Having started playing piano at the age of five and guitar at twelve, MacAlpine studied classical piano and violin for a number of years at the Springfield Conservatory of Music in
Massachusetts, as well as various music programs at the
University of Hartford in
Connecticut. One of his musical influences is
Frédéric Chopin, to whom he pays homage in his interpretations of the latter's
études, which are featured on the majority of his studio albums. The venture was short-lived, and his subsequent album
Freedom to Fly (1992) was a return to his instrumental-based work. A further consecutive string of instrumental albums followed throughout the 1990s, most of them through the renowned
Shrapnel Records label:
Madness (1993),
Premonition (1994),
Evolution (1995) and
Violent Machine (1996). For his last album of the decade,
Master of Paradise (1999), MacAlpine briefly assumed singing duties in an effort to experiment with different styles. His most recent collaborations have included
Seven the Hardway, a progressive metal group with whom he released their self-titled album in 2010, and a guest appearance on Sherinian's seventh studio album
Oceana (2011). In the second half of 2012, MacAlpine toured Europe and Asia as part of PSMS (
Portnoy/
Sheehan/MacAlpine/Sherinian), an instrumental supergroup.
Instrumental Inspirations, a DVD of their live material, was released October 21, 2012. Additionally, in an October 2012 interview, he stated that he was working on new studio material (one of them being a "strictly classical record" recorded solely on piano), as well as a new album with Ring of Fire. MacAlpine's twelfth studio album,
Concrete Gardens, was released on April 21, 2015. ==Style and influence==