1. Please tell me your simple biography in Finland. Like which bands you were in, you know...
1:I played drums in local band when I was 16 years old and we did a few small gigs. Later I played guitar in some other heavy project bands, but at the same time I was playing in those bands I kept composing my own material sending demo tapes etc.
2. I already listened your debut CD and read your biography, so I could imagine and see your influences. But there is no comment of neo classical guitar players as your influences in your biography. Weren't you influenced by those kind of players like Malmsteen or Macalpine at all?
2:The true fact is what I have told in every interview is that when I saw Blackmore playing Beethoven on stage and when I heard players like Yngwie Malmsteen, Vinnie Moore, Tony McAlpine, and most of their influences has came from classical music so I wanted to practice only translated classical Violin sequences etc of Bach Vivaldi etc with my electric guitar. I have never practiced any guitar solos from the albums, because I wanted to do it my way. I seriously believe that I would have something to offer to neo classical music listeners example songs like Seasons or Into The Light where I used one modified piece of a Vivaldi classical sounding sequence. In my thanks list I wanted to thank the people who has been helping me by giving me a chance to make CDs as well as the composers whose musical pieces I have practiced and I also thank GOD for the gift of music. Of course it would look cool if I would put names of the guitarists to the thanks list like Jimi Hendrix Ritchie Blackmore Yngwie Malmsteen Vinnie Moore etc I have heard their music but my classical influences has came by practising classical Violin sequences with electric guitar and by listening to classical music I still have a lot of translated tablatures of Violin notes of Bach and Vivaldi for electric guitar.
3. Your playing style is pretty much based on neo classical playing though, some of your compositions shows European taste, for example, 'Into The Light.' Were you influenced by European metal bands?
3.The music I have heard in the last 15 years ranges from speed metal to classical music and everything between. As a teenager I listened to bands like Accept, Judas Priest Iron Maiden etc as for mentioning European bands
4. You sent your demo to Chastain in 1994, but most of melodic metal bands such as Stratovarius selling their albums and having their shows in Japan Europe these days. Could you tell me why you got a contract with American company?
4:I got this recording contract with Leviathan after years of trying. Of course I have sent demos to European companies in Finland France England Germany. In Finland I got answer that unfortunately even this good guitar music isn't selling in 1993. I still continued playing and composing neo classical guitar instrumental music Nobody was interested it at that time but now it seems that neo classical sound is coming back in US also.
5. You wrote the music and Chastain wrote the lyrics and melodies this time. I know you the main guy on this album, but I cannot figure out what kind of demo it was before the recording process. Do you have some musicians in Finland to work with on demo tapes? And please explain to me a little bit about producing this album. Like what kind of demo you gave to Chastain and how you and Chastain developed the songs, etc...
5:I play all the instruments on my demo tapes Guitars Bass Drums Keyboards composing the whole songs ready before I send them anywhere. I have made songs since I was 15 years old where I played drums guitars etc instruments, I don't have a band in Finland and also I don't need musicians when I'm working on a demos because I can play all the instruments and I compose all of the music. When I gave demo tape to Chastain it was finished songs with all of the instruments and song titles. Guitar is my main instrument which I use for composing the material, like if example I come up with classical sounding sequence with electric guitar I play it also with the Keyboards.
6. I wanna know what the band title 'KenZiner' means.
6:There is no such word as Kenziner so it doesn't have any meaning. Actually it is just a artistic name modified from my surname Keskinen and when somebody says in English Kenziner it sounds like Keskinen in Finnish language. Kenziner
7. KenZiner looks like a project rather than a band. You're Finnish and other guys are American, so it's hard to imagine that you guys gonna play together after the recording. Are you gonna get a band members to play live?
7:Yes it might look like a project because there wasn't 5 members at the time when Timescape was recorded and because I played all the Keyboards and Bass. But now at the moment I have a Keyboard player from Finland and Bass player from US. The Vocalist and the Drummer will be the same so after the next album we will have better possibilities to play live.
8. Are you playing live in Finland these days?
8:At the moment I don't play live in Finland because I don't have a band here.
9. I heard that Stratovarius album got a gold album in Finland, but techno trend is very strong worldwide now. How is the Finnish rock scene these days?
9:Heavy Metal scene is very good in finland. Stratovarius Waltari Apocalyptica are very successful bands. I hate techno music it might work well in discos but it has nothing to do with music. It all started with an heart beat and human has certain life rhythm heart beat etc and then your ears are filled with 100 times faster beat than your heart so I call that mono tonic musical terror. I sometimes wonder what Bach would think when he would walk on modern streets hearing all the noises Airplanes Trains Cars and TECHNO "MUSIC!" I think he would get a panic attack. I personally think that silence is sometimes a good thing.
10. Your songs have a lot of emotional variations and tempo changes. It could be categorized as progressive metal, I guess. Did you or do you listen to progressive metal bands like Dream Theater?
10:yes I have heard Queensryche Rage For Order. I like that album also Dream Theater is great and other progressive metal bands like Rhapsody.
11. Chastain is a producer of this album and your guitar sounds are very similar to his on this album. Are you 100% satisfied with the sound of 'Timescape'?
11:My guitar still Cries and Screams no matter what amp etc I use. Yes I'm 100% happy with my guitar sound in Timescape.
12. Are you writing songs for next album now? Is it goanna be also 'KenZiner' album or your solo or a band?
12:All the music for the next album material is ready and it is KenZiner band album. The album title is The Prophecies and it is over 10 minutes long progressive song with classical sounding sequences, still there is many musical variations between all of the songs. I hope that someday I can make full guitar instrumental album because that is what I have been done before Timescape. We now have to write the lyrics and melodies, rehearse and record. This process will still take quite a bit more time. We hope for a new CD late in 99.
13. Please give a little advice to Korean guitar kids.
13:Believe in yourself and your playing abilities. If something don't work immediately don't worry it will in time. Try to first get some books where it is mostly scales and the chords. It is basically very simple stuff. Every scale is build on half full whatever one and a half step. Try to play some 3 notes per string and listen how it sounds when you play another 3 notes with different strings, or if you play all 4 notes per fret it is chromatic also it is chromatic if you play 3 notes per string like this 3 notes per string chromatic
E 5A, 6#A, 7B
A 3C , 4 #C ,5D
D1#D, 2E,3F
etc with different position make experiments with everything and use your imagination 4 notes per string chromatic
E 5, 6, 7, 8
A 4, 5, 6, 7
D 3, 4, 5, 6
G 2, 3, 4, 5
B 2, 3, 4, 5
E 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
here is the diminished scale
E 2 , 3 , 5
A 3 , 5 , 6
D 4#F, 5 , 7
G 5, 7 , 8
B 7, 8 , 10A
E 8, 10, 11
and finally after diminished here's one E-minor arpeggio
E ----0e---- ----3g---
A ----2b---------7e---
D ----5g---------------
G ----4b---------------
B ----5e---------------
E ----3g---------7b---12e
hopefully this had some help for your playing.
With Best Wishes! Jarno (KENZINER)
Interview conducted by Mr. Won Lee of Hot Music/Korea
E-mail:jpk@kenziner.com
