Italian 7-string guitar virtuoso, Francesco Fareri, recently released his second album entitled Forbidden Dimension (Metal Express will post their review of this CD within the next week). Metal Express had a chance to spend some time with Francesco and we asked him about his influences, his newest release and his speed playing techniques.
So the first question, and probably the most asked, why a seven string guitar versus a traditional six string? What does the seventh string buy you as a guitarist?
Hello all! I’ve been using a 7-string guitar for a few years. I feel better playing this kind of guitar for several reasons. One of them is because the fretboard is larger and I feel more at ease. Additionally, because a new string creates a different sound and it inspires you to play different stuff, a different sound (i.e. lower) helps you to play a heavier rhythm… this is what appeals to me!
You mentioned Vitalij Kuprij as a major influence and you were ecstatic to do some work on one of his albums. What is it in Vitalij’s playing that influenced you so much and how did that friendship and working relationship come to be?
When I started my first steps in guitar playing I was listening to all guitar players and they were amazing but I was searching for something new and fresh. In 1997, Vitalij released his debut solo album High Definition and it became my absolute all time favorite album. I continue to listen to it everyday and I continue to discover new things every day! His playing is exceptional because he plays neo-classical and progressive but in a different way from all other musicians, it’s hard to explain in words. If you think about neo-classical, you think Yngwie and all the other players that play this genre play, more or less, like Yngwie. In Vitalij’s music there is something new, something different that makes him THE one! Ok, I’m a big fan of his! I started to email him throughout the years and in 2003 he was in my city for a Classical concert and we met and I had the best time in my life! It was the best experience for me to meet and to talk with my hero! So began a different kind of friendship. Some months later he asked me to play on his fourth solo album… and I said “What?!!!”, it was a dream come true for me! Sometime later he played an entire song on my second album (Forbidden Dimension) which is now released, he not only played keyboard solos but also piano, choir, strings… everything that isn’t bass, guitar and drums and it became my favorite song; it is called “Winter”.
You have a very fast playing style. Was this something that just happened or did you consciously make being a fast player one of your goals from day one?
I started playing by listening to Shrapnel Record’s guitarists so my main goal was to play fast like them!! I practiced a lot in the years to improve everything and I’m continuing to study for sure!
With so many great neo-classical guitarists and keyboardists as influences, how do you restrain yourself so that Francesco Fareri doesn’t become a carbon copy of these influences?
My actual influences are not “real” neo-classical players so my style is a bit different. If you listen to my debut album, Suspension, or this new one you can’t find a harmonic minor scale on it which is symbolic of the neo-classical genre. I try to play in a different way to make my music new and fresh. I hope my records are different from the others. I think what also contributes to this is because I don’t have a particular song structure! This is another question really hard to explain in words!
Nowadays it’s rare to see an album with one track over nine minutes in length and on Forbidden Dimension you have a total of 4 out of 8 tracks coming in at a whopping 9+ minutes. Was this something done intentionally during your song writing/recording phase?
I really like long songs. I wanted to tell a story with the music and it needs time, also on my first record there are some really long songs as well.
These same lengthy compositions also have a few breaks in them where the music temporarily stops. How did these “pauses” come into place during the songwriting/recording phase?
As I told you before, in a story there are always different moments. Those pauses are necessary to create different states of the songs, they are important to create breaks and to leave room to breath until the next part starts again.
So what’s next for Franscesco Fareri? Are there any projects in progress that you can tell us about?
I’m working on new solo stuff, and on some other little projects. I hope to release a lot of music in the coming years. That is my dream! Thanks to all for the support! I really appreciate your help! For more info, check out my personal site at www.francescofareri.com. Ciao, Francesco.
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