i beat him. its all about what items he gets i think. if you can get two powerups before the end of the first solo section, you're set. theres a part where it plays like the melody, its all up and down scales that are pretty easy, you use them on him (your parts are the same) and if you can use both of them, he dies. also, i guess if you get a whammy on the first powerup, you can use it at a certain part and he loses immediately.