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Amazing finger-style guitarist Andy Mckee proves why you suck watch!

youtube.com — You have to see this if you have ears and a set of eyes, nothing short of amazing.

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  • converge, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8nice clip. another good guitarist in the same style is Antoine Dufour, whose videos are related links on that page.
    • rosshettel, on 10/12/2007, -28/+18Not bad, but Kaki King is much more impressive, in my opinion. Check her out: http://www.kakiking.com/ Click on the link labeled "ears" and then watch some of her videos. Not bad on the eyes either.
    • appetite, on 10/12/2007, -19/+8or don ross or some girl named kati and some other 50 people i've seen do this on youtube. can't wait until it's cool for guitarists to play actual songs again.

      in my opinion, don ross is the best at this style. the tapping and harmonics have a fleeting wow factor but don's songwriting is so good that you keep going back to it. it's not just 1-4-5 with some melodic trills and knuckles on wood here and there. it actually has some creativity and soul to it.
    • mbthompson, on 10/12/2007, -12/+14rosshettel, no offense, and looks clearly aren't everything, but Kaki King is not cute by any shake of the ugly stick.
    • conradpaul, on 10/12/2007, -9/+3kaki king does look weird in some pictures, but shes totally hot, and not just in the way that some girls thought yngwie malmsteen was hot. but in that way too. anyways, kaki is not of the heterosexual persuasion.
    • drsnooks, on 10/12/2007, -8/+5There's a guy in England called John Gomm who plays this kind of style, but sings at the same time :)
      http://youtube.com/watch?v=ilwA2EwRmbc&mode=related&search=

      He also posts transcriptions of how he plays - http://jongomm.com/tab.html

      He plays around Leeds a lot, runs the Saturday afternoon acoustic slot at Dr Woo's, opposite Music Ground (well, he certainly used to - it's been two years since I went there) Well worth seeing live
    • woz_fraggle, on 10/12/2007, -12/+3he obviously had great technique and it's enjoyable to watch and listen to at the same time, but the audio on its own sounds like porn slideshows i had had on my amiga. the music doesn't stand on its own two feet, thinks i
    • curios, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Andy Mckee Tabs - http://www.andymckee.com/music.htm
    • Xageroth, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15I've always been partial to this guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO2ztfUdRo4
    • ayeroxor, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Xageroth - that guy is Erik Mongrain http://www.erikmongrain.com/
    • DiggsOnlyNeoCon, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17Unbelievable. Someone posts a clip of, you know, a nice-sounding guitar song done in a cool way, but people still find ways to bash it. Can't we agree on one damn thing... (besides how whack Scientology is).
    • dclowd9901, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10I'm amazed that he can hammer such clear notes on an acoustic guitar. I can barely get those results on my electric, and they actually amplify your playing. Great video.
    • skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -8/+3Oh look, another Michael Hedges clone.

      I guess he's OK at least.
    • skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4@ rosshettel

      I've seen Kaki King live.... she was a complete primadonna and wasn't really all that great to boot.
    • appetite, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4diggs, i think being critical is fine especially when the title says "prove why you suck". the guy is skilled for sure but the song isn't all that great. when i want ot see gymnastics, i'll go to cirque de soleil, when i want to hear guitar--the song really matters.

      the hyperbole surrounding this post reminds me of canon rock or 80's metal guitarists.. ~shiver~.

      don ross and stanley jordan do prove why we suck but this guy, sorry to say, does not. technique is like 5% of guitar playing. it's neat that he uses two hands, but django reinhardt played more impactful guitar with two fingers. literally.

      also check out derek trucks if you want hear some truly amazing guitar.
    • troon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@dclowd9901

      I think they have a very high gain on that microphone. Notice how loud even gentle strumming is. I suspect if you were actually there, it'd be surprisingly quiet.
    • grizzlybear, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4also rhett butler!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZpJl1o0mW0
    • mrdoolittle119, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2why does it look so easy
    • daprice, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I second the Rhett Butler recommendation. He taps two guitars at once. And he is a good all around guitarist in addition to the "tapping" style.

      http://rhettbutler.org/

    • JordanRL, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"In my humble opinion, Andy is the most innovative and exciting fingerstyle guitarist to emerge in years. Still in his 20's, Andy has developed a mastery of the 6-string guitar and the harp guitar that leaves me speechless. He is the most textural player of the instrument since Michael Hedges, and he creates sonic architecture worthy of the great modern composers for any instrument. - Don Ross"

      For all of those who said Don Ross is so much better... check out who said that. ;)

      From http://www.candyrat.com/artists/andymckee/
  • dand8866, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2Antoine is also amazing, I love his style. If you are interested in this kind of music then I suggest checking out www.candyrat.com.
  • cdemi, on 10/12/2007, -4/+27nice beard
    • thetanbark, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Funny since he's just grown it recently and shaved off all of his long hair. He looks probably 10 years older now since growing it. Next time I see him live I'll film his show and post it :)
    • undershirt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yeah, I didn't even recognize him with that beard and bald head. But I've seen him play that song back when it was fresh, and I think he's getting tired of it. Looks like he's trying to put on a show by manufacturing the old feelings the song used to give him.
    • undershirt, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Forgot to link to the old vid with his long hair and infinite freshness

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHpDeu2g3kM
  • rhesuspieces00, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Anyone know anything about the guitar he uses in this video?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvar4ZsqsEo
  • mbthompson, on 10/12/2007, -3/+40Beautiful music. I enjoy watching that kind of playing as much as I do hearing it. Just a little info about the clip for all you aspiring musicians that you should keep in mind. One, no one will teach you how to play this way, it's something you'll need to discover for yourself. Two, he is using an alternate tuning, I'm guessing open G or D but I can't be sure. So in other words, if you pick up your average guitar, the strings go EADGBE, however that's not how the strings are tuned on his guitar so don't kick yourself if you get confused by that. Third, your average Fender acoustic is NOT EVER going to sound like that. From the looks of the headstock it's a Jean Larrivee. They are phenomenal guitars but of course are not cheap, made in Canada not the U.S. Finally, if you like this kind of playing/music definitely look into music by Phil Keaggy or his old band Glass Harp. Still want to keep playing? Me too, welcome to the group! :)
    • fastsix, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8http://www.larrivee.com/flash/features/history/history.html

      Since 2001 many of the Larrivee guitars are made in California. I believe it's just the 03 models that are still made in Canada. They're still excellent guitars.
    • mbthompson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Thanks for the update on Larrivee, must have had my head in the sand on that one.
    • Catchpen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yep and you'll never figure it out watching him on youtube either. I'm so sick of the audio 1/2 second behind the video, it's really obvious on this one, his hand is already on the next fret grrr. Why youtube is so popular I'll never figure out.
  • Klostrophobic, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6And here I thought David Wells was only good at throwing baseballs.

    Impressive *****. It almost makes the visual as important as the aural.
  • ImTheDarkcyde, on 10/12/2007, -19/+5buried for the submitter being some sort of elitist *****
    • vhold, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5I took it as being tongue in cheek.
    • SkeletaLlama, on 10/12/2007, -7/+6I don't think he's an elitist *****, I think he's just the regular kind.
    • snurfle, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4We bury because of the submitter? What about relevancy and content?
  • jayleb, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2Best guitar EVER!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xZw9D9c18E
  • mbthompson, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Best part of the whole thing is that the record company he is working with sells CDs delivered to your door or you can download them in MP3 from their site. I had no idea Eric Johnson was on candyrat now as well. Anyone a fan of "Cliffs of Dover"?
    • AmnestyGenocide, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Yup.

      Cliffs of Dover is one of my favorite songs all time. And I haven't heard it in ages. Thanks for reminding me, and for pointing out Johnson is over at candyrat.

      Going to be doing some downloading this morning.

      cheers
    • PhilBoswell, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Just a little bit ;-)

      "Cliffs of Dover" has to qualify for one of the best instrumentals ever. Thanks for the heads-up for Candyrat...
  • thep1mp, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1WOW!! keep doing what you do, Andy.
  • SkeletaLlama, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2"You have to see this if you have ears and a set of eyes, nothing short of amazing."

    I only have one eye and one ear, do I still have to see it?
  • OpticalLiam, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Beautiful.
  • szap, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Check out the guitar he uses in Into the Ocean:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvar4ZsqsEo
  • conradpaul, on 10/12/2007, -9/+13its funny to see a double-hand player on the front page. this andy mckee guy isnt all that impressive. there are some two hand tapping videos that are a quite a bit more insane:

    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5360698090696828745&q=kaki+king+conan
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtDS44GrjiY
    http://video.google.de/videoplay?docid=6007768965488299182

    check it or wreck it
    • gaijintendo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Thanks so much for these links, Erik Mongrain is awesome.
    • appetite, on 10/12/2007, -7/+6Kaki King: trouble maintaining a steady rhythm. plays an ovation which sounds poopy. pretty good for a girl i guess.

      Stanley Jordan: holy *****! that was RIDICULOUS. your youtube link should be at the top of this page--not that run of the mill dadgad boring crap. thank you for posting that.

      Eric Mongraine: another guy who makes a lot of neat sounds but doesn't play a friggen' song that makes any sense.

    • szap, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3The first link wasn't too great, but the second one was pretty damn good and the third one was amazing. Your links follow a coincidental order of greatness.
    • appetite, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3no the second one was amazing and the third one was just masturbating on an acoustic guitar.
    • fastsix, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3A couple more good ones.

      Brian Setzer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgUCs72RDHs
      Yep, it's the guy from the Stray Cats.

      Jerry Donahue - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRLBqrPCzpM
      Yeah, I'll never be able to play that - oh well I still have fun.

      So many good guitarists, must be a hell of a hard way to make a living, but probably a whole lot more fun than what I do.





    • slicedbread, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3YES - Stanley Jordan is the guy to check out for this. I just saw him in philly and he played guitar and piano...AT THE SAME TIME.

      this andy mckee guy is pretty rockin too, but stanley jordan is on another level, youtube him and find out why.

      side links in the original link of andy mckee in this post are also good.

      thank you digg, good music recomendations today!
  • antongranik, on 10/12/2007, -14/+0Amazing! And I digged this the 100th! :)
    • SkeletaLlama, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Sweet, let's see if we can digg your comment down to the 100th.
  • Mistoffelees, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Would love to see him play a Chapman stick
  • beggersfunk, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Great but once you saw Micheal Hedges that the end of it. Hedges pretty much doing like this sort of style like forever. Too bad he passed away while back ago. But nonetheless this video is good.
    • MonolithTMA, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Yep, this definitely makes me miss Hedges. I was sad when he died. He came through my area once and I decided not to go see him because I was sure he'd be back. Sadly, I was wrong.
    • thetanbark, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Hedges is Andy McKee's hero and he mentions it practically every time he plays live. His song The Friend I Never Met is "about" him as much as an instrumental piece can be about somebody. He's also one of the most down to earth people if you ever get a chance to see him live.
    • skyshock21, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If you've never seen Hedges play, you are MISSING out.

      He was THE MASTER - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0G75kaEPEd4

      Jitterboogie still kills me.
  • amarsuperstar, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=trace+bundy&search=Search

    Trace Bundy, also one of my favourites. Been going through these comments, they are all really good video responses.... that's a morning at work wasted :)

    ps - listen to his version of canon above, its great.
    • therealfoz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'll dig you up for Trace. I've been listening to him for a year or so. Very talented guy!
  • gareth84, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0http://www.johnsmithjohnsmith.com/

    john smith is another great musician using the guitar in a different way.
  • dimsum05, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15My dog bit me in the ass, today... but watching and listening to this wonderful melody made my day all better...

    Thanks, Andy!!!

    ^_^

    P.S. And for the people that say (insert name here) is better than Andy, lighten up! Let Andy get his time in teh light! A good musician is always welcome to Digg!

    -Jose
  • cannabian, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1Another amazing guitar player on Candyrat is Erick Turnbull.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRahpP5WP68
  • GeorgeBlume, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Nice. Reminds me of the late Michael Hedges, but not quite as good.
  • chazzbro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Personally, I'm a bigger fan of John Morgan:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPiGXleCbm0

    Phil Keaggy (a truly amazing song, not just the performance):

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jcji2gYJkI

    and, in terms of sheer performance energy and speed, Tommy Emmanuel:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7MEKFTYqMo

    If you'd like some very sweet, FREE, legal, NO-DRM downloads of fingerstyle guitar MP3s, check out:

    http://freesologuitar.com/
  • rafaelcapanema, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Cool video, but you didn't need to offend me.
  • anywhat, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Glenn Jones -- who also plays guitar for Cul de Sac -- ought to be near the top of this list.
  • cjmemay, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Why is it that on digg guitar playing always sounds like a competition? "Why you suck" "Guitar player pwns you" "Best. Guitar Player. Ever."
    Its not a game or a competition. No one is the best.
    The whole idea is silly.
    • EmmSee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Amen brother. I'm actually a professional musician and it's funny to see people try to one-up each other with various guitar player vids... give it a break.
  • curios, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Andy Mckee Tabs - http://www.andymckee.com/music.htm
  • gallyjh, on 10/12/2007, -5/+1I still think Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine is more impressive.
    • appetite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i think it's impressive how overrated tom morello is for making a guitar sound like a power tool for an out of place 13 second section of every song.
  • runalonghome, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4He's quite good, but for sheer speed/technical ability, Justin King is far better - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6NA9nd4Fgs.
  • Talus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Great video...aweful digg title.
  • xutopia, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5meh... sorry to say this is good but nothing amazing.
  • raeanin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1If you like 2 handed technique playing, you might as well go right to the top. Check out http://adam.fulara.com/ he pretty much kills everyone.

    Chris Broderick is not specifically a 2 hand player, but he is pretty damn good at it. http://youtube.com/watch?v=xkpZ645ztl0 He is also really versatile and plays everything from blues to metal to acoustic.

    Herman Li is also one of the best players around right now, he has a pretty mean 2 handed technique but his speed and innovative licks are what stands him out the most
  • Zoshchenko, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2After reading all your comments I feel like I've been living under a rock! I have never seen this style before but it's very hypnotic. I feel like finally all the time I spend on Digg has paid off on me learning something new! Very cool.
  • chazzbro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I agree about the comments regarding one-upsmanship. It's much wiser to expose yourself to everyone and find the ones that appeal most to you. Doesn't mean that they are better...just that they are the ones you'll want to listen to more and support by buying CDs or track downloads, or catching them in concert when they are in town. I know I've discovered several terrific fingerstyle guitarists over the last few years...but that doesn't diminish the ones that I've been fans of for many years.
  • mattacheck, on 10/12/2007, -6/+0Finger-style? Talk about a superfluous description! I am pretty sure all guitarists use their fingers. Maybe finger-tapping?

    The quality and accuracy of article descriptions is almost embarrassing here these days.
    • ebola, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2That sort of comment is too moronic to even qualify for an answer but being the gracious being that I am, here's an explanation on fingerstyle guitar.

      http://www.acousticfingerstyle.com/

      Learn something, or at least hit google before shooting your mouth and demonstrating your idiocy to the world.
  • ElectricKetchup, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Nice song, but marked as inaccurate because I don't suck.
  • popfrogs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1...
  • chazzbro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"Fingerstyle" and "tapstyle" are two legitimate terms for describing styles of playing on acoustic guitar. They are simply descriptive terms. It has more to do with what you're doing with your right hand...as opposed to using a pick, for example.
  • NerdWeasel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1There is only one word to describe this. And that word is: Scrumtrillescent.
  • haedz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0This is a really great guitar video! I'm currently surfing language blogs and it is even on them! Check, for example, this funny one: http://lingv.blogspot.com/2006/12/number-1-amazing-guitarist.html ! You can read there what happens to a blog when its author looks such a video :))) Will there be any arguments that this is a great video after reading this post? I REALLLY doubt!
  • systemlayers, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2everything was beautiful for me, however i found the drumming or tapping the guitar actually detracted from the song.
    yes the guitar is a percussive instrument, no it is not the greatest thing in the world to hit like a percussive instrument.
  • Po0py, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Thats fine. I now understand why I suck.

    But I would ***** OWN him at Guitar Hero.
  • neilpan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I can tap and play like him but it doesn't sound good :-(..

    music in essence is the right note played at the right time ;-)...
    • kibbutz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If you tuned your guitar to a beautiful open chord like him, anything could sound good.
  • PeterCub, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Mmmmm, very good impression, he is a cute bear cub too.
  • mattmollysdad, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1sorry children... another slow day on digg... for the past 20 years of your lives u have been listening to ***** music and don't know any better... ok so "he plays the guitar with his left hand upside down" and he tunes his guitar to a chord instead of the normal pattern... well back in the old days, like Woodstock 1969, Richie Havens did this and was so so much better... and he sang... and u can find him on YouTube... check it out.
    signed
    your father knows better
    • mbthompson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Richie Havens had big thumbs. He used one to barre chords, which I always thought was kind of freakish. Yes, some of us know our music, but thanks for being sassy pappy.

      (you're right about most current music being absolute crap though) :)
  • iconguy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This guy is awesome.
  • PeterGandalf, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I like this better

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmdQNbNLMPg
  • maranello575, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Great video, never heard of this guy before, but he has great style. If you like this style of guitar, check out Don Ross http://www.gobyfish.com/Home.html

    In my opinion he's one of the best in the world.
  • AlteredTuning, on 10/12/2007, -0/+30Hello, Digg.com! Andy McKee here. Thanks dand8866 fro posting my video of "Drifting" here. When I woke up this morning, I had about 30 orders for CD's come through my email. I was wondering what caused such a sales spike on a Friday morning! Thanks a bunch for that!

    Thanks to everyone who is digging the video!

    For those of you who aren't into this tune so much, I will admit, this is actually an older tune of mine. I wrote it in 1998. It has a bit more of the "guitar pyrotechniques" going on rather than a focus on a strong melodic statement. What can I say, I was young then. ;) This the only tune I've written where I play with my left hand over the top of the guitar neck. Personally, I've found it too hard to keep an interesting melodic idea going in that position.

    Hitting and slapping the guitar gets pretty boring when there is no statement involved.

    Anyway, here's a couple of my more melodic tunes that better represent my compositional style:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K5qLF9qzZo&mode=related&search=
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsD6uEZsIsU

    Happiness and success to you all,
    Andy McKee
    • AICkieran, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Hi, i've been listening to some of your stuff on youtube and its mesmerising, i have never been partial to anything like this yet its so easy to just loose yourself listening to the music.

      Its nice to see a musician put out something so deep and melodic in a world of 'catchy' crap tunes.

      I shall be buying your cd when i have some money (i'm a student, what can i say?) and recommending my friends listen to some of your stuff.

      Thank you for producing such amazing music. :-)
    • appetite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1those two tunes are great. thanks.
    • dand8866, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Not a problem Andy, keep up the good work. Your music is very inspiring and being a guitarist myself it has started to give me a little direction the guitarist I'd like to be. Feel free to push some of those extra sales my way, haha j/k. Tell the other CandyRat guys I said hi, and keep putting videos. They are great.
  • spaceyraygun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3at least those musicians have hands

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfXQN1JJhP8
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