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Marty FriedmanLead guitarist of VIXEN
Country:
 USA |
Marty Friedman: Biography
Marty Friedman first gained fame as the solo guitarist of the band VIXEN, known for their speed metal sound. He also played in the bands DEUCE and HAWAII. Later, Marty teamed up with his fellow six-string guitar enthusiast, Jason Becker, forming the band CACOPHONY. Their albums "Speed Metal Symphony" and "Go Off" earned Marty and Jason recognition as great guitarists, although it took some time for their talents to be fully recognized.
During his time in CACOPHONY, Marty Friedman released his first solo record, "Dragon's Kiss," and a video guitar school called "Exotic Metal Guitar with Marty Friedman," which sold well. He considers "Dragon's Kiss" to be 90% satisfactory, as he believes his playing has significantly improved since then.
After CACOPHONY disbanded, Friedman and Becker headed to Los Angeles in hopes of joining a "cool" metal band. They both achieved their goals: Jason Becker went on tour with David Lee Roth, while Marty secured a spot in the band MEGADETH. With Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson, the two Daves, recruiting drummer Nick Menza and guitarist Marty Friedman, the refreshed lineup claimed to have no weak links. Together, they recorded the album "Rust in Peace." During the recording process, Marty discovered that in MEGADETH, both rhythm guitar parts were identical, unlike the typical high inversion played by one guitarist while the other plays parallel chords. Initially, Friedman thought it was a quirk, but when he tried playing it with Dave Mustaine, he realized how powerful the combined rhythm sounded.
In MEGADETH, Marty Friedman played a Jackson guitar with 24 frets, a single volume knob, and a JB-J pickup by Seymour Duncan. He used two separate systems for rhythm and solo sounds. For rhythm, he used a Custom Audio Electronics preamp, followed by a Yamaha SPX 900 and a VHT amplifier. For solo sounds, he used a Chandler Tubeworks preamp, also going into a VHT amplifier. Both amplifiers were loaded with Marshall cabinets featuring Celestion 25W speakers. Friedman preferred using the SPX-900 for "soft" sounds, avoiding excessive coloring with effects like delay and reverb. He also incorporated an Aural Exciter and the Hush system by Sampson and Bradshaw. The latter was a custom rack system designed specifically for Marty Friedman by renowned rack system designer Bob Bradshaw.
MEGADETH, after releasing "Rust in Peace," participated in the opening tour for Judas Priest in the US and performed at the rock festival in Rio. They then embarked on a successful world tour. The next step after "Rust in Peace" was the recording of the album "Countdown to Extinction." This album reached an unprecedented level of technical perfection. The standout track was "Symphony of Destruction." While working on multiple MEGADETH music videos and preparing for tours, Marty recorded his second solo album titled "Scenes." According to him, he truly enjoyed working on this album, which showcased a significant improvement in his playing. "Scenes" demonstrated Friedman's passion for Chinese and Japanese music styles.
Furthermore, it's worth noting that Kitaro, a Japanese keyboardist and one of Marty's fans, played an equally active role in the project. The collaboration between the two musicians began during the "Rust in Peace" tour, and Kitaro agreed to participate in the "Scenes" project without even listening to any demos. Interestingly, the album was recorded without Marty and Kitaro ever being in the same studio. They communicated solely over the phone, with Kitaro working on the recordings sent to his Colorado studio while Marty was in Los Angeles.
Their collaboration resulted in a magnificent album, proving that music could convey emotions that surpass technical guitar skills. Marty Friedman achieved much more in his own style than hundreds of guitarists who only prioritize speed. While working on "Scenes," Marty also released another video guitar school called "Melodic Control" in 1993. In 1994, Friedman took a short break between MEGADETH tours in support of "Countdown to Extinction" and recording their next album to prepare for his third solo record, "Introduction." Like his previous solo album, the material on "Introduction" differed significantly from his work with Mustaine and company.
When Marty is focused on MEGADETH, his music is filled with straightforward aggression. However, when he is away from the band, his musical style becomes calmer. During the recording of "Introduction," Marty mostly used the same musicians who had assisted him with "Scenes" (Nick Menza - drums, Brian Becvar - keyboards, Steve Fontano - engineer/co-producer). Sampling formed the foundation of the album's sound, as Marty couldn't afford to hire a full 70-piece orchestra. His engineer, Steve Fontano, had a friend named Alex Wilkinson, who worked in film and TV sound production. Wilkinson provided Marty with amazing samples, such as oboe, bass clarinet, and flute sounds that were nearly indistinguishable from real instruments.
Marty always believed that errors should be fixed, but during the recording of "Scenes," he left one mistake untouched and was amazed by how it enhanced the song. This human imperfection added a sense of authenticity to the music captured on tape. On the album "Youthanasia," released in late 1994, Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman shared rhythm guitar parts equally, except for one song where Mustaine played all the rhythm parts. Marty performed most of the solos, including the main solos on "Train of Consequences," "Tout Le Monde," "Family Tree," and "I Thought I Knew It All." He also played the main solo and all the fills on "Addicted to Chaos." On "Blood of Heroes," Marty played the central solo using a Wha-Wha pedal, and there was a small harmonic section between verses where both guitarists played. On "Youthanasia" and "Black Curtains," Dave played the first solos, while Marty played the second. The solo on "Killing Road" was divided, with Marty playing the first half and Dave playing the second. On "Victory," they took turns playing solos - Dave, Marty, Dave, Marty. "Reckoning Day" did not feature a solo, and all guitar fills were performed by Dave. "Elysian Fields" also lacked a guitar solo, although there were some barely audible moments played by Marty towards the end. After recording "Youthanasia," Dave Mustaine remarked that Marty's playing on the album was the best he had done up to that point.
MEGADETH's album "Youthanasia" was recorded at the "Fat Planet in Hangar 18" studio in Phoenix, Arizona. The band collaborated with their longtime and highly successful co-producer, arranger, and sound engineer Max Norman. The collaboration with Norman began during the mixing of the album "Rust in Peace" in 1990 and was so successful that he had been involved in almost everything the band did since then.
The album was recorded using a 48-track digital recorder, a 64-channel mixing console, and various additional effects. Unlike previous albums, all band members contributed to the songwriting on "Youthanasia." This resulted in some small imperfections, which were not present on the more polished "Countdown to Extinction." However, these imperfections helped convey the sense that real people were playing the music, rather than computers. Marty Friedman shared his thoughts on this, stating that he had always believed errors should be fixed. However, leaving one mistake untouched made him realize how it added depth to the song, showcasing the human element.
Throughout his career, Marty Friedman continued to write music, capturing ideas on tape and saving them for future use. Some ideas were written when he was just 15 years old, others eight years prior, and some were created the day before he began recording an album. In 1994, MEGADETH released their album "Youthanasia," which was softer and simpler than their previous works but unmatched in terms of melody and emotion.
Marty Friedman's musical journey showcases his ability to go beyond speed and prioritize expression of feelings. His solo work, as well as his contributions to MEGADETH, have solidified his place as a talented and versatile guitarist.
