In a new interview with American Musical Supply, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman spoke about the importance of younger guitar players developing their own sound and style. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Well, I think hopefully what I say is an important piece of advice. I think it’s important. Of course, it’s great to copy your influences because you like them, so that’s part of your identity. So you should pick and choose the parts of your influences that you like and learn them and discard the rest.
“I remember when I was a kid, I was a huge Uli Jon Roth fan,” he continued. “But he had two sides of his playing. One was this romantic kind of classical and a lot of fancy, romantic, cascading runs and beautiful kind of difficult-sounding phrases and melodies and exotic sounds. I love that. On the other hand, he was a big [Jimi] Hendrix fan and he was doing these blatant Hendrix rip-off things, because he loves Hendrix, and that’s part of him. But I saw these two different sides of his playing. And I went directly to this side. I learned all of his solos that I loved. And when he’s on the whammy bar, and he’s doing all of that ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ type of things, yeah, that’s fine. That’s fine. I didn’t like that part.”
Marty added: “So what I’m trying to say is, with my influences, I picked and [chose]. I picked the things that I think I could do something with. And that’s one way to have an identity. And a more important way is every single note that you play, you have to make a decision, how are you gonna play that note? You’re gonna hold it out? You’re gonna shake it a little, shake it a lot? Bend to it, bend from it, slide to it, slide from it, play it long, play it short? That’s just one note we’re talking about all these decisions. But when you make those decisions and make them with the intention and criteria of, ‘Okay, this decision is what’s gonna define me. My name, John Smith, is gonna be the guy who held this note longer and stayed after the beat. Or I’m the guy who jumped in the solo two bars beforehand or came in later,’ or whatever. Every single decision that you make, you are the sum total of those. First you have to consciously do it, but when you do it a lot, it becomes subconscious, unconscious. You’re automatically making those decisions, and that’s who you are. All the notes and everywhere in between the notes, it all means something. And sometimes a little bit sharp, a little bit flat is better than right on. Usually right on is the most delicious.
“Here’s one thing that I always think no one does enough of: absolutely no vibrato at all,” Marty said. “Just play the note in tune. Don’t shake that, don’t move, just stop. Nobody does that. Sometimes that is the trick. It sounds so much more professional sometimes. There’s a reason those frets are there. Because they cut the notes off where they’re supposed to be in tune. So if your guitar’s in tune, sometimes you just play the note, and that’s the thing to do. No vibrato at all. Don’t move. Stop. Don’t move. Stop.”
Friedman kicked off his “Live Drama 2025” U.S. tour on January 25 at Count’s Vamp’d in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Friedman‘s latest solo album, “Drama”, came out last May via Frontiers Music Srl.
Recorded in Italy, “Drama” showcases Marty‘s unique touch, for the first time using both vintage and modern guitars, delivering a pure delight for lovers of music everywhere. From the captivating first single “Illumination”, to the album’s breathtaking “Mirage” and 10 other emotionally charged mini-symphonies, Marty paints atmospheric elements with a modern and exotic flair, promising an unforgettable musical experience.
Marty‘s presence in the world of music, the world of guitar and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. His first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.
Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy “Hebimeta-san” (“Mr. Heavy Metal”) and its spinoff, “Rock Fujiyama”, which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan’s mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon.
At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.
Friedman‘s autobiography, “Dreaming Japanese”, arrived on December 3, 2024 via Permuted Press.
Source: blabbermouth.net
