Guitar.com Live: Marty Friedman gives an exclusive masterclass

Guitar.com Live: Marty Friedman took guitarists into the deep end of his electric guitar technique and approach during a live streamed masterclass on the second day of the virtual guitar show.

Broadcasting from Japan, Friedman opened the floor to questions from a live comments section, but not before kicking things off with a pair of stellar guitar performances.

Fans were treated to a rendition of For A Friend from his 2017 album Wall Of Sound, as well as a playthrough of Gurenge, the theme song of the anime series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba.

When asked about interpreting vocal melodies on the guitar, Friedman, known for his exotic bending talents, highlighted the effectiveness of bends in coaxing a more ‘vocal-like’ sound out of the guitar.

He added: “If you get in the habit of trying to interpret melodies that are not the same as your typical guitar fingerings, then you open yourself up to more opportunities to do interesting things”

Elsewhere in his masterclass, the shred maestro warned players not to trade tastefulness for raw technical speed – especially when it comes to writing their own material.

“What I hear a lot when I get CDs and demos from guitarists: they’re playing fast all the time, they’re playing high notes from the beginning; there’s nowhere to go [from there],” Friedman said. “If I hear a high note in the first 30 seconds of a song, I’m out – my attention span is gone”

“They’re just blazing – perfectly in time, and in tune – and the [backing] is absolutely so meaningless that it really makes you wonder what this guy wants to say with his music”

Watch Friedman’s entire masterclass in our video above.

Check out more videos from our virtual guitar show at Guitar.com/live