Marty Friedman – Breaking Wine Glasses and Listening for Inspiration

Just imagine: You sit down to a nice glass of wine at the City Winery in New York City. The waiter pours your drink, you pick it up (with pinky out, of course), smell the intoxicating aroma, swish it around a bit, and take a luxurious sip — before the glass explodes from high-octane metal that only Marty Friedman can deliver!

Because that’s totally what happened, and AMS was there to catch it! We also got to have a quick chat with Marty all about cultivating one’s own style, the importance of listening while you play, and how the tone is in your hands as much as the gear.

Marty Friedman has released a lot of music over the course of his career. Yeah, he was in this little band called Megadeth. But he also played in several other bands AND released 13 solo albums! So far… The latest of which, called Drama, was released in 2024. And it was a little different than what he usually does.

Friedman is known for rocking stages with his Jackson guitars. In fact, he has a few Signature Jackson Guitars, too! But for his latest solo album, Friedman went vintage.

He somehow landed a dream situation during which he got to record with a huge collection of vintage gear and a master luthier who could act as his “gear sommelier.” Marty would play something, describe the sound he’s going for, and the luthier would find the perfect gear and set it up for the recording.

There’s no doubt that Marty’s Jackson guitars are amazing, but there’s just something about the right vintage gear that can really add to a track — and the emphasis is on the word “right.” You can’t just use any vintage gear. It has to be for a specific purpose.

But if you listen to Drama, you might notice that Marty Friedman still sounds like himself, despite using different gear. According to him, it all comes down to your unique style. If you like a sound, you’re going to find that sound. Whether you use a Stratocaster, Les Paul, Gretsch, or Jackson, you’re going to keep searching for the sound that’s right for you — and that’s what will come out in the end.

While Friedman might have gone vintage for Drama, don’t think he’s going to put his trusty Jackson on the bench any time soon. It’s still his go-to primary brand for face-melting riffs and melodic solos.

You know it’s Marty Friedman almost from the first note. His style is incredibly melodic and uses “weird” scales and techniques you rarely find in metal or even Western music as a whole. How did he come to build his iconic style? By listening!

When Friedman first started playing guitar, he was super into the flashy stuff (aren’t we all…?). But eventually, all good guitar players must come to a crossroads. According to Friedman, 90% fo the players in his circle went into the jazz/fusion world. The other 10% went down the “right-hand rabbit hole” following the likes of Van Halen.

Marty respected both sides of the crossroads, but neither really appealed to him. The fateful moment came on a trip to Hawaii: He heard some traditional Japanese music. The scales, the melodies, the instrumentation, the song construction; none of it had been done on a guitar before. He was hooked. He started listening to traditional Japanese music and copying the style of vocals into his guitar parts.

Of course, Marty doesn’t just play Japanese music. It’s a style all his own. And plenty of the inspiration comes from his favorite guitarists. But it’s not just about copying your favorite players; you have to pick and choose the parts you like.

Growing up, Marty was a huge Uli Jon Roth fan. He loved Roth’s melodic, romantic, and classical style with cascading runs and complex phrases. However, Roth was also a big fan of Jimi Hendrix and incorporated many Hendrixian elements to his playing, like ridiculous divebombs and whammy solos, that didn’t appeal to Friedman. Rather than write Roth off, Friedman learned the Roth’s parts that he did like and discarded the rest.

This choose-your-own-adventure style of finding inspiration is the key to developing your own style. Just because you like a player doesn’t mean you have to like everything they do. Take the stuff you like, discard the rest.

Every musician knows that there comes a time where you feel like you can’t learn anything new. You pick up your instrument and the same five licks come out. Ruts aren’t fun, so how do you break free? According to Marty Friedman, it’s all about listening and experimenting.

Listen for influences. And that doesn’t necessarily even mean influences in your genre or instrument. Marty Friedman suggests listening for music in unlikely places, like ethnic restaurants. Maybe you hear a tune you like. Ask the staff what it is! Friedman said you’d be surprised how many people would gladly run to the back and grab you a cassette — maybe not a cassette anymore, but you get the idea…

You should also try to play with intention. Every note you play is a choice. You choose to come in on that beat. You choose to add vibrato. You choose to bend in or out of the note. You choose to hold it out or cut it short. That decision is going to define your playing, and you become the total sum of your various decisions. If you want to break out of a rut, try playing with intention. Don’t add vibrato. Play sharp or flat on purpose. You never know when something might stick and launch your playing to the next level.

Marty Friedman isn’t really a gear head. He just wants to play, and the gear will help him do what he needs to do. So don’t expect massive pedalboards and cases of various guitars.

When it comes time for a show, Friedman grabs a trusty Jackson guitar, runs through his favorite Maxon AF-9 Auto Filter, and straight to the amp. For Marty, it’s all about simplicity. That’s also why he prefers his guitars with passive pickups and sans whammy or locking strings. And if he could have it his way, his guitar wouldn’t even have knobs!

The tone comes right from the fingers, uncolored, out to the audience. Who needs fancy springs and knobs anyway!?

We had a blast hanging out with Marty Friedman at City Winery, and a huge thank you to Shure for setting it all up. If you want to check out any of Marty’s favorite Jackson guitars or Shure wireless systems and mics, you know we have them right here at American Musical Supply.

Keep on rocking! (and hopefully you didn’t break too many wine glasses…)