“He had his own band, and then, in the late ’60s, he was in a terrible factory accident that cut his fingers off at the knuckles”: Melissa Etheridge reveals the most important lesson she learned from her “scary” first guitar teacher

Melissa Etheridge’s technical dexterity and songwriting chops can be heard on established classics like I’m The Only One, I Want to Come Over, Come to My Window, and Bring Me Some Water, as well as on her latest single, Bein’ Alive, from her upcoming album, Rush.

“I’m a slightly technically trained guitar player,” she tells Guitar World when asked about her roots and the evolution of her playing style.

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“He kind of scared me ’cause he didn’t have any fingers, and he was really grouchy. But he saw that I didn’t give up… he always said, ‘No, she’s too young. She’s gonna stop playing, and her fingers are gonna bleed.’ I was like, ‘No, I’m not.’”

Aside from teaching her the essential guitar skills, Etheridge says that he taught her the most valuable lesson she’s ever learned.

“He had a little footstool, like the ones that would raise up, and he would sit there and tap his foot. He would say, ‘I don’t care what notes you play, just never go out of time.’ So, he taught me the importance of time and rhythm.”

As Etheridge very aptly puts it, “Man, you can play wrong notes, but if you play out of time, you’re done.”

Guitar World‘s interview with Melissa Etheridge will be published in the coming weeks.

In more recent news, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced the nominees for its Class of 2026 – and the list includes Etheridge.

Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology and how it is shaping the future of the music industry, and has a special interest in shining a spotlight on traditionally underrepresented artists and global guitar sounds. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Auf der Maur, Yvette Young, Danielle Haim, Fanny, and Karan Katiyar from Bloodywood, among others. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her Anglo-Maltese, art-rock band ĠENN.