Here's a sneak peek at an upcoming interview with Marty Friedman and 10-year-old Japanese guitarist Li-sa-X.
Back in 2013, Li-sa-X, who was 8 at the time, wowed us with a video in which she plays the Racer X track “Scarified.” Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert was so impressed that he created a response video in which he invited her to join his online guitar school for free.
This new interview, which was conducted in Japan by Cracking the Code's Troy Grady, is coming soon to Grady's Masters in Mechanics lessons series, along with a longer version of this video.
The video, which is titled "Marty Friedman & Li-sa-X: Professor Arpeggio," starts off with Li-sa-X playing "Scarified." At the 24-second mark, however, Friedman gives Li-sa-X a quick lesson, all in Japanese, except for the very end where he declares, "She learns fast!"
"Li-sa-X delighted us all with her versions of 'Scarified' and 'Rhode Island Shred,' Grady told GuitarWorld.com. "That was the easy part. The challenge for us was figuring out how to conduct an interview in another language with someone who is not only a kid but also probably a little terrified of all the cameras we pointed at her.
"It was Friedman to the rescue. He lent his linguistic (and guitar) superpowers and delivered with the flair of a veteran summer camp counselor. And I say this as a proud former summer camp counselor! He’s a natural with kids.
"When I suggested he teach her some of his trademark arpeggio phrases, the interplay between the two of them was like a mechanical conversation. He’d play a line, and then she’d play it back but with a slightly different articulation, and then he’d exaggerate the movements he was looking for, and then she’d nail it. It was fascinating to watch."
You can watch the quick lesson below. Stay tuned for more about this project and Grady's Masters in Mechanics series.
