Jason Becker

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Jason Becker (born July 22, 1969 in Richmond , California ) is an American composer and former guitarist , mainly of so-called neoclassical metal . Becker is affected by ALS , a degenerative disease of the motor nervous system, which makes him unable to play instruments.

style

Like many other neoclassical guitarists (e.g. Yngwie Malmsteen ) Becker studied the work of Niccolò Paganini , whose 5th Caprice (originally in A minor, played by him in D minor) he later adapted for his instructional video. In his playing, Becker uses scales and arpeggios that are played very quickly together with sweep picking in order to be able to imitate figural pieces from the Baroque era.

Career

At the age of 16 he became a member of the Mike Varney- produced duo Cacophony , in which Becker's friend and later guitarist of Megadeth , Marty Friedman , also played. Together they released the albums Speed ​​Metal Symphony (1987) and Go Off! (1988), who presented them to a broader public as virtuosos of guitar playing. The two toured together through Japan and the United States . Becker then left the duo to start a solo career in 1988 with his first album Perpetual Burn .

illness

A short time later, at the age of 20, Becker was accepted into David Lee Roth's band and recorded their album A Little Ain't Enough . During the recordings he felt that his left leg was "hanging limply" according to his statements. An examination a short time later revealed the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , also known as Lou Gehrig's syndrome in the USA , after the German-born athlete and disease carrier Lou Gehrig . Jason Becker was promised a survival time of 5 years. The recording of the record, which later reached gold status , could only be finished with effort and the use of special technology; his participation in the subsequent tour had to be canceled.

Perspective and The Berry Jams

In 1996 Becker released the instrumental album called Perspective , which was composed by him except for Bob Dylan's title Meet Me in the Morning . As the disease progressed, however, he was no longer able to play the guitar. Instead, he used a keyboard to write music . When he was no longer physically able to do this either, his friend and music producer Mike Bemesderfer helped him with a special computer that can be used to compose music while moving your head and eyes. This enabled Becker to continue working with music, although he had already lost most of the motor skills.

Becker can no longer speak, but communicates with his eyes through a system developed by his father. Although he is physically very limited, he says on the back of his CD Perspective : “I have ALS. It destroyed my body, but not my head ”.

A few years later, Jason Becker released the albums Raspberry Jams (1999) and Blackberry Jams (2003). In 2008 a "Best of Jason Becker" album was released called Collection , which includes new and unreleased titles from Beckers, including the song River of Longing starring Greg Howe .

Meanwhile, two tribute albums for Jason Becker called Warmth in the Wilderness I and Warmth in the Wilderness II have been released, on which guitarists like Steve Vai , Paul Gilbert , Marty Friedman , Rusty Cooley and Mattias "IA" Eklundh honor Jason Becker with pieces that either he played in his career or which they wrote for him themselves. The proceeds from the albums went to Becker to help him with his illness.

In 2008 the guitar manufacturer Paradise Guitars brought a so-called "Jason Becker Signature Model" guitar onto the market.

Discography

solo

Cacophony

  • Speed ​​Metal Symphony (1987)
  • Go off! (1988)

David Lee Roth

  • A Little Ain't Enough (1991)

Instructional video

  • Hot Licks - The Legendary Guitar of Jason Becker

Documentation

  • Not Dead Yet (2012)

literature

  • Mike Heffley : Jason Becker: Musicality Begets Musicianship in a Heavy Metal Guitar Prodigy , in: Gary E. McPherson (Ed.) Musical Prodigies: Interpretations from Psychology, Education, Musicology, and Ethnomusicology Oxford University Press 2016

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Becker, Jason
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American guitarist
DATE OF BIRTH July 22, 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Richmond , California , United States