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“They’re really just paying attention to technique… but I’m not interested in that”: Marty Friedman on why people miss the point of instrumental guitar
“If you feel it like it’s your lifetime, growing and going through things and becoming new versions of yourself and becoming a climactic version of yourself, [then] I think you’re really hearing the music exactly the way I’m trying to present it.”
Image: Jun Sato / Getty Images
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Marty Friedman is a storyteller through his guitar, but he feels a lot of people miss the point of instrumental music.
Friedman grew his mighty solo catalogue with the release of another album, titled Drama, earlier this year. The album (like many of his records) was mostly instrumental, excluding two collaborative tracks – Dead Of Winter, featuring Like A Storm, and 2 Rebeldes, featuring Spanish vocals from APOLO 7.
Speaking to Metal OBS TV of his craft, Friedman states (via Ultimate Guitar),“I’m trying to tell a story with the music. If you feel it like it’s your lifetime, growing and going through things and becoming new versions of yourself and becoming a climactic version of yourself, [then] I think you’re really hearing the music exactly the way I’m trying to present it.
“It’s kind of deep. You know, a lot of people listen to instrumental music, and they’re really just paying attention to things like technique, and things like that. But I’m not interested in that. I want people to feel a life story when they hear a piece of music.”
Though Drama has been one of his most well-received records critically, he still feels a little bit of perfectionism over his releases: “I’m never satisfied with anything when it comes to my music. But I will say that I can’t be satisfied, because then I would have to stop playing. But the reviews and the people’s reaction [to Drama] has been by far the best of all of my albums.
“You know, when I release anything, I’m very, very happy with it, or else I wouldn’t release it. So, you can be sure that I’m happy with the music, but I can’t control what the listeners feel like when they hear the music,” he adds. “So, things came back to me that people really enjoyed it a lot. It makes me feel very good, and Drama has [caused] by far the best reaction of any of my records so far.”
You can catch Marty Friedman on tour in 2025. The run kicks off in Las Vegas on 25 January.
Rachel began writing for Guitar.com in 2021 while finishing up her degree. A proud DIY guitarist, she has been playing for over 10 years and has written for the likes of Kerrang!, The Forty-Five, and MusicTech. An enjoyer of all things heavy, you’ll find her at a festival or downtuning her guitars when away from her desk.