Marty Friedman — £500 · Sweet Spot Rig

• Use exotic scales — Phrygian dominant, Hungarian minor and Japanese modes (In scale) feature prominently. Learn these scales in all positions before attempting Friedman-style phrasing
• Bend to non-target notes intentionally — Friedman bends to pitches outside the standard scale degrees (b9, #4, b6) for the exotic character
• Economy picking over alternate picking for faster passages — Friedman uses economy picking (sweep-in-direction approach) rather than strict alternate picking
• Vibrato is wide, slow and distinctive — immediately recognisable compared to other metal players. Start the vibrato from below pitch and reach up
• The lead tone is warm and smooth, not bright and harsh — cut the treble slightly compared to rhythm settings
• Study "Tornado of Souls" from Rust in Peace — widely cited as one of the best solos in metal, it demonstrates all the exotic scale work and vibrato in context
• Legato technique is used for fast descending runs — hammer-on and pull-off combinations at speed before switching to picked lines
• The Japanese musical influence comes from years living in Japan — immerse yourself in pentatonic Japanese music to understand the scale source

• ✗Running the Marshall DSL's gain channel at maximum — above 8 on most high-gain channels, palm mutes lose note separation and become an indistinct wall. The target is the minimum gain for the target saturation, not maximum
• ✗Leaving the wah pedal engaged but stationary between rocking it — a cocked wah (fixed position, not moving) acts as a midrange filter that changes the core tone. Either rock it expressively or bypass it completely; a cocked wah changes the sound in ways that are often unintended
• ✗Forgetting to adjust technique for the different neck profile — thinner, faster necks require less grip pressure. Playing with the same pressure as on a thicker neck causes note choke.
• ✗Not using a noise gate — self-noise at metal gain levels is continuous between notes. A gate is not stylistic; it is required for professional-sounding silence between riffs.
• ✗Maximum gain on the amp channel — this is the most common mistake in high-gain playing. The clarity and note separation that makes fast playing readable degrades at maximum gain.
• ✗Not setting delay to song tempo — a delay that doesn't match the song tempo creates a rhythmic clash that builds and becomes increasingly obvious. Tap the tempo every time.
• ✗Ignoring down-tuning — trying to achieve dropped-tuning riff character at standard pitch produces a thinner, less aggressive result regardless of EQ.

Jackson or Ibanez signature guitar into a Mesa/Boogie Mark series or similar high-gain amp. The lead tone is smooth and singing with a distinctive vibrato. Unlike many metal players, Friedman deliberately avoids staying inside conventional pentatonic or diatonic scales — exotic modal inflections are the signature.