Nik Bärtsch Masterclass 1: The Essence of Music - Ben Levin

[@BenLevin]

This video is extra special and I'm ultra grateful that Nik and Tim made it possible!

[@markusreuter]

Thanks for this, Ben!

[@TRTSMTT]

I once gave a Nik bärtsch lp to a friend of mine who used to be part of a technical death metal band. guess what, all his former bandmates, their girlfriends and the extended friendship circle love Nik Bärtsch. It's awesome to see how this music has spread through my hometown, just by giving a CD away. I gotta say, the music is spreadworthy, as well as this video you made!

[@micindir4213]

Saw him live in 2007. My life was never the same. He performed in a trio: Piano (Nik), Scha on Contrabass- Clarinet, and percussionist on cajon. Kinda " it's OK to be a musician moment". 12 years later, and I'm still doing it. Thanks, Nik! Ben, you've made history for music fans across the world. You should check out Don Li - he's even more hardcore. Nik was a sideman for him at the start.

[@ShawnCrowder]

Glad you did this, Ben. I've been listening to Nik's music since you recommended it a while back. This was enlightening to watch. Looking forward to part 2!

[@charlesgoldt7943]

OMG Ben Levin and Nik Bärtsch... I never thought I could witness this. Awesome!

[@chorabari]

Was really surprised to see this on my KZbin feed today. I've been visiting Nik Bärtsch's concerts semi-regularly for more than a decade, and I used to watch @BenLevin's videos some time ago.

[@MakeWeirdMusic]

Sweet! We had Nik play in AZ late last year and have him playing again in March. I’ll be playing some songs with the opening band. Nik is amazing!! Can’t wait to see what you guys cook up

[@SZTILER]

I just discovered something new. I do not know why but this music I really like

[@thalesgrilo6895]

Amazing. It's incredible how well his ideas translate to his music. Thanks for this video!

[@RonanSkillen8]

I just spent a month in the company of Nik and his band, as well as attending his workshop week on rhythm, aikido and meditation training. Incredibly enriching experience. Thanks for the great video Ben :)

[@YanRacicot]

Oh Nice. That's awesome. Very interesting. A bib thank you for sharing special masterclass. Thanks Ben Levin

[@shastafay4992]

Your content is always surprising and full of creativity or inspiring things... I'm listening to nik bartsch every day since a few months, and now you do a masterclass with him... So THANK YOU Ben Levin, for sharing us all your work and music, it's perfect ! Excuse me for my english I'm french uhuhuh

[@SamuelRHoward]

Great to see this. I stewarded a gig that Nik played at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival the year before last, with musicians and dancers from Trinity Laban - at first I was sceptical of the surface minimalist aesthetic, but by the end, it was one of my favourite performances from the entire week.

[@druidmeats]

i’ve never been more fascinated by a person in so little time. this video will be amazing.

[@unoaotroa]

He's asking the right questions! I love it!

[@jimcasella]

Wow, thank you so much for posting these! Nik Bärtsch has been one of my primary musical heroes for many years. These are wonderful. Thank you!!

[@enricopersia4290]

Very inspiring and cool to hear!

[@chaimean8704]

I've always been very interested in Nik both as a person and a musician, there aren't many interviews of him on youtube and I feel like he doesn't get enough credit for everything he's doing.. thank you Ben, looking forward to the next video

[@nikbaertsch]

Thank you for sharing the music, philosophy and spirit!

[@leomorland]

these videos that go in depth on a particular musician are so interesting and entertaining, especially now you've gotten to this level of editing skill. your empathy and curiosity really shows itself in these videos and i hope you think about making more stuff about other people, it always warms my littel heart

[@nikbaertsch]

Fantastic: empathy and curiosity, also patience and consistency...

[@jsa3rdbb]

I learned so much in 10 minutes. I even took notes! Cool video, can't wait for the rest 👍

[@nadu2839]

Super interesting ! Looking forward to the next videos

[@domportera]

really fascinating stuff, love it and can't wait for the next parts

[@bassclarineteffects-carlki9219]

Thanks Ben! After seeing Nik Bartsch's Ronin a few years ago live. they have inspired me immensely and helped me push forward with my bass clarinet. The message Nik permeates is so beautiful.

[@nikbaertsch]

Keep the bass clarinet alive! Stay inspired.

[@bassclarineteffects-carlki9219]

@@nikbaertsch i sure will Nik. thank you so much for the inspiration, i wish for you to be infinitely inspired. all the best

[@xZer0eZx]

Thank you so much for making this happen Ben :) looking forward to more!

[@RonanSkillen8]

Beautiful ! Thanks for the efforts in capturing this. Gold

[@BrunoWiebelt]

so happy for this

[@allofthemmilkingwithgreenf7493]

YES!!

[@1chrisanderson]

So glad i could help out with this! You did a great job putting it all together, and it was an honor to work with such talented people.

[@nikbaertsch]

Thank you Chris, you are a real professional: passionate, peaceful and patient. Stay on giving us love-based camera art!

[@simonragnarson22]

Wow! Great interview! Many good points where made! 👌

[@Seth-hc2bj]

He's so damn cool dude

[@fabiantombers4966]

wait what? :D that's an awesome feature!

[@MiloGiraldo-Soundtrack]

This is fire 🔥

[@Secure81]

This is gonna be awesome! You talked about how Nik's music inspired you when I interviewed you a few months ago. Can't wait to learn a bunch from you working with him on a video.

[@creatief_met_kaas]

super ultra sick

[@myxfit]

Oh man, how have I not encountered this guy before? I have a feeling I know what I'll be listening to for the next few weeks. Repeat mode, here I come!

[@nikbaertsch]

Thank you Ben! Give us a feedback on the music, a pleasure to share the ideas and the spirit!

[@myxfit]

@@nikbaertsch I've really been enjoying it!. Repeat mode indeed :) Some favorites include: Module 48 - the sax at the beginning is sublime. And I love that repeated motif throughout the entire song. Module 45 - I love the feel of the staggered hits at odd intervals over the bass at the beginning and various places. But my favorite is probably Module 58. I love that 7 feel, and especially when the sax picks it up towards the end of the piece. Duh duh duh.. duh duh duh.. DUh DUh DUh.. DUHDUh duh duh... duh duh duh..

[@nikbaertsch]

@@myxfit cool, right, 48 is always the same but in different layers and organizations. So the second part is like the first part but with different instrumentation. 45 is especially on the LIVE record (ECM 2012) in an inspiring shape... 58 took us a while but now very much floating and the form is interesting: there are several formal ones in it including small bows in bigger ones... Check out 52, also formally and interesting one on LLYRIA.

[@yesloow]

I see you on bass clarinet, Evan! Wish I could have been there!

[@Brian-sh5ne]

I’ve never heard of this man, but his music sounds good and I like what he has to say. Any recommendations for an introduction to his music?

[@TimDchubs1]

Hi Brian. Tim Doherty (interviewer) here. I started with the Nik Bärtsch's Ronin albums Stoa and Holon, and Nik Bärtsch's Mobile album AER. I recommend those as a great starting point and branching out to either earlier or later material form either band from there.

[@Brian-sh5ne]

TimDchubs1 cool thanks! I’ll check those out

[@nikbaertsch]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaDEqnqgd8l1fJI

[@bulletfastspeed]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYW3gGaanJiVbdU

[@forrcaho]

This popped up in my feed and I'm like OMG it's really Nik Bärtsch ... To be continued ... where? For my fellow viewers (Ben, you might want to edit this into the description? Oh, btw you're freaking awesome.) Part 2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2fNd2eOfcuXpqM Part 3: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3OWk4OVeM2Hjck

[@UndecimeBeatitudo]

Nik's music gives off the vibes of both Steve Reich and Tool for whatever reason

[@frodehau]

This reminds me of Esbjorn Svensson Trio (e.s.t)

[@scrungly]

god he’s so swiss

[@nikbaertsch]

What's Swiss for you exactly - would be interesting to hear in detail...? Check the voodoo clockwork here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaDEqnqgd8l1fJI

[@LautloseLebwerwurst3000]

@@nikbaertsch I'm German so my opinion is not as informed, but the way he speaks is definitely very Swiss, with that extreme swing rhythm to the syllables he speaks (check out 2:40 onwards for example; even if it would be more obvious if he was talking faster), his heavily aspiraded k's and t's. Also, all Swiss I know have a similar way of stressing certain words by slowing down in speech and making these facial expressions, but that may just be my German-German ignorance

[@nikbaertsch]

@@LautloseLebwerwurst3000 A good own phrasing always helps to avoid Amercian mainstream traps - but seriously: classifications by country lead us to serious troubles, so maybe more fruitful would be to check carefully and precisely the musical slang of our neighbourhoods. Languages creatively develop, also the musical ones.

[@NeilRaouf]

sehr ein geiler Siech, finde ich!

[@NeilRaouf]

keine angst @nikbaertsch, deine Aussprache ist very swiss. aber deine Philisophie und Musik ist universal, zeitlos. du würdest sehr viel freude haben an mir. hoffentlich bis bald mal.

[@jesusismegacool]

Hey Ben, I’m a fan of yours and you’ve helped me out a lot with theory over my time as a young musician, and I have a question for you. I recently tuned a guitar of mine to a new weird tuning and I like how it sounds but I have no idea what to do to make sounds. The tuning is E B F# G D, no high e string because I don’t have one right now. Apparently this is like a Gm13 chord or something like that, and open it sounds good, arpeggiated it sounds nice, but idk what to do. I can get some interesting sounds out of it and I’m still experimenting but I just wanted to ask if you had any tips for weird tunings like this. Anyways, thanks for always making the quality content, you’re one of the best on KZbin.

[@unoaotroa]

That Guy In The Vest Try tuning the four higher strings to a set of intervals you can easily recognize. For example: from 4th to 1st: M3, m3, P4 work really well; they form a major chord with an octave on top. Work on making music and finding relationships only between those four strings first. Then, you'll know what to do with the extra two.

[@owenhu9465]

i thought it was bowie looking at the thumbnail :o

[@oliverpope4915]

Professional looking educational video: Ben: He evolved into a Charizard

[@morgangungor6767]

Yes swiss drumguy

[@gruforevs]

did anyone else explode into laughter when he said "charizard"?

[@ttarabbia]

+

[@FESPK]

Joe Vasconcellos

[@andrewnicorn]

Has any one man ever been more European?

[@nikbaertsch]

What is European? Am interested in sharing the differences between universal, cultural and individual influences...