Masterclass with Mika Tyyskä

We are honoured to welcome Finnish guitar virtuoso and animator Mika Tyyskä to The Guitar Gym for this exclusive masterclass. Mika is best known for his creation of cartoon guitarist and mentor Mr. Fastfinger for the Guitar Shred Show.  This work earned Mika worldwide respect from guitar players and led to many multimedia awards.

The charismatic Mr. Fastfinger inspired Mika to explore the possibilities of instrumental rock, and to find his own voice on the guitar. Mika collaborated with companies like Hughes & Kettner and TC Electronic. Soon Mika got to do various clinics in Europe and in Japan. The next big step was Mr. Fastfinger’s debut album “The Way of the Exploding Guitar.” The album features guest appearances by Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Mattias IA Eklundh (Freak Kitchen), Christophe Godin (Möglbl), and Niko Tsonev (Steven Wilson Band). In 2015, a 30 minute long Mr. Fastfinger movie was released. “The Spirit of the Guitar Hunt” is the result of a collaboration between Mika Tyyskä and guitar maker Juha Ruokangas. Also Mr. Fastfinger’s 4th release “Spirit Rising” was released. The album is a soundtrack to the movie and features many guest appearances from musicians such as Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Michael Angelo Batio, Kai Hahto(Nightwish, Wintersun), Jan-Olof Strandberg and Kristoffer Gildenlöw (ex-Pain of Salvation). Mr. Fastfinger’s last album, Mountain Tone 2 was released in 2020.

Over the years Mika has done many clinics and masterclasses in Euorpe and Asia. He has also been honoured to guest appear at both Mattias IA Eklundh’s and Christophe Godin’s guitar camps. Since 2007 he’s been a teacher for Modern Music School‘s Professional Guitar Class in Germany.  He has also created educational content for companies like JTC Guitar and Rockway, a Finnish online school.

As a session musician Mika has been honoured to work with producers like James Spectrum (Pepe Deluxe), Marko Nyberg (Husky Rescue). Mika also plays in other bands KaKalMas, Mauron Maiden, Metallica Tribute (with Kai Hahto and Mikko Herranen) and has been seen on stage with some of the best Finnish and international musicians. He works also as an animator too. In addition to his work with Mr. Fastfinger, his best known works are his cartoon animations he’s done for the band Dream Theater.

(Mika proudly endorses and uses Hughes & Kettner amplifiers, Ruokangas guitars, D’Addario strings, Guitar Pro software)