An Interview with Marcel Coenen

IC: For the readers who may be unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your music?

Marcel: The music I create with my vocal band, ‘Sun Caged’, is prog metal, and my solo music is a mix of progressive elements, metal, rock, fusion and atmospheric ballads.

IC: What inspired you to play the guitar, and how old were you when you first started?

Marcel: I was eleven when I started playing the guitar. I got a guitar from my mom on my birthday, and I never let it out of my hands.

IC: Who were your initial influences and how did that change over the years?

Marcel: In the beginning it was Iron Maiden and Metallica. Then later Yngwie Malmsteen, and soon after that came Joe Satriani and progressive music. I found out about Rush, Yes, etc… and also Dream Theater later on. Currently my influences range from Steve Morse to Satch, Tribal Tech and Meshuggah.

IC: What led you to play instrumental music?

Marcel: I always loved instrumental music, since you can make up your own story over it, by listening to the melodies, instead of listening to lyrics.

IC: Could you tell our readers a little bit about your previous releases?

Marcel: My first big release was an album with the band ‘Lemur Voice’, and actually before that I had one with a metal band called ‘Form’. I also played on a Rush tribute album released by Magna Carta (Working Man, the song "Freewill"). Then after that I started Sun Caged, and I’ve released two albums with them so far (“Sun Caged” in 2003 and “Artemisia” in 2007). I also played on several other tribute discs, like a tribute to Shawn Lane and a tribute to Jimi Hendrix, both of which were released on Lion Music. Additionally I’ve released two solo albums so far. “Guitartalk” (in 2003) which was all instrumental tracks, and “Colour Journey” (2006), which had several guest singers and musicians. Finally, a live DVD was released in late 2006, as well as an instructional DVD.

IC: What are your upcoming releases?

Marcel: I am working on my third solo CD and on a new album from Sun Caged.

IC: Could you tell us a little about your guitars? Do you have a favorite brand or luthier?

Marcel: Yes, absolutely! I play Bo-El guitars exclusively. These guitars are made from hard ash wood, very stable, great playability, great tone, awesome tremolo system, just everything about the guitars is great. I have my own signature series (the MC series), and you can find out about them here.

I also play on Curt Mangan guitar strings, which are very reliable strings with great tone.

IC: What other gear do you use, and more importantly, what kind of tone do you strive for?

Marcel: I have a Mesa Boogie 295, which is a great power-amp but it’s heavy as a rock! I use a Marshall JMP-1 for the distortion and a Replifex from Rocktron for the effects and EQ. I have a Korg Tuner, and use a Roland FC200 for effects control, a Dunlop Wah and a XP100 from Digitech. I normally use Dunlop tortex picks, the jazz type (1.18).

IC: What instructional material did you use to help develop your technique when you were younger? Did you have any favorite instructional books or videos, or a teacher?

Marcel: I had a teacher who taught me theoretical things, and I also watched a lot of instructional videos such as Paul Gilbert’s, Vinnie Moore’s, and so on. I also used to figure out a lot of songs, which really helped develop my ears.

IC: How much time do you spend practicing and playing nowadays, and how does that compare with your practice schedule when you were younger?

Marcel: I used to practice maybe around eight hours a day! When I was young, guitar playing was the only thing I did all day! [Laughs] But nowadays I really try more to create new music, and don’t really practice that much anymore, although I try to keep up with the modern techniques.

IC: Could you describe how you typically go about practicing? By that I mean… do you practice to a metronome or drum machine, or with a timer? Do you have a particular mindset while practicing? Do you watch TV while practicing? And so on…

Marcel: Well, always with a metronome! That’s very important. I always go through scales, arpeggios, finger exercises, etc… mainly to keep my technique in shape.

IC: Are you a guitar instructor as well as a musician? If so, do you have any particular philosophies or approaches to teaching?

Marcel: Yes, I also teach guitar, which is how I make my living. I always use metronome when I teach, and I try to get my students to listen to themselves when they play. But I always make sure they keep on having fun when playing. And like I mentioned earlier, I also have an instructional DVD available. Maybe there will be a second one in the future, perhaps with a different approach, but at the moment I’m focused on releasing another solo album and a new CD with Sun Caged.

(Marcel Coenen - Moyra)

IC: I know this is kind of a though question to answer, but what is your creative process like, and what inspires your songwriting?

Marcel: It can be anything… things happening in life, a book, seeing a movie on TV, visting someplace… I always hear music in my head, so mostly I try to work out what I hear inside of myself.

IC: Do you listen to your own music for personal enjoyment very much?

Marcel: Sometimes, although I try to avoid it so that I’m better able to move forward and grow.

IC: How important a factor is improvisation in your music? Do you improvise the solos on your albums, or during your live performances?

Marcel: I do both, sometimes I have a structured solo, or I improvise in the studio, and then later I study the solo – relearn how I played it - and from there it becomes a structured solo (it mostly happens this way). So improvisation is very important. I think I usually play at my best when I’m improvising, because all of my feelings come across, instead of thinking about the notes and techniques (it always becomes more ‘clinical’ when I do that).

IC: Do you have a favorite song of yours to play live, and do you perform any covers?

Marcel: I have two cover bands. One is called ‘Stormrider’, which plays 80's metal covers, ranging from bands like Metallica and Slayer to Y&T - great stuff to perform! The other is a Satriani cover group, which mostly plays older songs of his’.

But as far as my own stuff goes… really I like to play anything that I wrote personally. I always try to write in such a way that I won’t become sick of it.

IC: Is there anyone you’d especially like to play or collaborate with someday?

Marcel: Yes, absolutely! I would love to jam with Scott Henderson, he can teach me a whole lot! I also would love to collaborate with someone like Jorn lande – he’s a great singer! I’d love to meet Allan Holdsworth, and try to understand his approach to making music and developing his style. Lots of other artists too, such as Sting – he would be awesome to work with!

(Joop Wolters, Marcel Coenen, and Christophe Godin)

IC: Since this is an instrumental guitar website, what instrumental albums have you heard recently, and which are your all-time favorites?

Marcel: Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of music by an Italian guitarist named Fabrizio Leo. He’s an awesome guitarist with great songwriting skills. One of my all time favorites is definitely Holdsworth. Also, Tribal Tech and Joe Satriani are still my favorites.

IC: Do you have any advice for aspiring young guitarists who want to pursue a career in music or just better themselves as players?

Marcel: Use your ears, and always listen to your own playing and be critical towards yourself. By that I mean, make sure your sound is good, and your style is appealing to people.

IC: For someone at your level of musicianship, what are your technical and musical aspirations?

Marcel: I’m trying to get better at Fusion / Jazz improvisation, and I am working on my songwriting... to make it more diverse

IC: Are there any guitarists who you still look up to?

Marcel: Some of the new breed guitarists are very good, like Guthrie Govan or Fabrizio Leo. I think those guys are great!

IC: Do you listen to any non-guitar oriented music? If so, which artists, bands or genres do you like?

Marcel: Yes, a lot actually. I love Massive Attack, Keane, Classical music, and some jazz which is not particularly guitar oriented.

IC: If you could visit any musician or group in history, who would it be?

Marcel: Jimi Hendrix, Yes, Django Reinhardt, Led Zeppelin-- Aaah! So many! [Laughs]

IC: Do you play any other instruments besides guitar?

Marcel: I can play the drums a little (nothing flashy, just enough to be able to think of drum patterns for my songs). I can also handle a keyboard and write music with it. But my main focus is definitely guitar.

IC: What are some of your hobbies outside of guitar and music in general?

Marcel: I like to go out and visit places I’ve never been to.

I love to cook (Thai, Mexican and Greek are my favorites). I also like working on the computer, doing stuff like video editing and working on websites.

IC: And finally, what’s the one thing you want people to know about you?

Marcel: I am a hard working musician, and I’m always working on new material! Anyone can check out my websites for more information or to contact me!

IC: Cool, thanks again for the interview Marcel!

Marcel: Thanks Dave!

Essential Marcel Coenen links:

www.marcelcoenen.com  

www.suncaged.com  

www.myspace.com/marcelcoenen  

www.myspace.com/suncaged  

... and don't forget to buy "Colour Journey"!

-- Dave B.