taking music seriously?

Of all the acts you've toured with over the years, which has been your favorite? Favorite individual concert you've done?

What is the status of having bass and drum tablature booklets for the 2 albums? I know it was talked about on Facebook for a little while but I haven't been able to dig anything up on it since.

[u/aristocratsboing → u/squidonthebass]

BB: Thanks so much squidonthebass! For me, Zeppelin made me want to get good enough to play along. That was the start of everything for me. That, plus early Yes, Metallica, Pink Floyd...all of that came before any "fusion" hotshots.

The Aristocrats: We enjoy touring with everyone who hires us. :-) /politcallycorrectanswer

Seriously, we all like touring with people we like hanging out with. That counts for a lot!

Speaking of the bass/drum tab books/backings - that's going live in about 24-48 hours on JamTrackCentral.com. Watch for it!

[u/Nezban]

BB, MM and GG, welcome! Thank you so much for doing this, I'm a huge fan! I'm going to be greedy here and ask two questions to all of you:

1. The name of the band comes from the famous ludicrous joke about an absurd performance act. What has been your craziest or wildest experience on tour together?

2. One of the greatest things about your music is the interplay between you guys, especially during your live performances, of course. Music is a language and you guys sure are fluent. What advice would you give to musicians looking to develop such level of musical comfort and expression?

Rock on!

[u/aristocratsboing → u/Nezban]

BB: Well, 1) We once had an opening act of an all-girl drumcorps in Vladivostok, Russia. We cannot comment further.

GG: 2) If you've decided that these are your priorities then you're halfway there already. Devote your practice time to the musical qualities you most crave, and the rest writes itself.

MM: Rock on. \m/

[u/PTT_Derp]

First, I want to thank you guys for the excellent performance in Taiwan!

btw, I'm the crazy ass who ask the"when's the last time you guys cut your hair".

I want to ask that, if you can add another instrument to the band, what would it be?who'll be one the top list?

(BB I FUCKING LOVE YOUR HAIR!!)

[u/aristocratsboing → u/PTT_Derp]

MM: Skin flute.

BB: You're scaring me.

[u/telperionflower]

Question for Guthrie:

How do you usually go about composing a song? Do you write chords or melody first? Do you think about theory, or go by ear? I'm most curious about how you pick chord progressions and voicings.. whether there's a chord vocabulary you pick from, or if you just listen and construct chords note by note. Thanks!

-Nick from Pittsburgh

http://i60.tinypic.com/1zh19mo.jpg

[u/aristocratsboing → u/telperionflower]

GG: If I had a foolproof process, songs would get finished a lot quicker than they do. There's no set method...for me.

[u/Snake101st]

Can you guys come back to Raleigh, NC please? We loved you coming to the Pour House!

As far as a question goes, how rewarding is it that you guys could be playing in literally any band in the world based on your talents, but are fortunate enough to be together and do whatever you like and have a laugh?

[u/aristocratsboing → u/Snake101st]

MM: What, have a laugh? What, am I a clown? Am I here to amuse you? [/joepesci]

BB: We loved The Pour House gig and would love to come back. Seriously, we dig dive bars.

[u/VandenburgChills]

Just wanted to apologize for Tulsa being so lame. We really do love great music...but the promotion of your show was non-existent outside of fanboys like me trying to get friends to come. Still...you guys blew me away, and I'm actually happy that I had a chance to sit on a stool 3m away and enjoy the small-club atmosphere.

Keep up the great work. I look forward to all the new music you have yet to bestow upon us.

[u/aristocratsboing → u/VandenburgChills]

MM: Hang on. Tulsa was great for various reasons.

BB: That was a great sounding club as well. We might even come back. :-)

[u/Suhr97]

Favorite Frank Zappa song? This might be impossible, there are so many great tunes! Greetings from Norway. :-)

[u/aristocratsboing → u/Suhr97]

MM: "Drowning Witch", among many.

GG: That's a good contender, actually. Also, "Sinister Footwear, Part 2."

BB: Too many. And I like parts of his songs sometimes. The long coda of "Big Swifty" always really moved me. For me it was more about what band he had and the sound they made. The band with George Duke always floored me.

[u/AM1726]

Marco! My hero :D You 3 are the best trio in the whole world! Got any tips on how to learn jazz the easiest way? Or build finger speed on shuffle/triplets? Thanks!

[u/aristocratsboing → u/AM1726]

MM: Listen to Queen's album "Jazz". :-) The secret of jazz is to try and play against each other while onstage. And don't listen.

For developing faster triplets: When you want to go home earlier from the show, it happens automatically. :-) But seriously, look into the book "Finger Control Technique" by Gary Chaffee.

[u/tr1ckyp4t]

Boing, We'll Do It Live! is one of my favorite DVDs to watch, but it's missing all the great Culture Clash songs...is there a Culture Clash Live DVD in the works?

[u/aristocratsboing → u/tr1ckyp4t]

The Aristocrats: YES. We're working on right now, actually, while we do this AMA. We multitask like that. Watch for it this winter!