Clinic Review: Felix Martin Singapore Guitar Masterclass

Experience a one-of-a-kind workshop with Felix Martin, a virtuoso guitarist from Venezuela and Berklee College of Music alumnus. Known for his technical prowess and unique blend of Latin and metal genres, Felix has collaborated with renowned musicians like Sons of Apollo (Billy Sheehan, Mike Portnoy, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal) and Marty Friedman. His captivating performances have taken him on tours across North America, Europe, and South America. Join us for a chance to learn from this exceptional artist.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Tapping techniques
• Percussive techniques
• Songwriting
• Independence

WORKSHOP HIGHLIGHTS

• Interactive discussions Q&A
• Networking opportunities

Presented by: Electus Academy

Supported by: Wax Guitar Services

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And here are my thoughts:

The event was a one-hour experience with Felix Martin and his bassist, Joan Torres. It began with a trio performance with guest vocalist from Singapore, Odelia Foong singing The Right Place At The Wrong Time (originally by Seycara Orchestral).

Then, it was followed by an introduction and a performance of Felix’s piece, Gatherpiece from his latest album, The Gathering.

The first question for Felix was on Felix’s compositional approach. He explained that it was by recording his playing on his iPad and then developing the ideas from there. In terms of technique, Felix explained how his two-neck instrument allows him to play more freely because of the nature of the instrument. He also showed some different approaches using two triads as both harmonic and melodic ideas. Joan Torres also added his thoughts on making sure both hands are equally strong so that the music flows and not limited by technique.

Felix continued by answering different questions about his instrument. Moving forward they played another song, Clouddiver, also from his new album, The Gathering. Felix also talks about a few of the different albums that he brought for the session.

An interesting part here is with Felix talking about the different anime series that he watches (and is watching). If you’re curious, he mentions Attack on Titan, Spy x Family and One Piece! Personally I do enjoy little stories like this because it gives more context to the music that an artist creates, beyond just the music theory or technique. Felix also explains how the chord progression of some of his songs in the new album are inspired by the kind of sounds you hear in music for anime. Felix talks about discovering new sounds each time he works on a new record and how The Gathering is different than the previous album Caracas.

For the next song, they performed La Vaca Mariposa which is a piece in 5/8, from Caracas.

Felix then answers a question on his approach to percussion on his instrument. He demonstrates various techniques including one that he does by tapping the same pitch on both instruments one after each other to create an interesting riff or rhythmic texture. I really enjoyed this part as I could see how this allowed him to get different sounds that are less common on a six string guitar.

That being said, he emphasized that you could do anything he does on any instrument, as the most important thing is to realize that these are musical concepts, therefore they will work on any instrument.

Answering another question, Felix talks about growing up in a small town in Venezuela & how he wanted to learn classical guitar. But, the problem was there were no classical guitar teachers in his town. He wanted to play chords and melody at the same time. However, that is what led him to exploring two-handed tapping style as he found it easier to do that than attempt traditional classical guitar technique. This was a cool insight to find out that the limitations he had growing up was something that helped him found his own approach to playing music.

Felix and Joan continued to share more of how they met and also how FM Guitars (Felix’s company that makes the instruments both of them use) started. I loved hearing how the guitars came about because of Felix’s need to get the sound he wanted. It was also interesting to hear Joan’s role in making bass versions of instruments available as well, because he (Joan) wanted to get access to those sounds as well to play with Felix.

Closing the session, they played another instrumental before performing once again with Odelia Foong singing The Right Place At The Wrong Time. They did this since many of the attendees missed the earlier part of the clinic. It was really nice to hear Felix play in this context with a vocalist. The event continued with a a meet and greet as well as a photo session. What a great opportunity to connect even more!

All in all, this was a well formatted and organized event to give the Singaporean audience a chance to learn more about Felix’s playing and music.

Pros: Good session to introduce Felix’s musical style and approach to a general audience.
Cons: There is only so much that you can cover in an hour, so anyone looking for a more indepth insight to Felix’s playing might want more time with Felix (take private lessons perhaps or continue by getting transcriptions of his music from his website).
TLDR: If you are interested in Felix’s playing and musical approach, this session was a great introduction to his music, especially if you attended it in person.

Special thanks to Electus Academy, Anthony Poi (organiser for the clinic) and Felix Martin for making this session happen. Much thanks to Anthony Poi for extending an invitation to watch the recorded clinic so that I could write this review. I hope to attend future clinics in person whenever possible!

All clinic photos (and video clip from the clinic) courtesy of Anthony Poi. Thank you!

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