''GUITAR GODS: Francesco Fareri''

Originally published at Tinfoil Music
Date: Sunday, November 17 2002 @ 15:14:36 GMT

               Guitar Gods come in a variety of styles and flavors. Italian virtuoso Francesco Fareri is most definitely from the high-octane, super-speed, neoclassical metal school of music which includes such fabulous players as Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Rusty Cooley, and Jason Becker. While Francesco certainly possesses incredible technique, calling him merely a technician is to miss the music as a whole, as he is also a very passionate player with a gift for both texture and intensity.

     Amazingly, Francesco, born in the late 70s, has been playing for fewer than 10 years. In that time, he has recorded an startling number of releases; transcribed (in tab & notation) tons of music by Becker, Greg Howe, Vitalij Kuprij , and George Bellas; and written lessons on technique for Chops from Hell, Insane Guitar, Guitar-9, Shred Zone, and many others. Francesco has also released an instructional CD-ROM called "Arpeggios", and his new CD is titled "Suspension".
I had a chance to speak to Francesco a few months back (his native tongue is Italian, of course, but his English isn't half bad!) - here's what he had to say.


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1) What are your current projects?

I've released an instrumental shred album called "Suspension" and available on www.guitar9.com or www.angelo.com. "Suspension" is really influenced by progressive music and some of the neoclassical stuff; it isn't a only guitar album. In fact there are large spaces also to keyboards and piano that I really like, also the drums is very important to create a powerful rhythm to play solos. In these days I'm also finishing an instructional CD-ROM available next month and based only on arpeggios and how to combine them.

2) How does this (do these) differ from your past work?

For the CD-ROM, it is the first time I've made something like that, so it was a really cool experience for me. "Suspension" is a CD that I recorded after 2 tape demos and 2 CDs demos. I think it is the best thing I've ever written. I really like all the passages and I'm very happy to have made also all by myself; in fact I've produced, recorded, printed, and contacted distribution labels by myself...and of course I've played all by myself, it is because I've never found here in Rome other players (drummers, bassman) involved as me in instrumental music, so I decided to not play my music with someone that don't like it. I hope one day to find musicians involved as me!

3) Do you have one project that you are most proud of as a guitarist?

I'm a solo guitar player...I play when I'm free from my job in my house that sometimes some concerts. Actually I teach in a guitar school in Rome so I make very often guitar clinics.

4) Can you give our readers a run-down of your basic gear (live and/or studio)?

My Equiment is based by: Ibanez RG550 with DiMarzio PAF and Tone Zone, Ibanez RG7420 with DiMarzio Evolution 7, my amp is a Yamaha DG-1000, a 31 band equalizer Peavey, a multieffect Alesis Microverb4 and a power amp Marshall. I use this gear also for guitar concerts and guitar clinics...I really like the sound that I can have from these gear.

5) Who would you cite as early influences, and who are you favorite new players?

At the beginning I use to listen to all the neoclassical players as Moore, MacAlpine, Tafolla and others...they are really great and I like their albums but the one that influenced me more than others was Jason Becker...his way of playing has something really unexplainable awesome and he was, in my opinion, the first who played the neoclassical music in a different way from the others players. Now I totally love the first album of Vitalij Kuprij called High Definition that I consider the best of the instrumentals story....ok...some of you can say I'm crazy...well...I know...I'm crazy! I really like everything of that album and it seems to put something new in neoclassical and progressive metal; that album was performed also by Greg Howe, one of the best guitar players and by Jon Doman a great drummer, that added new fresh ideas to that album...what I can say more? I love High Definition!!!

6) Can you give a few tips to aspiring players?

I haven't so much experience...you can ask it to Shawn Lane, George Bellas and others!!! The only thing I can say is: if you like what you play don't change way for other reasons.

7) What are your future plans?

I hope to make some concerts to show my playing and my love for music, every live performances has something unique that give us a little more experience, I like to play in concerts and if someone is interested...call me!

8) Thanx for talking to us, Francesco!

Thanks a lot to you too and if anyone would like to contact me can visit my SITE with monthly lessons and rare transcriptions. Thanks again for your time! Take care!