Marty Friedman recently shared his admiration for Dave Mustaine’s rhythm guitar technique, acknowledging that he himself never fully mastered the art of playing rhythm parts.
Megadeth is often regarded as the thrash metal band that attracts lead guitarists the most, and the iconic guitar duo of Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman likely played a significant role in this reputation. With Mustaine’s powerful rhythm guitar and Friedman’s melodic mastery, albums like Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction stand out as shining examples of heavy metal guitar brilliance.
During an interview with Masters of Shred, Friedman reflected on Mustaine’s exceptional rhythm technique and how well it complemented his own lead guitar work:
“At the time, I wasn’t fully aware of it, but Dave’s rhythm style is truly unique, and it’s crucial to Megadeth’s sound. I think I have a very distinct lead style, and the fact that both of our styles meshed so well, like the gears of a watch, was just fortunate. It could have easily clashed and turned into a mess, but instead, it worked out like peanut butter and chocolate.”
Friedman went on to express his initial struggle to feel comfortable with Mustaine’s rhythm parts: “When I first joined the band, I thought, ‘This is something really unique.’ It took me a long time to get to a point where I felt confident in playing it. I never really got good at it, I just got passable. It’s one of those things — it’s a personal style. I can’t be Dave, and no one can be me when it comes to leads.”
He continued: “There are people who think, ‘I’ll do a half-step bend, and then I’ll sound like Marty.’ But it’s not that simple. Or, they might try muting the string with their palm, thinking it will make them sound like Mustaine. But again, it’s not that simple. It’s about personal choices, life choices that shape your guitar playing. It’s hard to explain, but when you hear someone play, you’re hearing their life. It’s not just about learning techniques from a book.”
Friedman concluded by emphasizing how instantly recognizable Mustaine’s playing is: “As soon as you hear it, you know it’s him. It’s the same with my playing. We were lucky that guitar fans and media picked up on that back in the day.”
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