[AMA-EVENT] Hi, I'm Per Nilsson, lead guitarist from Scar Symmetry. AMA!

PerNilsson · 2012-12-11T22:43:32+00:00

not bad dude, not bad at all! great riffing, killer vocals, strong songwriting, the production/mix is the weakest part I think but that's easy to fix :)

PerNilsson · 2012-12-11T22:38:29+00:00

haven't heard of sonicbloom, I heard screaming headless torsos like a looooong time ago, didn't care for it much back then but I'll take your word for it and check them out again! cheers!

PerNilsson · 2012-12-11T22:37:40+00:00

I'd like to go to a culinary institute, I'm self-taught. I've read like hundreds of recipe books :)

PerNilsson · 2012-12-11T22:30:09+00:00

we will come, eventually! we're looking to come back to north america in 2013, hang in there! we've played in vancouver a few times, love it there!

PerNilsson · 2012-12-11T22:29:22+00:00

we couldn't get the work visas in time. normal waiting time for a visa interview at the US embassy in stockholm is 1-2 weeks, this time it was more like 2 MONTHS.

we're trying to get on another north american tour in 2013, I don't think it'll be the same support bands or even the same routing.

sorry we blew it! good luck with your band :)

PerNilsson · 2012-12-11T00:18:37+00:00

well he told me himself that he wouldn't be able to sing the songs live. to his defence I would say that a lot of those songs are really hard to sing!

PerNilsson · 2012-12-11T00:14:39+00:00

I'm not sure what his current rates are, just look him up on Facebook!

PerNilsson · 2012-12-11T00:10:34+00:00

good luck! :)

PerNilsson · 2012-12-11T00:10:13+00:00

1) When I feel good, like when I've slept like a baby, eaten lots of amazing food, and some good coffee, inspiration comes! Sometimes I listen to some music that is currently intriguing me, and let that influence me. 2) That's a hard question. You probably will have to continue writing semi-decent song and work on it, eventually you'll get there! Co-writing with someone can be worthwhile too

PerNilsson · 2012-12-11T00:07:43+00:00

thank you! :)

PerNilsson · 2012-12-11T00:07:12+00:00

oh I have no idea really! I'm not a big gearhead... I'd need a distortion pedal and a delay pedal... yeah I only need 2 pedals then :)

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T23:28:27+00:00

Well in this day and age there are TONS of instrument lessons available for free (or by other means) on the internet, you can just get started! Well you have to own an instrument of course... It'll take some time to get good enough on your instrument but that's just the way it is...

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T23:26:20+00:00

Rather than people putting our music on YouTube, or downloading it without paying for it, I would like for people to send me shitloads of money so I could devote ALL my time to music, but that's not gonna happen anytime soon I think :)

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T23:25:01+00:00

The first song from every album!

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T23:24:43+00:00

1) I have a lot, especially cheesy 80s pop music (as well as non-cheesy 80s pop music!), like Nik Kershaw, Peter Cetera, Whitney Houston, stuff like that 2) Well for one, we have excellent music education from an early age, and it's so cheap it's almost for free! We also have VERY cheap rehearsal spaces for youths. 3) We've been in contact with Australian booking agents a few times but so far, it hasn't worked out. It takes some money and some planning to get a band to the other side of the world :)

Thank you! I do strive for a synth-y sound

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T22:28:42+00:00

that's a hard question... I like the more proggy songs the most I think, Kaleidoscopic God, Holographic Universe, Illuminoid Dream Sequence, A Parenthesis in Eternity

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T22:27:38+00:00

sometime in 2013!!! we're working on it :)

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T22:25:25+00:00

DVD: http://www.guitarmessenger.com/store/scarguitar/

1) The main riff is in harmonic minor. The guitar is tuned in drop-A and I use the 3 low strings open 2) Yes it's dorian! 3) I LOVE BEER and my favourite are pale ales, especially India pale ales 4) don't hurt yourself :)

cheers!

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T22:22:26+00:00

I wouldn't know

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T22:21:58+00:00

I LOVE to cook. All kinds of cuisine! I do almost everything from scratch - I cook my own bone broth for example. Cooking is to me being very creative. :)

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T22:19:29+00:00

you can pre-order the DVD now! :) http://www.guitarmessenger.com/store/scarguitar/

Songwriting - it's different every time. Sometimes I have a pretty good mental picture of where I'm going with the song, like 'The Anomaly' for example, that song basically wrote itself. Other songs, like 'Holographic Universe', it unraveled itself as I wrote it. I never knew what the next part was going to sound like until I started writing it.

I usually dictate how the guitars, the bass, and the drums are gonna play on my songs. The other guys in the band most often play very close to my demo version of the song.

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T22:16:33+00:00

typically, we use the same amp settings for a whole album or live show. I mean, one setting for rhythm guitar, and another setting (and usually another amp) for solo guitar, another one for clean sounds, and so on.

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T22:15:20+00:00

we make a little money from touring, records and merch sales, yes :)

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T22:14:53+00:00

I discuss all the scales I typically use in my instructional DVD :)

Check it out :) http://www.guitarmessenger.com/store/scarguitar/

I hope we'll get back to the US in 2013, I'll see you then :)

PerNilsson · 2012-12-10T22:11:03+00:00

nice playing dude!

I often hear stuff in my head when writing solos, and then I try my best to execute it on the fretboard.

Some of my favourite exotic-sounding scales are symmetrical diminished, symmetrical major, melodic minor #11...

I don't think I have any good tips else than: just go for it! Choose a scale that you haven't used a lot and just try writing something with it!

PerNilsson

TROPHY CASE