191 | Uli Jon Roth on Breaking Boundaries

With both a U.S. tour and a new session of Sky Academy booked for April/May, Uli Jon Roth is headed for an exciting Spring of 2026. It’s all part of his passion to reach (and help his Sky Academy students reach) new musical heights. “A great musician is always growing,” says the German-born, U.K.-based guitar hero. Indeed, Uli could have rested on his laurels as the lava-hot lead player of ’70s-era Scorpions hard rock. But, taking inspiration from the music of heroes such as Keith Jarrett, Jimi Hendrix, and Antonio Vivaldi, he has always strived for a much deeper level of artistic expression. In this exclusive visit to Sky Academy, we plug in with Uli and embark on some epic improvisational odysseys, gain insights into his hugely influential rock masterpiece “The Sails of Charon,” learn about his unique extended-neck Sky Guitars, and, best of all, learn why, as he says, “the fingers are the least important part of your sound.” Hosted by Jude Gold, this episode is brought to you by your online guitar instruction friends at TrueFire. TrueFire offers thousands of hours of guitar instruction from A-list players. For a free 30-day all-access membership (no credit card required!), click to truefire.com/safe.