Alexandr Malahov
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Instrumental Rock From Kazakstan
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Alexandr Malahov submitted his eight song demo CD-R consisting of a number of instrumental rock pieces recorded in his home studio. Typical of a great number of home studio efforts, Malahov's tracks have a very stripped down production, basically a drum machine, bass, and several tracks of guitar. But even though Malahov can rip out some impressive speed licks and blistering leads at times, he has a fairly serious problem with his intonation throughout the demo, especially on long, sustained notes, or when he plays slowly. Also, many times the playing is just off-key. You can hear the guitar going out of tune, sharp or flat, slightly at times, and more pronounced at other times, which is a playing flaw that has to be corrected. It's very hard to listen to a sustained note that drifts sharp and off-key, and there are many in the various compositions. Malahov just has to compare his recordings and his slower passages with those of guitar heroes he admires, such as Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert, so he can hear what he can do to current this technical problem.
Just 21 years old, Alexandr started to play acoustic guitar when he was 15. He taught himself to play, and when he was 17, he heard Yngwie Malmsteen play for the first time and was amazed. But by 18, he found Malmsteen's playing boring, and began to listen and become inspired by players such as Gilbert, Satriani, Tony MacAlpine and Steve Vai. Alexandr began to practice intensively, and started think about music as his second life. He also began to teach guitar and record his own music about this time.
Someday, Malahov would love to build a recording studio in Kazakstan in order to showcase the many genius musicians who live in his country. He plans to continue to practice his guitar as much as possible, as he hope to become a professional guitar player in the future.
Contact Information
Alexandr Malahov
Home 94, Flat 2, Aksay-4
Almaty 480063
Kazakstan
E-mail:
Alexandr Malahov
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Ryan Formato
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Young New Yorker Aspires Towards First CD
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Representing today's younger guitarist is Ryan Formato from Mastic, New York. Just 18 years of age, Formato submitted a four song demo CD-R filled with blazing shredded moments and all the high-tech, modern playing techniques you'd hope you'd find in a much older guitarist. Still some of the same issues a lot of guitarists who've mastered fast playing have are present in Formato's demo. When the playing slows down, the intonation tends to suffer. Sustained notes tend to drift slightly out of tune in a non-musical way. Another area for improvement could be his phrasing. A lot of improvised passages don't quite 'fit' into the musical space allocated to them, falling just short, or running a bit long, and have to be cut off in a jarring way. Attention to phrasing and making musical runs and lines fit, is a skill that comes with experience and a good ear, really listening to the music and letting your brain guide your fingers, instead of the other way around. Still, Formato's got a solid foundation on which to build, and his age means he's got plenty of time to develop.
Ryan picked up the guitar at age fourteen and seriously became interested after hearing Steve Vai. He has been playing guitar religiously for the past four years and will continue with the guitar through college while studying jazz. In addition to the Vai influence, guitarist Jeff Denny has taught Ryan everything he knows about the guitar, from fierce licks to music theory. He is currently working on songs for his first CD. Ryan has competed in the Guitarmageddon competition, making it all the way to the regional finals.
Formato's main goal in developing music is to allow the whole world to hear great rock instrumentals, and to allow people to appreciate the guitar for all the beauty that it can create. He is aspiring to become the next "Vai" and prays that it can happen one day with enough hard work.
Contact Information
Ryan Formato
26 George Drive
Mastic, NY 11950
United States
E-mail:
Ryan Formato
Web site:
www.ryanformato.com
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