Michael Dolce Interview: Australian Guitar Wizard

By: Dr. Matt Warnock

Photo: Courtesy of M. Dolce

Australian Guitarist Michael Dolce

Mixing country, fusion and rock in a manner that is as compelling as it is uniquely personal, Australian guitarist, recording artist and educator Michael Dolce is a player worth checking out. Though he may not have the household name of a Tommy Emmanuel, yet, with the release of his first album Everything Til Now, Dolce is looking to change that, bringing his music to a wider audience and exposing guitar fans across the globe to his electrifying brand of modern fusion playing.

Besides being a monster player, Dolce is also an accomplished guitar pedagogue, which is represented in both his in person masterclasses that he holds across Australia, as well as the free lessons that people can access through his website. There are many great players around today, but being a great teacher is a whole different ballgame. Dolce has obviously come to this conclusion as well, as his lessons are well thought out and easy to understand for guitarists of any level.

Guitar International recently sat down with Michael Dolce to discuss his new album, the teaching side of his career and what guitars he’s playing these days.

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Matt Warnock: You mix a bunch of different styles into your playing, is this a conscious thing or just how your playing has developed over the years?

Michael Dolce: It’s definitely something that’s just developed over the years. I was always trying to simulate the sounds of Blues, Fusion and Country, but I could never find myself feeling comfortable doing it in a purely traditional way. It just didn’t feel natural for me. So I pretty much just went with what did feel good. My album, Everything Til Now, is a good representation of my diverse approach.

Matt: Speaking of which, your debut album Everything Til Now took a while to record due to other commitments. Because of this, did you find that mixing and mastering took longer than expected because your ears and music had grown during that time?

Michael: The recording side took three months due to touring commitments, and in addition, most of the guys that played on the album were hard to tie down due to their busy schedules, but it was worth the wait.

The mixing side was the longest process. Once again I had to work around Nathan Cavaleri’s schedule. He would call me in the morning and we’d go from there. We sometimes had two hours, sometimes four, and it was spread out over five months.

I’m actually glad we did it that way because it would give me heaps of time to listen to each mix, and then the luxury to re-visit each song and make adjustments. The album was written in three weeks so it captured the way I was feeling and playing at the time.

I never intended to play around with the songs too much after they were written. So I didn’t really give my ears a chance to try and hear other possibilities, because I was pretty much set with what I had in mind. For me it’s all about capturing the moment.

Matt: You used some top studio musicians for the record, are you currently rehearsing with a working band to take on the road to promote this album?

Michael: I was so lucky to have all these guys on the album, they’re the best in the business right now in Australia, and if I had the choice, I’d do it the same way all over again.

I’ve been rehearsing the new material with various line-ups, but haven’t gigged it live just yet. As you would know, playing your own material live costs money, and I don’t want to rely on my mates to turn up to my gigs just so I can pay my band. [Laughs]

But, I’ve been playing my songs to backing tracks at various clinics and master classes, which is still a great feeling, but it doesn’t compare to a live band. Hopefully I’ll get it happening in 2011.

Matt: Besides being a player you are also an accomplished teacher. Tell us about your masterclass series, what topics they cover and how people can sign up to participate in them.

Michael: Well actually not so accomplished. [Laughing] I’ve never had any formal training. I’m predominantly self-taught. My masterclass theme is “funk fusion” and it’s purely based on my concepts, approach, conclusions and technique, which may not fit in with your standard theory etiquette, but it’s worked for me and is getting great feedback with the guys that are participating in the classes.

The topics I cover are, creating your own voice using the major scales-modes, using arpeggios, motifs, melodic minor approach, chromatic lines, wide pentatonic ideas, legato lines and more.

It’s all laid out in the most simplistic form with a very effective outcome, but most importantly, making sure that everyone can take the concepts and apply it in their own style. Anyone can register on my site and there’s more info on the page and a clip to view if people want to check it out.

Matt: You have a great lesson section on your site. How do you pick topics to cover and how often do you publish a new lesson for people to check out?

Michael: Thanks Matt. Anyone can view these lessons, all they have to do is subscribe to my newsletter and I’ll send them a password. It’s as easy as that. The topics are random. I normally pick a subject that I think will benefit all players no matter what style they play, but obviously putting my own spin on it. I’ll be posting a new lesson once a month.

Matt: You play Charles Cilia custom guitars. What is it about his guitars that inspires you to play them instead of say PRS, Fender or Gibson?

Michael: I’ve been playing Charles Cilia guitars for quite some time now. He’s built me everything from a Floyd Rose locking style guitar to my very own series guitars which are called the Harlequin MD series. His guitars are world class.

The playability was the first thing that stood out to me, as well as his attention to creating the right combination between pickups and timbers is out of this world. I still love Fenders and Gibson’s, but I suppose it’s like buying a house. You can buy a nice house that’s comfortable, but nothing compares to building a house that’s exactly the way you want it.

Matt: What amps and effects are you using right now?

Michael: I’m very proud to be associated with Bogner amps, they’ve been my backbone for the last four years. I used a Bogner Duende 30W version head through a 1×12 Bogner cube for the recording of my album. It’s a responsive amp. I also use various Bogner Heads for touring.

Click to Check out the Bogner Duende head at Musician’s Friend

Once again, I’m very fortunate and excited to be associated with Xotic pedals Australia. There’s no need to say how good these pedals are, just try one is all I can say. I’ll be doing a tour in 2011 for Xotic pedals which will intertwine with my master classes really looking forward to that. I use all this gear by choice because it’s what works for me.

Matt: How do you balance your career as a teacher and performer, do you ever find yourself having to cut back on one or the other, so one side doesn’t dominate your career?

Michael: Live performance for me is the biggest priority. Whether it be gigs or masterclasses, playing live is what I love to do. I don’t do any private tuition. I leave all that stuff for my masterclasses and my website. But I do offer one-off private lessons on the backend of my masterclasses if any of the guys would like to dive further into the style.

I also have DVD coming out in 2011 called Funk Fusion, so between gigs, sessions, masterclasses and devoting as much time to my family as I can, it doesn’t really leave me much space for anything else.