According to a recent interview with the Talking Shred podcast, Joe Satriani contributed to Metallica’s success.
The guitarist stated that he didn’t want to tell his students what to do creatively as a teacher and recalled his lessons with Kirk Hammett. “Kirk would come in and say, ‘This is a rehearsal tape, we’re working on the song. What key is this? And the music was brand new! I mean, it was different from what other musicians had done for the previous hundred years.”
Joe Satriani Wanted Hammett To Learn Himself
He responded to Hammett, “And I’d say, ‘Well, I’m not going to tell you what to play. But here’s how you can figure it out. And these are the options. “And then you just go do Kirk Hammett once you’ve learned this stuff.”
Satriani didn’t specify whether the recordings Hammett provided him were from Exodus or Metallica. However, because Joe mentioned previously unreleased music, it is more likely that it was Metallica.
Was Hammett A Good Student?
Satriani stated on The Howard Stern Show last year that he was proud of Hammett’s accomplishments as a musician. “I have to say that all of the students felt the same way as if they were part of a team. When someone got a good job, it was like scoring a goal. It’s beneficial for the team. At least that’s how I felt. I was proud of him (Kirk Hammett) because I knew how hard he worked. He was tireless and completely motivated.”
The rocker previously described his teaching days as a ‘great experience’ on Guitar Player, saying, “It was a great experience. No matter what abilities my students came to me with, I always tried to give them their money’s worth and build their musical knowledge in ways they could grasp and use. And I tried to make the lessons fun because I knew that if things got boring, they’d tune out and stop coming.”
Besides Hammett, Satriani gave guitar lessons to other musicians like Testament’s Alex Skolnick Larry Lalonde of Primus, and Steve Vai.
