Hello everybody! In this lesson I've created a solo in the style of Marty Friedman and, along with the backing track, I've used the Countdown to Extinction / Youthansia era of Megadeth as my inspiration.

There's a lot of string bending and wide vibrato. Also, there's a lot of choked bends, where the pick cuts off the note just before bending it and picking it again. Marty also does a lot of pre-bends in his playing too... this can be a challenge if you struggle with getting the pitch accurate when string bending so it's worth spending time perfecting this technique which will certainly improve your string bending overall !

There's also a fiery legato lick to look out for near the end, which is a trademark of his playing, especially during the Cacophany days with Jason Becker. There's nothing too technically difficult in this piece. The real difficulty lies in trying to fit so much expression over a quick solo. Also, the ability to stagger the notes over the beat in a way that makes it sound as if the notes are 'cascading' or 'tumbling' over the beat is one of Marty's strengths and we can all learn a lot from the way he always sounds as if he's in control and never rushed !

The solo is all based in the key of E minor with occasional chromatic notes from outside the scale. Marty is well known for using exotic modes such as the Hirajoshi scale but, but most of these modes use notes which are in the minor scale anyway so I haven't added them here. There are a couple of phrases in this piece that could be classed as a mode perhaps, but they're made up of notes that are in the E minor scale anyway. You just need to learn to trust your ear and use the notes within a scale that please you to come up with your own signature sound, which is what Marty would also say !

So, I hope you enjoy the lesson and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Until next time.. happy guitaring !
/Ben

E Aeolian