Chris Broderick was well respected in the guitar world as both a virtuoso player and a great teacher, but on February 4, 2008, his life changed dramatically. It was on that day that he made his debut as the new lead guitarist of Megadeth.

Broderick has spent the last three years touring the world, playing to sold out stadiums and writing and recording music for two Megadeth albums. His playing may just be the best the band has ever seen, and that is saying a lot. Yet, no one in the bands’ past, not even Marty Friedman, can say that they can one up Broderick. He more than holds his own and, in fact, has really boosted new life into the band as their albums Endgame and TH1RT3EN have proven.

Not just a Metal gunslinger, Broderick is well versed, and appreciates, all styles of guitar playing. He is influenced as much by classic players as he is by shredders. Another player of the same caliber as Chris is Testament’s Alex Skolnick. He, too, shreds and still hits the road playing other styles, namely jazz in the Alex Skolnick Trio. The two of them deciding to join forces and put on a winter guitar retreat is a true match made in heaven.

There is still time to learn more and sign up for the retreat, which takes place the week after Christmas. Imagine spending five days hanging out with Alex Skolnick and Chris Broderick and soaking up their guitar knowledge. Oh yeah, you might even get to jam with them at the Master Class too.

In the interview that follows Chris tells Classic Rock Revisited all one needs to know about the winter retreat but we also talk about Megadeth, how he composes solos and if he was more a Metallica or Megadeth fan growing up.

Jeb: Before we even get into the new album TH1RT3EN, you are doing something really cool. You and Alex Skolnick are doing a winter retreat for guitar players at the Full Moon Resort in New York. Tell me about that.

Chris: It was presented to us and we both thought it was a great idea because of our musical backgrounds and because we have both been teachers. I thought it really made good sense. We’ve toured together and we’ve hung out together in the past, so that makes it really cool.

People can come and hang out at the resort, which is a nice environment and learn about guitar playing. It is really set up so a person can take a vacation centered around the guitar. While they are here they will get to see how we view the guitar and learn about things we utilize to create on the guitar. We will cover every aspect of our playing and they can learn from us.

Chris: It is open this year to anyone. This is the first time I have done anything quite like this. The first year I will be getting the lay of the land and seeing what people are most interested in and what they want to learn. I don’t think that how accomplished you are on the instrument will make you either qualified, or unqualified, to attend.

Chris: I have a list of goals. I had to come up with a curriculum that I wanted to teach. I have all of the things I want to do planned out but whether I get to all of them or not will depend on the class.

Chris: Yes, definitely. We will teach a couple of glasses together and then, at the end of the night, we will do a Master Class where we get everyone together and we allow the students to get up and play with us.

Chris: I am sure there is a limit to the size of the hotel but for all purposes, right now, there is no limit. People can sign up and come to the resort.

Chris: It is December 26^th through the 30^th. I have not been to the resort yet but I have heard it is really a wonderful place.

Chris: I think Alex has really cool choices when it comes to note selection. If you listen to his solo in “Soul of Black” or “The Preacher” then you realize that his guitar lines are really, really cool.

Chris: Not too much. I know he has a tour this week with The Alex Skolnick Trio. I know they cover songs like “War Pigs” and stuff, which is really cool.

Chris: I think that is true for both of us. I really can’t say because I don’t know what they will know about me. I know that my history has become fairly common public knowledge. We have also posted our curriculum for the people who have signed up for this.

Chris: Seeing someone really grasp onto the knowledge you’re trying to convey, and really utilize it and make it part of their own is very rewarding. I really get a lot out of that. Passing on the knowledge is really what excites me.

Chris: I just consider myself lucky to even have got into the position that I’m in. I am glad people really like what I do and how I play but I realize that there are a lot of other great players out there.

Chris: Jason Becker, Paco de Lucia and players like that, in general, inspired me. I was definitely always into harder rock but I was also into the whole classical thing. Early on, I was into jazz but I can appreciate any genre as long as it is played and executed well.

Chris: I don’t feel like I have been a game changer, or anything like that, but I do bring my knowledge of harmonization and functional tonality to the band. I also bring my influences, as well. I would think that anyone in my position would bring something to the band. There should be some inflection of personality to the band and I think that’s what I bring.

Chris: When I first joined, I didn’t even have time to think about the people who I was trying to replace. I just knew I had a lot of work to do, in terms of getting the music down, and trying to learn it accurately. It wasn’t until maybe a year ago that I could even think about where I was positioned as a guitarist.

Chris: Absolutely, it really has been. It is to the point that you don’t even recount half of it anymore because there is so much going on, constantly. It has just been awesome.

Chris: I would say I noticed the element of friendship that they have between each other right away. They have a great camaraderie. Dave and Dave have such a history that they can really read each other’s mind, which is awesome. Ellefson is a great bass player, who is very professional. I can’t say enough about getting to jam with him.

Chris: That was written for Guitar Hero and we knew that they wanted a lot of guitar soloing on it. It was one of those things where we went and wrote the song around the solos and then expanded the song from there. Dave and I went back and forth taking solos and we really wrote the solos first and then the song was arranged around that. It was a backwards way of doing it but it really worked.

Chris: We all present ideas. If you’re a musician then you’re always writing music but, at the end of the day, we have to look at what fits Megadeth.

Chris: You have to be professional at all times. In today’s day and age there is a lot of scrutiny and you end up on YouTube almost every night. You’ve got to develop some tough skin as there are a lot of people checking you out.

Chris: I really do both, but at the end of the day, I prefer to compose the solos. When you have time to think about what is going into a part of the song, then you can think more complexly than if you just solo over the top of something. When you just solo over the top of something then you’re at the whim of your technique and you’re at the whim of what you’re thinking about at the moment.

Chris: Not at all. This album was one of the smoothest albums I’ve ever been involved in. From start to finish, we were able to start the songs and finish them and move onto the next. It really was an easy album to make.

Chris: We are going out on the Gigantour Tour in 2012. Plans are even being worked on past that. It is going to be a very busy 2012.

Chris: I think we were after a really aggressive sound for that whole CD. “Head Crusher” is very, very in your face and that’s what we were looking to do. Wow, I’m glad you said that.

Chris: It does have a lot more melody. I’m a guitar player, so I guess I like to play songs like the ones on Endgame better, but if you really look at some of the melodies and the guitar playing that was put down for TH1RT3EN, then you see how it is so much more appropriate for the music. Personally, I think most people are going to gravitate towards TH1RT3EN than your average guitar player would.

Chris: Growing up? The problem is that it is not a fair assessment. I really didn’t follow Megadeth until Marty Friedman got into Megadeth. I got into Metallica in the Ride the Lightening era. I didn’t get into Megadeth until much later, so I can’t really make that judgment.

http://sbwinterguitarretreat.com/site/