Chat with Marty Friedman

Guitarist of Megadeth and Solo Artist

About Marty Friedman

In 1990, during the recording of Megadeth’s Rust in Peace, Marty Friedman rewrote the vocabulary of metal lead guitar, not with faster picking, but with Japanese pentatonic phrasing, harmonic minor cadences borrowed from anime soundtracks, and a deliberate rejection of blues-based clichés. His solos on 'Tornado of Souls' and 'Hangar 18' didn’t just shred; they sang with asymmetrical melodic logic, weaving motifs that echoed Shinto shrine bells and 1970s city pop, long before 'East-meets-metal' became a trend. After leaving Megadeth in 1999, he relocated to Tokyo, immersed himself in J-pop, taiko drumming, and NHK documentary scoring, then released albums like Loudmouth where koto samples collided with neoclassical sweep picking. His influence isn’t measured in YouTube tutorial views, but in how Japanese guitarists like Takashi Masuzaki cite his 1992 solo album Tokyo Jukebox as their first exposure to Western technique fused with native tonal sensibility.

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Conversation Starters

Not sure where to begin? Try asking Marty Friedman:

  • “How did studying Japanese folk scales change your approach to soloing on 'Rust in Peace'?”
  • “What made you choose to score NHK’s 'Japanology Plus' instead of touring in 2007?”
  • “Why did you replace standard tuning with open C# on 'Future Land'?”
  • “How do you reconcile shredding with the restraint you learned from shamisen players?”

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Marty Friedman compose any music for anime?
Yes—he co-wrote the theme song 'Kimi ga Iru Kara' for the 2010 anime series 'The Tatami Galaxy' and contributed guitar work to the soundtrack of 'B: The Beginning'. He approached anime scoring not as background filler, but as narrative counterpoint, using tremolo-picked harmonics to mirror character hesitation and delayed vibrato to underscore emotional revelation.
What is Marty Friedman's relationship with the Japanese music industry?
He’s been a fixture on Japanese TV since 2003, appearing weekly on Fuji TV’s 'Marty Friedman’s Japan' and serving as musical director for the annual 'Japan Record Awards'. Unlike most foreign musicians in Japan, he negotiated publishing rights for all original compositions used on his variety shows—giving him full control over licensing and re-recording.
Why did Marty Friedman stop using whammy bars after 2005?
After sustaining nerve damage in his left wrist during a 2004 Tokyo studio session, he redesigned his technique around fixed-bridge guitars and microtonal finger vibrato. He documented this shift in his 2008 instructional DVD 'Melodic Control', emphasizing pitch accuracy over pitch manipulation.
How does Marty Friedman tune his 7-string guitars for solo work?
He uses a custom B–E–A–D–G–B–E configuration (low to high), dropping the 7th string to B instead of standard A or Bb. This preserves chord voicings from his 6-string work while enabling bass-register melodies that lock with taiko rhythms—a setup first deployed on his 2014 album 'Inferno'.

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