Marty Friedman Wants Guitar Solos To Die?? Here's What We Can Learn From This

Former Megadeth guitarist, Marty Friedman, wants guitar solos to die?? This is shocking news, especially since Marty is well-known for flinging some face-melters. He’s even considered a guitar virtuoso–a title that’s hard to achieve if you don’t display some degree of shred. So why is he saying he hopes “the traditional guitar solo dies a slow and painful death"? Well today, we are going to find out what he means by this and what you should keep in mind when writing your own guitar solos.

Self-Indulgence

According to Guitar World, Marty was asked how he prevents himself from becoming an over-indulgent guitarist. He responded by saying he is, "self-indulgent, just in different ways." Marty explains how he indulges himself by playing long melodies as if he were singing them with his guitar.

Marty seems to be describing two different degrees of self-indulgence. One is a guitarist trying to cram as many notes into a solo as quickly as possible--shredding for the sake of shredding. We've all heard solos like these before, and I think Marty's criticism of this would have to be that this form of self-indulgence lacks personality.

The other form of self-indulgence seems to be the type that Marty participates in. He seems to prefer something more melodic as if he's using his solos to sing something with soul and with feeling.


Instead of trying to play more like Kerry King...

...we ought to try to play more like B.B. King.

Solos Are Meant to Be Enjoyed by All (Not Just Guitarists)

“I hope the traditional guitar solo dies a slow and painful death. Guitar solos need to be inventive [and they] need something to keep listeners involved, especially those who are not learning to play and only listen.”

Marty is saying some serious words of wisdom here that all guitarists should take to heart. The guitar solo is not something that should only be admired by fellow players. It's also for the non-musicians who want to sink their teeth in, maybe even by singing along to it.

If you focus on something melodic, you give something that musicians and non-musicians can appreciate and relate to. Not just other guitarists. This isn't saying “Don't shred,” because as Marty has shown, you can play fast and still be melodic.

Emphasis On Emotion

“We need guitar music that makes those people feel something. It’s the responsibility of guitarists to bring something to solos that will achieve that.”

Music is not cerebral, but rather aesthetic and emotional at its core. Impressing somebody with speed and technicality is all fine and dandy, but when you are able to make somebody feel something, you make a connection with that person. Otherwise, playing fast for the sake of playing fast is, at most, an intellectual, fine-motor novelty for some other guitarists to enjoy. David Gilmour is somebody who has reached the highest level of emotional guitar solo composition. He can just play one note and it’ll bring you to tears.

This isn’t to say you can’t play fast to make a solo emotional. Marty himself shows this is possible. Synyster Gates from Avenged Sevenfold, Satchel from Steel Panther, and Yngwie Malmsteen are some other shredders who balance the elements of speed and beauty quite nicely.

Conclusion

So, the key phrase in all this is “traditional guitar solo”, as Marty noted how the standard solo has lost its fire. He's not saying that he doesn’t want any guitar solo to ever exist ever again. His words are a calling for us guitarists to do better and take our playing and compositions past their perceived limits. Marty isn’t discounting all contemporary players. He even acknowledges the current guitar innovations that are happening and remains hopeful about the future of practitioners and their music. Dynamics are key. Finding the balance between shred and melody is a delicate art form. Once a musician is able to find that balance, connecting with listeners becomes way easier.

Watch the full discussion here: Marty Friedman Wants Guitar Solos To Die?? Here's What We Can Learn From This

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