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Considered by many, to be the best guitarrist in the Argentinian heavy metal
scene, and often compared with world-class players, Martin Knye broke into the
professional musical world with only 18 years old.
Under the influence of guitar greats like
Yngwie Malmsteen and Eddie Van Halen among others, he rapidly becamed one of the
youngest and talented players that Argentina remembered. Renowed and admired he
becamed, even though his youth, in the master of a whole Argentinian guitarrists´
generation.
Between 1986 and 1989 he fronted his own band L Z 2, recording and
releasing an instrumental album "El Fuego Sagrado" ("The Sacred Fire") [1989],
being the first Argentinian guitar player to develop the so-called "Neo Classical" guitar style
in the country, shocking the audience with his style and explosive chops.
Kamikaze, one of the most popular Heavy Metal bands of Argentina during the 80's
proposed him to join in, and Knye, with only 21 years old at the time, accepted
the offer, learning all the band's songs within a single day, and recording two
albums: "Victima Del Rock" ("Victim Of The Rock") (1989) and "Kamikaze III" (1991).
After Kamikaze's disolution in 1992, he devoted himself to studying and
exploring different styles, including Classical, Flamenco, Blues and Jazz,
playing live only sporadically. From this period are most important his gigs with
the band Kristine, in wich he played arrangements and excerpts of virtuoso
classical pieces like "Flight Of The Bumble Bee", "Czardas", "Aranjuez Concerto",
"The Barber From Seville" and Beethoven's "5th Symphony", among others.
During 1998 he played nylon-string acoustic style,
in a duet witha former pupil, Federico Pereyra, playing music from Al DiMeola,
John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucia. 1999 brings him back to heavy metal, unifying all his influences and experience
in his proyect: Martín Knye-Magiar.
With Alejandro Fernandez (vocals), Germain Leth (bass)
and Alejandro Vassallo (drums), Martín Knye-Magiar recorded his first album
"Twister" in August 2000. Under the composition and production of Martín Knye,
the record explodes song after song, with all the energy, power, virtuosity and
subtlety of a classic, but personal style.
During the recording sessions for
"Twister", Martín started to suffer the deterioration of some unexplainable
coordination problems in his left hand, that had started more than a year before.
Even though of this condition, Martin kept on playing during 2001 and early 2002.
"Twister" first edition copies were sold out.
In May 2002 Martin was finally
diagnosed with "Focal Hand Dystonia", a neurologic condition that affects
the movement and coordination of the hands of highly trained musicians, for wich
there is no known cure.
Knye was forced to stop playing, and try a
rehabilitation program.
In August, and without being in better shape, Martin
decided to get back on stage, playing as a guest in an Ozzy Osbourne tribute with
some friends, playing the songs "Mama I'm Coming Home", "Bark At The Moon" and
"MrCrowley". In September he was back, playing with Magiar.
"Twister" was released
in Mexico, under the independient label "Misha Records", and was also re-released
in Argentina. Knye kept on giging till the end of the year, for a total of four
shows with Magiar and two Yngwie Malmsteen´s tribute concert, including 16 songs
of the Swedish Master. In all these concerts Martin played allmost inconseivably
with his little finger practically inutilazed, and his ring finger in very bad
shape.
Magiar did his last concert in January 10/2003. At the present moment
Martin Knye is disabled to keep on playing guitar, because the condition of
his left hand has deteriorated, but he keeps on trying to find his way out of
this extremelly difficult situation, looking for new terapies and possibilities
to cure himself.
Only time will tell... For more info, and a first hand
experience on Focal Dystonia look in NEWS.
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Martin Knye started playing guitar at age 14, atracted by the sounds of bands like
KISS, AC/DC, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Only a year later, he did his first gig, after learning the basic skills of guitar playing
on his own. At that moment his favourite players were Ritchie Blackmore and Eddie Van Halen.
In 1985 at age 17, after listening to the Swedish guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen
first solo record, "Rising Force", he started practicing up to 12 hours a day.
Nothing would ever be the same.
Being mostly self-taught, he did took some private
lessons during 1985, from guitar teacher Daniel Pellegrini, with wich he studied harmony, reading and
improvisation, and with Silvia Constanzo some classical guitar too. During the
months of June and July of 1994, he took a Flamenco guitar course with Spanish
guitarrist Manolo Yglesias.
Instinctive, and with great technicall facility, he
developed his playing very naturally, mostly by picking up by ear melodies, riffs
and solos of his favourite bands and players.
In 1986 at 18, and allready professionally involved in the music world, he started
teaching privatelly, activity he still mantains, having taught more than 500
pupils, many of whom are now well known players.
Since 1994 he belongs to the
teaching staff of the "Instituto Tecnologico De Musica Contemporanea" (I.T.M.C.),
official representative in Argentina of the Musician´s Institute of U.S.A.,
were he has done hundreds of workshops on guitar technique, in the Rock, Blues,
Heavy and Neo-Classical styles, and latelly on sight reading.
He has adapted
different and varied classical piano and violin methods, to the electric guitar,
and has transcribed and performed several well known virtuoso pieces and excerpts
from Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Paganini, Kreutzer, Tchaicovsky, Chopin
etc. His many recordings and influences, embraces Rock, Heavy, Blues,
Neo-Classical and some Tango and Flamenco too.
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Just to name a few:
Yngwie Malmsteen, Eddie Van Halen, Paco De Lucia,
Ritchie Blackmore, S.R.Vaughan, Jason Becker, David Gilmour, Richie Kotzen,
Allan Holdsworth, Steve Vai, Al Dimeola, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Bach, Mozart,
Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Sarasate,Tchaicovsky, Vivaldi, Paganini, Piazzola, Sabicas,
Yehudi Menujin, Jascha Heifetz, Vladimir Horowits, Juanjo Dominguez,
Miles Davies, John Coltrane, and most of the great gypsy players.
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