# Truly Amazing Acoustic Guitar Performance. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2008, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289 "2008-03-21T23:33:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![George\_Kaplin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@George\_Kaplin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/George_Kaplin)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2008, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/1 "2008-03-21T23:33:12Z")
Nothing more to it than that, really. I just had to share this. [AirTap!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbndgwfG22k) by Erik Mongrain. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/2 "2008-03-22T02:41:38Z")
That is amazing. I don’t know anything about playing the guitar, but I can’t believe the sounds he was getting from it. I’m going to check out the rest of his videos later. I couldn’t tell for sure; is that a standard acoustic guitar he’s playing, or was it modified in some way? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/3 "2008-03-22T02:45:28Z")
Gosh. Just…gosh. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/4 "2008-03-22T03:01:01Z")
If you like that kind of virtuosity, check out [Tuck and Patti.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M56QwDjE6PQ&feature=related) Tuck is a single guitarist who sounds like a band. Very tasty arrangements. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/5 "2008-03-22T03:01:38Z")
:eek: Now, if he and [this guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ddS8JodqCA&mode=related&search=) teamed up… ---
**Author:** ![AuntPam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@AuntPam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntPam)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/6 "2008-03-22T03:11:58Z")
Looks like a fairly standard acoustic guitar, but it’s wired into effects processors. The technique of hammering on strings to produe a tone, or pulling off them rather than plucking them, can be done quite effectively by a player without any need to lay the guitar on your lap. What’s unusual is that he attacks it with both hands from the same direction (in normal playing, your left hand curves under and around rthe neck of the guitar). He’s also getting some unusual percussive effects from striking the guitar body south of the bridge. Despite the finest synths around, it’s still difficult to make keys, or programming, that give you the live effect of string plucking–just like the “flute sounds” on a keyboard don’t actually sound like a flute playing. They sound like cuts of notes played by a flute, but not like a flute player actually moving from note to note while blowing a continuous air stream through the instrument. So, partial credit for innovative use of technology. I’d have to hear a whole album to determine if the guy is more than a one-trick pony. What’s on this tape is pretty, and different, but rather repetitive. About a thousand years ago, Frank Zappa, in an interview in Downbeat magazine (look 'em up on Wikipedia if you have no idea what I’m talking about) said (approximately): “The purpose of a rock solo is predetermined: excitement to ecstasy. The purpose of a jazz solo is different: it’s to present a progression through time.” When I’m thinking about music, I often ask myself: Which one is going on? I like both, but it’s useful to be able to hear the difference. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/7 "2008-03-22T03:56:12Z")
[QUOTE=AuntPam] Frank Zappa, in an interview in Downbeat magazine (look 'em up on Wikipedia if you have no idea what I’m talking about) said (approximately): “The purpose of a rock solo is predetermined: excitement to ecstasy. The purpose of a jazz solo is different: it’s to present a progression through time.” [/QUOTE] _Frank Zappa_ said that? It’s like learning that Lucille Ball was an astrophysicist. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/8 "2008-03-22T04:54:58Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] _Frank Zappa_ said that? It’s like learning that Lucille Ball was an astrophysicist. [/QUOTE] [You should do a little reading on Zappa.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Zappa) He was much more than a comic musician. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/9 "2008-03-22T05:03:40Z")
Good playing, interesting sound. My only beef would be that he has a little trouble with staying on the beat. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/10 "2008-03-22T12:41:14Z")
[QUOTE=NicePete] [You should do a little reading on Zappa.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Zappa) He was much more than a comic musician. [/QUOTE] One of the tightest bands and the most interesting sounds in rock, I must say. Much, _much_ more than a comic musician. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/11 "2008-03-22T15:37:16Z")
We just did a thread [Who are the acoustic guitar greats?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=459582). He would fit in with a number of names mentioned there. I don’t know where he would rank technically, but on a scale of spectacular this clip comes in well below several given in that thread. [Preston Reed - Ladies Night](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=356ViUx1Ktc) also shows the two hand tapping technique that he’s been performing for decades. I hope that acoustic guitar is making a comeback. Certainly seems to be great examples to be found. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/12 "2008-03-23T13:33:58Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] _Frank Zappa_ said that? It’s like learning that Lucille Ball was an astrophysicist. [/QUOTE] She wasn’t? Would you believe [Britney Spears gives semiconductor physics lectures?](http://britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/13 "2008-03-23T14:58:37Z")
Really? I’m the first person to mention Kaki King? Or Michael Hedges? Or even Stanley Jordan? Michael Hedges popularized this type of playing on acoustic guitar in the 80’s with Windham Hill records - his CD Aerial Boundaries is truly beautiful. Sadly, he died in a car accident a while ago. Kaki King is a woman who’s been around for a few years - she sounds very similar to this guy - she plays holding the guitar in a more “normal” guitar way, but does the same kind of two-handed tapping with percussive body tapping, too. She has recorded with some famous people and is trying her hand at commercializing her music - creating more structured songs and including vocals - without losing her essential sound… Stanley Jordon is a jazz player who plays electric in this two-handed way and focuses on more complex chording. Tuck Andress moves in this direction, too, but includes much more traditional-style guitar in his repetoire. As a guitarist who approaches the instrument in a traditional way, I think of these players as beautiful curiosities. There is very little I can take directly away and apply to my playing - but the willingness to challenge boundaries and be creative is inspiring (why follow the rules? These guys don’t and make cool sounds). The biggest issue is that there can be a “gimmick” aspect to what these non-trad guitarists are doing. Most of us speak the “normal language of guitar” so we can get past “whoa - that person is a competent guitarist” to whether we actually like the music. With these guys, there is a big whiz-bang “how’re they doing that?!” factor that can cloud whether they are actually doing something that is of enduring musical interest. It’s very similar IMHO to electric-guitar shredders - some of those guys (in all cases, “guys” is meant to be non-gender specific, btw) are complete technique monsters - but who cares? I find myself thinking that about some of these non-trad players, too. To quote a truly great guitarist, Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap, “there’s a fine line between clever and stupid.” PS: and clearly, Zappa is the embodiment of clever; everyone who has chimed in to recommend checking him out is spot on. I suspect he would’ve done just fine holding his own in a conversation about astrophysics, too… ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2008, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/14 "2008-03-23T15:06:38Z")
[QUOTE=AuntPam] What’s on this tape is pretty, and different, but rather repetitive. [/QUOTE] I was thinking something similar. It seems like there’s only a certain (small) number of things you could do with a guitar that way. (But then I hardly play guitar myself.) And throw in the harmonics stuff, and it seems like you can’t even do this small number of things in too many different keys. The repetitiveness starts to show already in the youtube clip. I’m afraid an album would probably just be boring. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_Pin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mojo\_Pin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_Pin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2008, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/15 "2008-03-24T11:34:25Z")
that sounds better than it is (hm…) but really, it takes several pickups and tons of mics placed in random places to catch all that. and notice how he stays in one key cause hes in an open tuning–once you get the technique down, it doesn’t take much creativity to sound impressive. and i swear it sounds like music from the pokemon gameboy game ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/16 "2008-03-26T01:26:28Z")
[QUOTE=WordMan] The biggest issue is that there can be a “gimmick” aspect to what these non-trad guitarists are doing. Most of us speak the “normal language of guitar” so we can get past “whoa - that person is a competent guitarist” to whether we actually like the music. With these guys, there is a big whiz-bang “how’re they doing that?!” factor that can cloud whether they are actually doing something that is of enduring musical interest. It’s very similar IMHO to electric-guitar shredders - some of those guys (in all cases, “guys” is meant to be non-gender specific, btw) are complete technique monsters - but who cares? I find myself thinking that about some of these non-trad players, too. [/QUOTE] Not surprisingly I agree with you completely. Sure, there’s some awesome technique there, but a little funkyness goes a long way when looking at someone as a complete player. It’s like the first time I saw a Picasso that wasn’t an abstract. You realize that the guy was seriously talented and chose to present his art that way, not that this is the only way he knows how to express himself. That’s the difference between gimmicks and innovative playing. It’s really only special when back in the 70’s Eddie Van Halen showcased tapping, but could still write a song, or when Dimebag Darrell from Pantera blows off at hyperspeed, but can still write a catchy song. Sure, there’s some offbeat players who have made breakthroughs (Les Claypool of Primus comes to mind) into the mainstream, but for the most part players like the one in the OP, while gnarly, are best represented in YouTube clips and nothing more. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/17 "2008-03-26T03:19:52Z")
[QUOTE=Mojo Pin] once you get the technique down, it doesn’t take much creativity to sound impressive. [/QUOTE] I’ve heard the same thing said about slap bass technique. It makes listeners say “Wow!”, but really isn’t all that difficult once you’ve learned how to do it. (I’ve never learned how to do it, myself. I was kind of turned off on the technique many years ago by the bassist in a local 3-piece band. He was good, but darn it, even as a bass player I know that every third song doesn’t need a bass solo! And even if that many bass solos _are_ necessary, does every solo have to be a _slap_ solo?) Anyway, we can’t forget the all-time master of innovative guitar playing, [Phil Keaggy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTsHn9a9u1c) (I’m guessing by his hair that this is mid-1980s - he looked much the same when I saw him live in 1982 or so.) Note that he does what he does despite missing a finger on his right hand. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/truly-amazing-acoustic-guitar-performance/442289/18 "2008-03-26T12:13:13Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] That’s the difference between gimmicks and innovative playing. It’s really only special when back in the 70’s Eddie Van Halen showcased tapping, but could still write a song, or when Dimebag Darrell from Pantera blows off at hyperspeed, but can still write a catchy song. [/QUOTE] Spot on - you know I love Van Halen, and Dimebag was amazing. I mean - imagine if Hendrix didn’t have the songs he did to serve as the foundation for his then-innovative guitar work - he’d be a curiosity these days and nothing more…