Alice Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss recently spoke with Ultimate Guitar and offered advice on learning how to play guitar. Following is an excerpt from the conversation.

Strauss: "Just have fun with it, especially if you're getting into technical playing. Don't get so bogged down with all the technical stuff. It's supposed to be PLAYING guitar. So play. Have fun with it. Don't let it turn into work. That's advice that I have to take too. I have to practice guitar because it is my job. But just like in a relationship, even after you've been with someone for a long time, you still have to go on dates. That's how you keep your relationship alive. It's the same thing with your instrument. You have to do stuff that's fun for you or it will become work."

Fun fact in case you didn't know it: Nita is actually a descendant of Austrian composer Johann Strauss. She noted during the interview:

"I come from a musical family. My dad was a musician and he played in bands. My musical ancestry goes back to the composer Johann Strauss. So there was always music around and there were always instruments in the house. But it wasn't until I saw the movie 'Crossroads' and that scene at the end with Vai. That's what sparked my love of the instrument and my desire to play like that. It's still what inspires me to this day."

Read the complete article here.

Strauss is featured in a video clip from Swiss online guitar lesson site HGuitare.com, where she teaches fans how to play the Alice Cooper classic "Poison":

At the 2016 installment of the annual NAMM trade fair in Anaheim, CA, Strauss and Alice Cooper bassist Chuck Garric performed at the Korg booth. Check out the footage below courtesy of Gear Gods.