"When you switch the gear of what you're operating on from the memorized information to the gear of intuitive, faithful response, it's a whole different frequency that's emitted from the hands and from the soul," country shredder Daniel Donato expresses on this episode of Wong Notes. He's talking about what makes for powerful improvisation, and if you know anything about the guitarist, you know this insight around the topic is coming from someone who's a master on their instrument.

Throughout his conversation with Cory, Donato shares his uniquely intellectual philosophies about music, explaining what it means to exploit versus explore creatively, how lessons in faith and trust of his bandmates came to supersede his knowledge around music, and how "listening and alignment" of one vision is most important when jamming with others. He also sheds light on his experiences working with producers Robben Ford and Vance Powell, and the different collaborative dynamics he had with both.

Following an emphatic statement from Cory that he has always, always been loyal to Dave Matthews Band, and a comment from Daniel on how a drummer really is at the core of a successful jam, Daniel elaborates: "The song is a vehicle for a spirit." He says Carter Beauford's performance on "Ants Marching" on DMB's first live album, Remember Two Things, which features an extended 2 and 4 pattern in the intro, perfectly serves the song. "I need players that are very spiritually and emotionally vulnerable," says Donato, "and willing to do things that are abstract and left-field that wouldn't be intuitive."

Clearly an admirer of Cory's work, Daniel has some questions for him towards the end of the interview. Then, Cory quizzes Daniel on gear that he finds essential. His response? Whatever feels like the right pick to you, Mogami cables, and, if money isn't an object, a Fender black-panel. Tune in for the full Donato experience.

Listen to the full episode here: https://bit.ly/WongNotes

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Visit Daniel Donato: https://danieldonato.com/

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Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory Wong

Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger

Presented by DistroKid

Wolfgang Van Halen joins Cory for the season 7 premiere of Wong Notes! Chatting before the release of Mammoth II, the duo discuss guitar trios, 5150 studios, cloning, touring with Metallica, plus: Who’s that playing wah on the record? What’s WVH’s rig? And much more.

On his new record, WVH has lots to share. When it comes to writing and recording rhythm tracks, he’s says, “It’s all groove.” Later, he adds, “I’ve always championed myself as more of a rhythm player than anything.”

And on what’s next for EVH gear, he promises that there’s much more in store.

But the most profound thoughts come when the pair go deep on music. WVH shares his soloing philosophy, which he learned from his father:

“Something I follow … when I write guitar solos that my dad taught me … is you can shred all you want, but if you can’t sing the solo, then it’s usually not working. There’s always a moment … that you can do the wankery of a shreddy solo, but it’s important to be able to hum the melody, you know? That usually, with the way that I write solos … is really deliberate in the way that I write … I’m a pretty poor off-the-cuff soloist, I like to really plan things out and have it be this nice piece. It kind of forms up with a melody, then it crescendos, then by the end it wraps up with … maybe a tapping section or a shreddy sort of passage. Basically, the main thing is you should be able to hum it. The melody should be in your head.”

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Visit Wolfgang Van Halen: https://mammothwvh.com/

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Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory Wong

Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger

Presented by DistroKid

Soulive, Lettuce, Tedeschi Trucks, and most recently, Stanton Moore and Branford Marsalis—that's a short list of some of the acts Eric Krasno plays and has played with throughout his career. From one funk guitarist to another, Cory sits down with Eric to talk what it means to play the right amount of notes when jamming, what it takes for Eric to absorb and learn so many different genres, and the impact the jam band community has on its musicians. Thanks for listening to this season of Wong Notes, and be sure to catch the next!

Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong

Visit Eric Krasno: https://www.erickrasno.com/

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Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory Wong

Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger

Presented by DistroKid

"If you keep your head and your ass in the same place, that'll happen on its own," says Jason Isbell on how he gets the most out of his live performances. On the heels of a new HBO documentary, he and Cory sit down for a deep discussion, talking creating genuine art that can also turn into hits, Muscle Shoals, and the intersection between "guitarist" and "songwriter"—as well as "for life" gear choices.

Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong

Visit Jason Isbell: http://jasonisbell.com

Hit us up: wongnotes@premierguitar.com

Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com

Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wongnotespod

IG: https://www.instagram.com/wongnotespod

Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory Wong

Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger

Presented by DistroKid

The Extreme guitarist shares his pedal philosophy—including how a visit from EVH inspired him to use a phaser on the new record—and talks about ripping with Rihanna at the Super Bowl and more.

Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong

Visit Nuno Bettencourt: https://extreme-band.com/

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Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com

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Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory Wong

Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger

Presented by DistroKid

The Phish bassist chats about everything from how to EQ a picked electric bass tone to drummers, the importance of a good shirt, his recipe for a good gig, and why he hates jam bands.

Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong

Visit Mike Gordon: https://mike-gordon.com/

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Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory Wong

Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger

Presented by DistroKid

Cory sits down with his bandmate-brother, multi-instrumentalist Theo Katzman, to discuss the virtues of musical self-acceptance, the infectious charisma of Trey Anastasio, and how Theo has made a career out of being a jack of all trades.

Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong

Visit Theo Katzman: http://theokatzman.com

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Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory Wong

Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger

Presented by DistroKid

Mateus Asato shares on his experiences playing with pop stars, what it means to be of service to a song, and how taking a break from social media—which was where he built his fan base of 1.2 million—was crucial to his mental health.

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Visit Mateus Asato: https://www.instagram.com/mateusasato/

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Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory Wong

Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger

Presented by DistroKid

The professor is in. He dives deep into EVH’s moves, talks about why he prefers high action, and goes “full rant mode” into technical tips. 

Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong

Visit Paul Gilbert: http://paulgilbert.com

Hit us up: wongnotes@premierguitar.com

Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com

Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wongnotespod

IG: https://www.instagram.com/wongnotespod

Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory Wong

Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger

Presented by DistroKid

This week’s ep is just a couple of Strat dudes talkin’ gear. The guys get deep on everything from their favorite guitars to pedals and some speaker chat, and the busy New York guitarist and professor talks about improv and the up-and-coming crop of jazz cats.

Get 30% off your first year of DistroKid by going here: http://distrokid.com/vip/corywong

Visit Nir Felder: https://www.nirfelder.com/

Hit us up: wongnotes@premierguitar.com

Visit Cory: https://www.corywongmusic.com

Visit Premier Guitar: http://premierguitar.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/wongnotespod

IG: https://www.instagram.com/wongnotespod

Produced by Jason Shadrick and Cory Wong

Additional Editing by Shawn Persinger

Presented by DistroKid