The Greatest Guitarists Series: Marty Friedman

Marty Friedman is a unique, multidimensional guitarist. He was famous for being the lead guitar in Megadeth but for many, his best work was in Cacophony besides the legendary Jason Becker.

One of the factors that, in my opinion, places him as one of the best guitarists is his impressive technique. If you have not seen him play I would rccomend any video where he is showing off his right hand picking technique. He plays the strings in an unorthodox manner that leads into unique phrasing.

The most important factor to include him on this select guitarist list is his improvisation skills. His phrasing is incredible as he mixed oriental and western rock styles into one phrase. He will quickly change from major to minor and back to major in a smooth and musical way. His playing never seems as guitar acrobatics, every note is placed in a special, unique, perfect way.

In case you ask why I said he had great 'Improvisation' and not 'Composition' is that he has stated in previous interviews, that almos every one of his solos is improvised several times while recorded and then the best parts of each improvised track are edited together to create one great solo.

I would recomend to listen to the videos of his 'guitar battles' with Jason Becker where you will get to listen clearly to his early improvisation style.

My favorite solo from Marty will be 'Tornado of Souls'. This is a solo I used to play in cover bands when I was younger so it is special for me. It includes great melody, great phrasing, incredible energy and challenging technical requirements. It always makes any guitarist feel great after playing it.



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