Billy Sheehan
Billy Sheehan
William "Billy" Sheehanis an American bassist known for his work with Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. Sheehan has won the "Best Rock Bass Player" readers' poll from Guitar Player Magazine five times for his "lead bass" playing style. Sheehan's repertoire includes the use of chording, two-handed tapping, right-hand "three-finger picking" technique and controlled feedback...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth19 March 1953
CityBuffalo, NY
CountryUnited States of America
I'm a fan of many different styles of classical and symphonic music.
Very often I suspend my musical sensibilities to enjoy music as a fan.
And no again: My studio is not a first or any step toward becoming any type of businessman on my part.
I've been an amature inventor for a long time.
It was also important for me to have a burning desire to achieve something worthwhile on that instrument, and I devoted many many many hours with little or no compensation to perfecting whatever I could, because I loved it so much.
I listened to many different types of instruments and music, and have always tried to look at the bass as an instrument as opposed to only a bass.
It's not art, it's science.
Be honest with yourself and the way you act when you hear music. That way, when people watch, they'll see something from your heart and soul, and as a result will communicate your feeling and thought much better.
I gave up a lot of things in exchange for my success.
I try to do my absolute best for the people who come see me play.
I'm very honored and thankful if someone says something nice about my playing, but in general I'm very critical of what I do.
I plan on doing a lot more work on my own, and discovering and doing more.
History has repeated itself many times througout the ages.
As far as current inspiration, I'm listenting to a lot of flamenco, because the techniques used for flamenco can be adapted to playing bass.