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MUSE
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"This is the only language I'm fluent in."

Matthew Bellamy was born circa the early 80s. Ten years ago, Bellamy moved to Teignmouth in Devon, a seaside resort in the south of England. At about 13 he teamed up with Dominic Howard and Chris Wolsetnholme, childhood friends, to form their first band, Gothic Plague. Today he is 23, and is the guitarist and vocalist in the long time renamed Muse, a band emphatically popular across Europe through their successful world tours since 1999.

Voice
His tenor voice is really one of a kind concerning expression and technical ability. The majority of other singers in their (supposed) genre do not posses the collective aspects that make Bellamy's singing voice so unique.

Bellamy has been compared to Thom Yorke of Radiohead, however the comparisons to him are quite weak. The only notable similarity is the quantity of emotional expression that seems to ooze out of every phrase in both of these singers. Some have also compared the two on the basis that they both extensively use their falsetto voice, however Bellamy possesses much better control of it, often belting out notes an octave above his natural range to a degree that Yorke never showed.

He has also been compared to the late Jeff Buckley (bless his soul) and this is probably a more accurate comparisson from a technical perpective. Both Bellamy and Buckley make (made) extensive use of their Falsetto voice, however it is a little known fact, but noticable to some, that Buckley did not have natural vibrato. He faked it by shaking his head up and down rapidly, however the effect was the same. Musically, these two men are (were) a world apart
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From extensive listening to Muse's first and second albums:

The highest note in Bellamy's natural range without straining: It is an A, for an example see the first line of the chorus of Cave. This is not nessesarily the highest note he can sing, but on the first and second albums it is definitely the highest naturally projected note.

The highest recorded Falsetto note: I believe it to be anywhere between B and D, all of an octave higher above his naturally projected A. Please note: it is possible to sing outside your natural range through use of the Falsetto voice. Also named False voice.


Muscial Ablility
Bellamy is an accomplished musician. He has studied numerous types of guitar styles, which ranges from intense spanish playing. He is also a very proficient pianist. Their latest label, "opera rock", is perhaps the most fitting. Bellamy has worked with numerous producers including John Leckie who produced Radiohead's, "the bends".

There is a notable shift in style from their first to their second album. The first album is subtle, with "intense flashes of heat" while the second launches heavier guitars and a louder, tighter sound. A Hullabaloo. This is largely due to Bellamy's influence of classical music, over which he believes influences most of their music. This is a sidenote however, however Beethoven's 5th symphony is clearly recognised in "Plug in Baby". Bellamy is an excellent live performer, and Muse have the experience of countless hours of on-stage action, as well as having toured with the Foo Fighters and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

"Best New Artist. We beat Eminem - would you believe it? And Macy Gray and all these strange pop acts!"

Of intrest to any guitar geek when discussing Muse and Matthew Bellamy is his collection of bizarre guitars, custom made for him by a company called Manson.
At present he owns seven custom Mansons:

The Rust Relic
The Mirror Manson
The Bomber Manson
The Laser Manson
The Black Manson
The 7-String Manson
The Silver Manson


What makes them unique? Well, check out this list of features and electronics built into them:
Z-Vex Fuzz Factory with external controls
Kill switch (kills sound of guitar for a stutterring
effect popularised by Tom Morello)
Midi controller for Digitech Whammy
Midi pickup
MXR phase 90
Fernandes Sustainer pickup (For infinitely sustaining notes)
Piezo pickup (for acoustic sounds]
Z-Vex Wah Probe
Tremolo Effect

And my favourite:
Laser beams

"The MKIII started off as an idea in Mansons head, as he drove past heathrow airport one night. ’I saw the planes landing and thought, what you need to do is have lights coming out of the guitar, not the lights in the auditorium shining on the guitar.’ So the mahogany body on this bolt on guitar was routed so that there are now around 10 lasers dotted around the ’smashed mirror’ body. ’They fire around 70 beams that run through various different lenses,’ states Manson. ’They are connected to sound, so the harder you play, the more they come on.’ -(Quote taken from Guitarist magazine)

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