Khan Manuel is a musician on the up. The Sydney-based guitarist was recently endorsed by global giant Ibanez, an achievement which follows the international success of his debut solo album The Knight. I caught up with this rising star to chat about the Ibanez deal, teaching the next big stars, and Guitar Hero.
You’ve just been endorsed by Ibanez guitars. What does that deal mean for you?
It has always been a dream of mine to be endorsed by Ibanez. And after thousands of hours studying, when things like this happen it really does give you a sense of accomplishment. It will help open doors that would normally be shut and I am so grateful for this endorsement. Many thanks to Kurt and Adam at Australis for helping make it possible. Australis look after Ibanez, Tama (drums) and also Ashton here in Australia.
What do you love about Ibanez guitars?
I have played the Ibanez Jem 7v white for around 11 yrs. Personally I have not found another guitar that caters for all my needs. The neck is very important and needs to have speed on it without losing its tone. Dimarzio have been with Ibanez as long as I can remember and always make top-notch pickups, which has to blend well with the body. My Ibanez has an alder body and resonates beautifully with the combination of the dimarzio pick ups and the fast neck. Overall its perfect for me, and also covers a wide range of genres. The Knight was recorded in its entirety with the Ibanez 7v white, which is interesting as there are blues, rock, metal, fusion and funk styles on the album. I have tried almost every other model of guitar you can think of and have stayed with Ibanez because I haven’t found anything better.
Who are your guitar heroes?
Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan were the first guitarists that I studied and listened to. Still to this day I marvel at their genius. Its almost as if they knew something that all other players failed to put into their own voice, and I am not talking about technique or playing ability. I think all great players are like this: Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Santana, George Benson, Larry Carlton, Tommy Emmanuel. I could name 100 more but ultimately for me there is only really a top 1% that has really made an impact for the guitar to evolve, and these players I could only count on two hands. I have studied well over 100 guitarists since I was a youngster and will continue to study anyone I think has a good energy that can be added to my own voice.
What inspired you to start to play?
All I can remember is sitting next to the stereo when I was around six and listening to my dad and sister’s albums over and over again. I listened to everything from Michael Jackson, Chubby Checker, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Phil Collins, Bob Marley, The Beach Boys and heaps of others. There were no guitarists that interested me, it was just the way that the music made me feel. I remember getting shivers down my back when I heard a song that I liked and that made me feel good, so I kept going back for more of that same feeling.
My dad was playing the guitar one day (he was playing “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix) and I walked in and saw this guitar that he was playing. Then on the odd occasion I would walk in and pretend that I was playing it. Then he started teaching me to hold chords and to start playing tunes at around 9 or 10. So I guess it was a combination of already loving the feeling that music gave me, and my dad introducing the guitar to me.
You released your album The Knight last year. What can you tell me about that recording?
It was something that I had planned when I was 18. I knew the outline of the album, how most of the tunes were going to go and everything down to the mood of each song. Some compositions were a few years in the making and others I did overnight. It really was an extremely hard project to do. The recording process took around seven months, which took up almost every hour of every day. I played all instruments on it so sometimes that would take a few takes to get certain instruments right. Then all the mixing/mastering/artwork/planning/distribution etc. were things that I never even thought about until I got to them. I never realized how enormous this job was until I had to do it.
Just before I started recording I had been in and out of hospital for around a year due to health problems, so this drove me to really hammer the project out. Honestly it was so frustrating in regards to recording, because I had very limited equipment. But I did the best that I could with the equipment that I had, and have had some very pleasing comments about the mixing and production. On the whole it has been the hardest but most enjoyable and rewarding thing I have done in my life thus far.
You teach guitar lessons in Sydney. How rewarding is it to pass on your skills to others?
I have taught people from beginner level right through to professional players and all have been a huge joy to teach. Apart from passing on my own knowledge I too learn something from them, which in itself is great. When I see their face light up when they accomplish or understand something, that makes me feel really good! One of the greatest feelings is when you give, so every day when I do teach, I feel blessed and realise just how lucky I am to be able to pass on what I know. As much as I enjoy this though, I probably won’t be teaching much longer as there are other avenues that I will be focusing my energy on like performing and touring.
You seem to be pretty tech savvy with a website, MySpace, and Facebook page. How important do you think the internet is for helping young musicians promote themselves?
In this day and age, it means everything! It would be virtually impossible for independent artists to get their music heard on the scale that it can be now with the internet. In addition to my website, MySpace and Facebook, I have about 15 other places just on the internet where my music is accessible. This took a lot of hard work just to get these foundations in place. But once they are there, it’s great because the internet spreads your information for you most of the time. People become familiar with your music and they show their friends, which gets the word out there a lot faster. YouTube is great for marketing and getting heard as its visual and subscribers/fans/supporters feel more of a connection with you. I am lucky to have supporters from all over the world, and I think it is great that you can keep in touch with one and other and can blog about upcoming events, tours, releases etc.
On the other hand all it takes is for one person to leak your song or album on the internet and bam, anyone can download it for free. There are many people that don’t want to pay for music, and will go to great lengths to try to find it on the net for free. In saying this I still believe that the pros outweigh the cons by a mile.
Would we ever catch you letting loose on the Guitar Hero game?
Haha, well not really. Although I have played it a few times, I don’t really get into it as much as some people I know. But in saying that I think it is a great game, especially for developing your rhythmic sense. I have a nine-year-old student who came to me with a great sense of rhythm and his father said that he plays Guitar Hero all the time. It’s also good for hearing intervals and generally just listening to good music. All songs on there are hits of some sort and educate people with cool guitar based songs. Even though the fingering is nothing like playing a real guitar, it can still stimulate coordination between the ear, brain and neurological senses in combination with rhythm. I would recommend Guitar Hero to young players wanting to learn to play real guitar for those reasons.
What guitar riff do you wish you’d written?
There are many riffs that I have as favorites, but if I had to choose one off the top of my head it would be Joe Satriani’s ‘Crushing Day’ I have probably listened to that tune over 10, 000 times. A great Lydian flavor with a hard-hitting riff. It’s not the hardest riff to play, but it just drives so well and creates a magical feeling for me. Love it!
What does the rest of 2009 hold for Khan Manuel?
Gigs, planning and more gigs. I aim to do about 10 more gigs in Australia, then one or two in Auckland, New Zealand. Then after that, in 2010 look at touring Europe, U.S, and Japan. This is a goal of mine over the next two years. Then begin writing and recording the next album which will be recorded in the U.S with some world class players, possibly with a few of my heroes that play bass drums and keys on the album too! Its all going to be so much fun!