I recently Stumbled Upon a very righteous set of websites created by a Finland-man who has created an awesome little character named Mr. Fastfinger. I started out my tour of his sites by downloading the free single “Wax On Wax Off” from his new album, and I was completely blown away. Not only is the song redonk, but he gives us the full tab (complete with solos transcribed, chords, and modal notation!) and the backing track to go with it! I honestly can’t think of a funner way to learn the guitar. I’ve been practicing the song for a few days, but the sweep picking is still busting my chops. This guy is fast.
After checking out the free song, I suggest moving on further into www.guitarshredshow.com to check out Mr. Fastfinger’s modal journey (on a magic carpet no less) through Tilulitu Land, the desert island he lives on. Mika Tyyska, the creator/alter ego of Mr. FF, has created this really fun game to help us learn the modes. I ended up playing the game for like an hour, and completely forgot to get my guitar out and try the example licks. Almost counterproductive in a way ………… but it sure was fun.
I didn’t realize it at first, but Mika and I seem to share a love of Japan – and Mr. Fastfinger can speak Japanese!
へ！マジで？嘘嘘嘘！信じられない！
もし、日本語がわだたら、こちらへスタート！
If you can’t speak Japanese, go ahead and click here for the English version of the game.
After getting your chops shredded by Mr. Fastfinger’s shred show, move along to his blog where you can find news about the man/cartoon himself and most importantly – guitar lessons with descriptive commentary and real audio examples. Sometimes he even posts examples from his own album!
Go here for Mr. FF’s blog.
Last but not least is his debut album ~~~ — <<< “The Way of the Exploding Guitar” >>> — ~~~ which instantly conjures up images of Steve Vai and other experimental/progressive guitar artists. You can easily tell Mika has his own personal style though, and isn’t afraid to play the slow and melodic (even though his name is Mr. Fastfinger). With a combination of creative licks, speedy solos, modal experimentation, and some very ingenious guitar sounds, his album is a success in my books and definitely worth checking out.
Mika hints of another instructional series coming out, and maybe another album soon. So until next time, keep shredding Mr. Fastfinger – I’m eagerly awaiting your next project!
