Modern instrumental metal often is a vehicle for virtuosity. But while Spanish guitarist Javier Valdi is a highly skilled player – and not afraid to show it – the main focus on his five-song EP ‘Serendipia’ is on memorable riffs and strong melodies.

“You have to keep it interesting”, Valdi states. “I really take that into account when I write. If there is as melody, I’m the one playing it, so I need to make it expressive. Or the sounds need to be a little bit different if the same notes are being played. There are no lyrics, so you need to make it more interesting than a normal song with lyrics with the instruments. The main riff of ‘Irreversible Process of Technological Singularity’ sounds like it could have lyrics on it, for instance, so I was worried it would be boring without them.

My solos are not solos per se. It’s more as if the melody evolved. When it starts flying around, it always starts from the main melody. Even if it’s a very simple melody, just a few notes. I’m just trying to create something a bit different, even though the melody is the same.

I wouldn’t say that I’m a jazz player. Nothing like that. But I do listen to jazz music a lot, and I enjoy learning about it from guys like Pat Metheny. I think that has had a big impact on why the music on ‘Serendipia’ is so melodic. I really try to make nice chord progressions and nice melodies, moving away from the diatonic, and really exploring harmonies, but at the same time do it heavy. After all: extreme music is what I do.

Jazz came to my compositions naturally by listening to it. But it’s not like I’m constantly analyzing standards or studying super fast chops or anything like that. I try to take the chords Pat Metheny plays in a song, then harmonically try to understand it. It’s not like I’m forcing myself to study jazz. Nothing like that.”

Like a Power Trio

Another thing that plays a big part in ‘Serendipia’ is the fact that Valdi wants to make the most of the interactions with the other musicians. “It’s my project, I write the music, and my name is on it, I cannot deny that”, he says. “But I also cannot deny that without Femke (Westeneng, drummer) and Joost van der Graaf (bassist), who played nearly everything on the EP, I couldn’t have done it. It’s as simple as that.

I cannot play drums. I cannot program drums and make them sound as good as anything Femke would do. And Joost has a really unique way of playing. What a sound! I haven’t heard anyone who sounds like him. His sound is really powerful, and he always thinks of how to make his playing as functional as possible for metal music. So I think they deserve to be included in things like the video clips as much as possible.

Usually, I make my demos with midi drums. Then Femke studies them, and creates her own parts. Then, in rehearsal, we will go back and forth. I tell her which parts I like and which I don’t, and then she brings new ideas that I love. It’s really her work. Then also Joost: I give him the guitar tabs, and he does his thing. I don’t know what he did, but he did well, haha! It’s like a power trio. You can hear the bass clearly, you can hear the guitar clearly, everyone has a nice spot.

The bass on ‘Corrupted Reality’ was recorded by Misha Voeykov. I was running on deadlines, and Joost was really busy, so I asked Misha to please help me out. He knew the songs, because he was going to play my graduation anyway. He is more a jazz player, and you can tell that he plays some jazz lines. I think it’s a nice additional flavor.”

The Opportunity to Be Really Good

There were musicians for Valdi’s graduation, because he studied at the conservatory in Amsterdam. “In Spain, it’s a little bit difficult to officially study music”, he explains. “There are also fewer possibilities. Gigs and teaching are not very well-paid. Also, I wanted to leave Spain for a bit, and go to a different environment, meet other people, and that drove me here.

I had some family in the Netherlands already, so that helped. So I applied in Amsterdam, and I got admitted, which was the perfect excuse to move to the Netherlands. I tried to learn as much as possible, and I did. I wouldn’t say that teachers or guitarists here are better or worse, but at least the institutions are organized a little better. There are more teachers, and they are more open-minded.

Also, I see more people are trying to get to a higher level than in Spain, for some reason. A lot of classmates really dive into pedals and critiquing sounds, so you need to have a really good tone. Bart Hennephof is my teacher, and that guy is really good, and I think he is really good, because he got the opportunity to be really good. In Spain, you don’t often get that opportunity.

Here, you teach a little bit, you play a couple of gigs, you get by. In Spain, you need a side job. Or realistically, you need a full-time job, because side jobs don’t exist in a way that they do here. I work at Ibanez one day a week. It’s not possible to work one day a week in Spain. That’s also a reason why musicians can’t really commit the same way.

I studied at the pop department. At first, I was a bit lost. I knew from the beginning that I’m a metal guy and that I like jazz music, so I really thought of doing metal, from my third year on at least, really focusing on techniques. Marcel Singor helped me a lot with being aware of my technique and my sound.”

Comparing Yourself to the Best of the Best

“Dream Theater was a big influence on me when I was 17 years old. I listened to everything, and tried to play all their songs. I used to be a bit frustrated, being 17 and not being able to play 200-BPM sixteenths like John Petrucci would be doing. But then my father told me: you are comparing yourself with people who are the best of the best. So be aware of that.

It’s a good thing to have that perspective, at least. And I still think of that. When I get frustrated if I can’t play some things, at least I can think that I’ve got the perspective. Everybody wants to play well within minutes. But it takes time. Not even years: decades.

Having the reference of John Petrucci and all these people who play extremely well, and trying to get to that level when you are – of course – not close to it, has pushed me to get there quicker. Because you are pushing, pushing, practicing, practicing, and you think: why is my technique not good? Ah, I need to play more relaxed, I need to do the movements this way, or ask a teacher and try to find out what really works.

It still motivates me now. I just bought this course from Jack Gardiner. Just to get inspiration from other sources.”

Worn Out and Used

“I had been playing a cheap Squier HSS Strat since I was 10 years old until I was 17 years old. I didn’t have any money to buy another one. In Spain, it’s a bit harder to buy a good guitar than it is in the Netherlands. When I was 17, I had my first summer working full-time, and I saved up enough money to buy an Ibanez Prestige. So that’s the first thing I spent the money on. And I still have it. It’s my main guitar.

It’s worn out and it has been used, but it works perfectly. I love it. One time, a friend of mine and I were practicing, and he put this guitar on top of a chair. While we were talking about something, the guitar dropped down to the floor, and it had a huge dent. All I said was: don’t worry, man. What do you want me to say, that you have to pay? When I see it now, I don’t feel bad about it. It had to happen. It’s a tool. You need to wear it out.

Everything on ‘Serendipia’ is recorded with a Neural DSP Quad Cortex, on which I used the Diezel Herbert. Not the most distorted channel, but the second-most one. It works really well. Only one amp, stereo. Nothing crazy. On ‘Corrupted Reality’, there is an octaver throughout the song. Sometimes you hear weird sounds, because I use a Minivoicer, which is basically a harmonizer on the Quad Cortex, and I use it twelve tones up. Then there is an expression pedal controlling the other voice, which is thirteen semitones higher. So the more you press it, the more dissonant it sounds. On the second verse of ‘A Silent Collapse’, I use a rotary effect in the Quad Cortex cranked all the way up.

Even though I recorded with the Quad Cortex, I had my EVH 5150 III 6L6 on, so I could create feedback. Then I had a DI track with feedback, and I re-amped it. Because when you re-amp it, it also re-amps the feedback. So when you hear it, it sounds like I recorded it with a real amp, even though I didn’t.”