Hello, and welcome to RandyCuffe.com, the Internet home of the guitar-shredding network engineer! I am also online at http://www.myspace.com/randycuffe
Send me an email or instant message if you want to get in touch. I'll see you around Baltimore and DC!


MY MUSIC BIO

.......Well, lets see. I started playing acoustic guitar in 1989. Alot of people have different reasons for starting to play an instrument. I was inspired by many things, but I think the biggest inspiration for me came from two movies that came out in the late 1980's. One was entitled "Crossroads", which featured a great rock guitarist by the name of Steve Vai, and the other movie was "La Bamba" the Ritchie Valens story, featuring music by the Latin rock band Los Lobos. I think any beginning guitarist who is searching for some inspiration should watch these two classics. At that time, I was playing drums in the school band. But after watching these movies, I went out and got an acoustic guitar instead, and never looked back.

At first, I started out playing the easy stuff, you know, oldies but goodies, blues, etc. But soon after, I got really interested in the electrifying sound of power rock and metal. It wasn't long before I got my hands on a really basic Peavey Patriot electric guitar and an old Tronix amplifier. I started off trying to play what was on the radio and MTV at the time - Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Nirvana, Metallica. But I could never figure out how guys like Kirk Hammett and Marty Friedman from Metallica and Megadeth could play the seemingly impossible guitar solos. At some point I finally bought a guitar theory book from the local Sam Goody’s music store and started learning scales and modes. That’s when I realized that guitar scales are just patterns that repeat over and over again on the fretboard. Once I figured out the patterns, I realized that many of the heavy metal masters are really playing these patterns or selected notes from these patterns really fast.

About that time, a friend of mine introduced me to the music of three guitarists: Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, and Joe Satriani. Needless to say I was blown away, and I quickly realized if I wanted to get better I would have practice harder and more frequently, and get an even better understanding of the fretboard. So I bought a few more books and videos from the local music store. Two important books and videos come to mind: "The Guitar Grimoire" by Adam Kadman, and "Intense Rock" featuring Paul Gilbert. I encourage any aspiring heavy metal lead guitarist to get those two books and videos. They helped me start to take my playing over the top with techniques such as three-note-per-string speed licks, sweeps, and tapping. By 1996 I felt like I sounded respectable as far as guitar chops. But it wasn't until I finished college that I finally spent some time playing with a local rock band and started doing a little recording. So I put this little website together to share some of my musical ideas and interests. I hope you find something that interests you as well.

~Randy C.