Update and an idea

Just got back from Germany yesterday. I go to Moder Music School to give workshops for Professional guitar class, I visit there two times a year. Was very good to spend one weekend teaching students again. I hope they got lot out of it. A lot of material and ideas were squeeezed into two days. I think I learned a lot as well!

Today I try to finish recording this song I was just writing you abou. The one I re-composed and arranged (“Hope Hope”). Rhythm guitars are there, lead guitars need to be finished. I try to do it today. Because I booked Lasse to do some Bass overdubs on this Thursday. Before that I also need to make of list of all the things we need to do with Lasse. There’s one complite song without the bass. Also little parts in many songs where I composed new guitar lines, and now the bass part need to be changed as well.
Also a keyboard overdubbing session needs to be be booked soon. It would be better to finish all current songs complitely before moving to compose new material.

On saturnday evening after the long and hard workshop day I went to hang out in the local bar.  Together with the students. Also my friend Alan Jay Reed was there. He came up with an interesting idea to be use on a composition.

brasserie_alan idea

The idea may sound finny but I really love it and am inspired of it. Big contrasts and changes!
First very slow band (perhaps a slowed down recording of the band?) backing a fast, fast guitar playing. Then everything goes oopsite. Vice versa. Fast( speeded up?) band and slow guitar. etc.
Thanks Alan! Let’s see if this turns into a composition to the next album… :)

Okay, now to work. Enjoy the day!

Mika

Recomposing

Wow, the song I’m currently working on is turning into a major epic tune!!! Working title is silly “Hope Hope”, as it has a very positive kind of uplifting energy flow to it. The music sounds kind of like “Creatures of the Midnight” meet “Epic” but very different. There’s still plenty of work with the song, some question marks. But the direction is definetly right.

This track was originally composed last spring when I started composing new material. We worked on the raw ideas of the song together with the band. We even played it live at the Kitarasankari – concert, even though there were still many open guitar parts that I wasn’t totally satisfied with.

Drums, bass and keyboards were recorded in august exactly like the live arrangement. Since last week I’ve started working again on this song. I immidiately knew the direction of the songs was not quite the right. Sensed so much more potential with the harmonic quality of the main riff.

So I totally broke the song into pieces and started twisting and turning everything. Now things are sounding pretty different. Most of the old elements are there, but in a different light. The mellow mood has changed quite a lot. It sounds more like a little positively aggressive marching army in the world of Mr. Fastfinger. Music should always have some surprising elements in it, well this one has those.

Ofcourse because of turning the song upside down, we need to record new keyboad parts, bass parts and possibly some drum overdubs to finish this little piece. But that’s a small price to make this song really blossom!

Can’t wait to let you hear this. You’ll also need to hear the change from the original to the new arrangement. I’ll be back…

Going hunting!

ROAAAR! We’re soon finishing the recordings of guitar tracks to the first bunch of songs. This means approx half an album worth of material. Well there are some bass and keyboard and percussion parts still to overdub. But I can ensure you, This stuff is hot and vivid! Can’t wait to get it out!

That means it will be time for composing more music. I just did this little piece of concept art. Who knows perhaps this raw image will turn into part of album art.  But anyways I think I will try to compose something that is inpired of  this image.

If you come up with themes and story ideas to inpire our compositional work. Please write us a message under the comments!

Recording a super fast solo

Hello from our humble guitar studio. We are currently working on guitar tracks for the next Mr. Fastfinger album. Here’s Mika recording a solo for a song called “Action Beat”. This is the actual take to keep. You’re first hearing it as it sounds raw through the camera microphone and then together with the current demo mix of the song (here solo is also double tracked). String skipping (sometimes combined with tapping) seems to be the hottest technique around here :)

Unfortunately producing an action packed kick ass guitar album isn’t as fast as some of these solos are. We hope to get the album ready and released during the second half of 2011. In the mean time watch out for more material as we progress.

The spring of new compositions

At some point of spring 2010 I started slowly composing new ideas for the next Mr. Fastfinger album. I didn’t have a crystal idea or theme for the album. But it was definelty clear that there is a need to create an action packed album filled with kick ass music. With positive energy wibe to it!

Working on the next Mr. Fastfinger album

Mr. Fastfinger and his band are working on a new album. Working title is “Action Guitar”. Debut album “The Way of the Exploding Guitar” was a great success for Mr. Fastfinger. It was well recieved and even praised by the fans of instrumental guitar rock. After a little rest we are now boldy going towards new adventures.

Aim is to get the new album released during the second half of 2011. Mr. Fastfinger has been gathering a band to back him properly. The drummer Thomas Törnroos, bass player Lasse Rantanen and Kalle Katz on keyboards and Mika Tyyskä on second guitar.

Stay tuned to get inside! Click here to read how things are progressing here: “Action Guitar“. Blogs will cover everything from composing and recording to producing and concept design to the visual design to release and marketing. Get involved and share your thoughs!