Steve Morse has won the Guitar Player poll twice as best overall guitarist. His life after the Dregs has been a rebirth of his love for finely crafted, intelligent music. His new album, The Introduction, is climbing the charts. Here's what he told our David Bergstrom during a recent interview . . .

David Bergstrom: Congratulations on the success of the new album, The Introduction. How would you describe the music of the Steve Morse Band to the music lover who may not be familiar with your work?

Steve Morse: It's instrumental progressive rock with diversions into classical and country music.

DB: What attracted you to guitar in the beginning, and what has kept you playing all these years?

SM: In the beginning it was probably hearing the Beatles. Because the music was so catchy, it made everyone want to hear it again.

DB: Did you start on acoustic guitar or electric guitar?

SM: I started on acoustic guitar simply because it was more accessible.

DB: Which do you feel is better for the young player who wants to learn how to play a wide variety of styles: The acoustic or electric?

SM: Well, if you are talking about the acoustic guitar that I started on, don't do it! But it's possible now with some of the high technology acoustic guitars to start with one of those. They're not impossible to play. There was a feeling when I was playing; the theory that you buy a cheap guitar first and then, as you learn to play better, you get a good guitar. The only problem is, it's like learning to drive a car without brakes and with first gear missing: Once you learn, you'll work your way up to driving a car with brakes. I've always advised people to get the best guitar they can afford to start with, because the better the guitar, the easier it is to play, and the more success you're liable to have. To think that you're going to play just one style of guitar is limiting yourself. I advise everyone that I talk to to learn to play electric styles and acoustic styles. Acoustic guitar is better for your fingers. It's always going to require a little bit more exact pressure to play. You can't get away with anything on that kind of guitar, and it's good to learn on from that standpoint. You know what I mean, but you don't have to get one with barbed wire for strings that are a foot off the fretboard!

DB: Your guitar playing encompasses an amazingly wide variety of music styles and your influences are equally diverse. What advise could you give the new player who wishes to have a diverse background? But who looks at the work ahead of him as being just too much material to absorb? Where should the new player really begin to dig in and try to become a diverse player?

SM: The best place to start, I think, should be the easiest place to start. What's your favorite kind of music? Pop? Well, with the aid of a good guitar teacher you could start with a song that you could learn in one or two lessons and work up to some of the more interesting guitar parts found in pop music.

DB: You did quite a bit of acoustic touring with Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco De Lucia. What effects did playing with them have on your acoustic music concepts and the techniques that you use in playing acoustic guitar?

SM: They had an immediate impact on me as far as technique itself. Within two weeks I was trying to change my technique to the technique used by John McLaughlin and Al Di Meola. Like the way the pick is held and the angle that the wrist is moved. After a few weeks of trying it, I switched back to my old technique which is a hybrid that works for electric and acoustic guitars. It's not the most efficient for either one, but has advantages for both. What works well for one person may not work well for the other when they're trying to do different things. John McLaughlin was a very powerful figure in my early days and he has really held on to his convictions. He always stood up for the principles involved. "Why are you doing this or why are you not doing this" . . . and that impressed me a lot.

DB: Have you done acoustic work with anyone else?

SM: We did a tour in Germany with David Lindley, the guitarist for Jackson Browne. He had his own band with Rich Thompson, an English guitarist who has played with many people.

DB: You used an Ovation acoustic on the Di Meola-McLaughlin-De Lucia tour. What were the factors that brought you to choose an Ovation over the other acoustic instruments available?

SM: We were playing big halls. We needed to fill up big spaces and play some high intricate lines, traveling every day and flying a lot. I needed a guitar with a pickup, a cutaway, and very durable construction. I am very familiar with all the products available because of the NAMM shows and things like that. I figured that Ovation was the only choice. Ovation necks are also very comfortable to play for hours and hours.

DB: Transition to, you mean from an electric guitar?

SM: Exactly. My 1984 Collectors' Series almost feels like an electric guitar because it's got those nice wide frets, as do all of the new supershallow series.

DB: Will there be a video from The Introduction?

SM: Yes, as a matter of fact we did two short videos. Both were played on MTV.

DB: What tunes are the videos derived from?

SM: One was "Cruise Missile," and the other was "General Lee." I did an interview on MTV, and they asked me to play something on the guitar, so I brought the Ovation.

DB: We saw it and heard a lot about it from players and non-players alike. We're obviously very excited to see you playing an Ovation guitar on MTV, especially when most of the guitars seen on MTV are solid bodies.

SM: The acoustic guitar is inherently foolproof in certain conditions. The sound of electric guitar, especially in situations where you are recording or picking up sounds, comes from a specific point at the end of the plug or the speaker. You know approximately how loud an acoustic guitar is and that it will spread out in all directions because of the way the sound radiates from a guitar. Therefore, you know that if you can hear someone talking you can hear the guitar. That was the logic behind my choosing that guitar.

DB: What musical pieces did you play on the MTV interview?

SM: It was a little improvisation. I really just started playing.

DB: What has been your most satisfying musical experience in the past years?

SM: The most satisfying musical experience? Wow, that's a good question! That's a real good question! That's an intense question! I guess one of the most satisfying musical experiences was playing on stage with John, Al, and Paco when everyone was just sort of following the inspiration of the music. It was at the end of a tune and instead of ending, everyone took off on improvisation following each other and switching back and forth. It was amazing.

DB: On the other side of the coin, how about your most difficult musically related experience in the past year.

SM: Playing solo classical guitar, especially the first time for a particular tune, in front of people.

DB: Did you use an acoustic guitar on The Introduction?

SM: Yes, I used the 12 string Ovation on those shimmering kind of chords that you hear on "Cruise Missile." Also, at the beginning and at the end on all the chord melodies on "Cruise Missile." I used the steel string and nylon string stereo models on the "Whistle."

DB: Do you write mostly with an acoustic or an electric guitar?

SM: I write all the classical stuff on acoustic, also chords. I did a lot of chord playing on "Mountain Waltz." All the chords are done with the steel string acoustic.

DB: Well, that's great. We congratulate you on The Introduction, and the success it's had. I'm sure that your continued musical development will give your fans a lot to look forward to over the next year.