Betcha Can't Play This with Rusty Cooley

Rusty Cooley lays down the ultimate challenge in this exclusive video.
For more videos and gear demos, check out guitarworld.com

[@Adrian-ir3mt]

No Rusty, you're right, I can't play that.

[@adamdixon6326]

Stop that, don't understand estimate yourself

[@bobbyrodriguez3224]

Rusty has a very nice home in Houston tx. And he is extremely talented. Speed just happens to be his thing! But trust me, he can play all styles of music. How do I know? He's my neighbor! Hell of guy!

[@АртемСкотников-ж5ю]

he still your neighbor?

[@АртемСкотников-ж5ю]

@omniscient xt i wait 10 years, when will he play Dark Matter :D

[@mrwhippy3756]

@omniscient xt not a troll probably. He does live in Houston

[@YesYouCANPlayGuitar]

He sure is a great guy!

[@KumokoFlamy]

He still your neighbor?

[@851852093114208513]

"Hey Rusty, I want to hear an entire album's worth of notes, but I only have five seconds to spare! Can you help?"

[@daoyang223]

I thought Takayoshi Ohmura was fast lmao

[@metalheadpolack]

Well there’s only 12 notes in an octave lol

[@851852093114208513]

@Tearsofaclown01 - Hey, look, a pedant!

[@TuyểnNguyễn-m4r]

​@@daoyang2231 of the fastest but this man is the fastest

[@LouderGrawlix]

Those are some fast fingers. Little known fact: Rusty Cooley can make smoothies by sticking his hand into a bowl of fruit.

[@matteochiarino662]

13 years after first seeing this video i just realized the whole vid is one single take. The guy took time to explain everything about the guitar and then easily pulled off something crazy with a perfect execution, and did it 1:1 a few moments later.

[@mycustomyoutubechannel2539]

I was just thinking the exact same thing

[@WarofThoughts]

16th notes at 300 bpm. Who can play that aside from Paul Gilbert, Michael Angelo, Herman Li and maybe a handful of other shredders?

[@NotAnemia]

This. Usually they do the lick first in case they fuck up. That was a big flex by Rusty haha

[@harrispj4205]

betcha can't afford this guitar, lol.

[@masudparvejsani]

+Harris Pj Lol

[@SixStringFiasco]

Surprisingly not as costly as you think. I see people dropping close to a grand for a Fender Strat in hopes of sounding like SRV or Hendrix (you never will, suffice to say). As owner of an RC7, it's a guitar where even the most tightest riff or imaginative leads can breathe.

[@Kydos37]

Betcha can't make your own jokes

[@sammyp1971]

Damn! "we're alternate picking every note" ......i was trying to do it with downstrokes! Problem solved!

[@icedbananatea]

Hahahahahaha

[@spmSLL]

Sam Patterson Unfortunately it's far easier to play fast with sweeping and economy picking. A lot of guitarists now (me included) can't alt-pick for shit. They spend so much time on sweeping and economy picking because you get rewarded with speed much earlier than strict alternate picking, and it's ended up now that a lot of shreddy solos have no fast alt-picking in them. Bit of a shame, alternate pickers are a dying breed.

[@samarhello]

***** I can alternate pick at Petrucci level, but that's way slower and three notes per string. My brain can hardly even fuckin handle this.

[@calebbliss8626]

...if.james heitfeild did a thousand grams of coke maybe he could 😂

[@isnowyazn]

+spmSLL What exactly do you mean when you say that alternate pickers are a "dying breed"?

[@beefcake0354]

he can play in whatever mode/scale he wants, with that speed, I can't tell the difference anyway :P

[@runeshark22]

i love how as soon as there's someone with incredible talent, half of everyone jumps on the bus that "yeah he's fast but... but... but.. um... he has no soul or feel! yeah, he's fast but emotionless!" yet he clearly loves the guitar else he wouldn't have bothered to put the hundreds, thousands of hours into practicing. and if that's not heart and soul, idk what is.

[@InfiniteRhombus]

+runeshark22 its because shredding is fucking boring and nobody gives a shit, being able to shred or play fast doesn't have shit to do with skill, ANY guitar player will tell you this- unless they shred themselves.

[@runeshark22]

Iggy Tubmen well i agree that i can only listen to it for a short time (i like my shredding in part of a song, like iron maiden or metallica, when there's a song behind it), but it doesn't detract that he is still ana amazing guitarist who loves playing and if he wants to just shred like a madman, who's stopping him?

[@Koroar]

+runeshark22 This is so fucking true.

[@TheZombieJC]

+Iggy Tubmen Shredding like this definitely takes skill, and a lot of it too. It is boring as shit though. At that speed, it's almost like note choice doesn't really even matter anymore, because it probably won't affect the harmony or melody of the song in any meaningful way.

[@katastrophickhaos]

+TheZombieJC he's not playing a song it's betcha can't play this

[@dieselsal9440]

I blinked and missed him actually playing it.

[@ScottMishoeRocks]

Rusty is an Amazing player. picking technique is phenomenal.

[@paulwardinghams8301]

You are a fucking moron

[@benosborn267]

Hows that?

[@sinisxer470]

Paul Wardinghams I'm three years late which kind of sucks, but dude you're definitely jealous that you can't play like Rusty. Most people are, I get it. And for anyone that says "Rusty can't play melodic" then you should listen to his song called Dark Matter. This video isn't meant to show how musical Rusty is, it's meant to show something that's difficult to play, hence the title "BETCHA CAN'T PLAY THIS". Anyway, grow some balls and stop being jealous. Rusty is one of the most technically advanced pickers today

[@jl-zz9zs]

I’ll admit that I am completely jealous of everyone playing fast and I can’t. The only people who have no respect for it are the ones who can’t do it. Lol

[@mileshaltersguitarandmusic1931]

For anyone that reads this comment, I’d like you to look at the person who wrote it. Scott Mishoe was complimenting Rusty’s playing. Scott is one of the best guitarists of all time. His opinion trumps ours 10 to 1...

[@Luiginerd10]

I hate it when you have all these people that take the time to watch this video and then complain it's not musical. Hey, read the title, it's called "betcha can't play this" It's SUPPOSED to be mindless shredding. It's a challenge. When you can (or if you can) finally pull something like this off, which a lot of people hope to do someday, you'll feel good about yourself. And isn't that WHY we play guitar? Or music in general? To feel GOOD? You wanna hear something musical? Go look up an actual song and stop spending your time on this part of youtube. When it comes to shredding, I love hearing it in all my music, I live for guitar solos. It doesn't get much better then that! But that's my opinion. If you are a real musician, you'll know how to make shredding sound musical and fit it PERFECTLY in your music. This is just to challenge you to something you've never done before.

[@CitizenCarrier]

Hey! Come on man! You can't say something like that on KZbin. It makes too much sense.

[@Luiginerd10]

TheAxe4Ever Lol, my bad bro! um, how about..... FUCK ALL YALL HATAS RUSTY COOLEY DA SHIIIIIIEET xD

[@CitizenCarrier]

LOL!!! There ya go Luiginerd10....short, sweet and too the point.

[@paulwardinghams8301]

Shut the fuck up , who cares what you hate you idiot

[@Luiginerd10]

Paul Wardinghams Well alright then! I'm sorry I ruined your day! xD

[@silotx]

I played this extremely slowly but still played it jokes on you.

[@assaultedpeanut9]

Hahaha

[@jessebeam1354]

"Hi, I'm Rusty Cooley, and I betcha can't afford this guitar." Like, come on. It took him an entire minute to play a 6 second solo..

[@xjboneyx]

he's trying to say that the solo is intended to be done on a guitar like that so it's easier to stretch your fingers for the solo, but it's not even necessary. just find another way to play the same notes. i was able to play the first piece of this 5-part run in a way that didn't give me arthritis and i'm not even very good at guitar

[@jessebeam1354]

Star1637 word. keep working at it, dude!

[@cheosamad216]

***** I bought one lol.

[@beastcx2]

Lol

[@runeshark22]

that model is about 900 bucks. its a lot yeah, but hardly outrageous. not like you're spending 5 grand on an lp or tele custom or whatever. its a great guitar for a fair price.

[@AudioPlusVisual]

He's right, I can't play this.

[@lemniscatusofficial]

anybody complaining about lacking feel and just being technical here must read the title first. "Betcha cant play this" its about how impressive of chops and speed he has..he's not composing anything here, it's just a scale he showed can be played at any speed without any limitations given by the guitar itself :P

[@jasv49]

This. It's incredible really, how retarded some people are.

[@JariSatta]

It's my favorite feeling; speed and awe. This is a first class composition, plus it induces feelings of panic, so it is legit. He who says this lacks feeling hasn't experienced panic yet. As in "I opened a jugular by mistake I must rush to the hospital - panic"

[@hughjanus3149]

I love how he says "The only limitations there are, are the ones you set on yourself" literally moments before shattering our minds....

[@DeathRattlingWhore]

I bet I can play this riff by starting a chain saw and just let it run.

[@YaoEspirito]

Chainsaw would take a coffee break halfway through.

[@sobasage1958]

Still completely blows me away after all these years. Incredible guitarist.

[@DanishFlandersDK]

1:04 Don't blink.

[@tripod4482]

You don't sound rusty.

[@verycoyman]

+Justin DeBoer No but he sounds cooley

[@DaltonMullins]

Rusty is an amazing guitarist. You may not like his style but that's a matter of choice and we all have the right to our opinions. As far as skill goes...they don't come any greater than Rusty...and yes...he earned it by working at it for many many many years. I know Rusty...I'm not real close to him by any means but he lives in my area and I see him around from time to time...he is a very nice guy and pretty quiet and to himself. Just show respect to his talent and get back to work on your own.

[@TheGodlessGuitarist]

It's hard for people not to comment on something that grates on them regardless of how nice the guy might be. I get your point though. If folks don't like it, don't listen to it, but let the man pursue his art as he sees fit.

[@motorcitysmitty]

Well said. I am also taking lessons online from Rusty and he is an excellent teacher and all-around nice guy -- no arrogance or attitude. If I was that good I am not sure if I could be as humble as Rusty is. I would love to see some of the haters post their KZbin videos of their playing. Would be a laughapalooza!

[@DaltonMullins]

Mike Smithson Agree Mike. We'll never get to see that however...they are all talk.

[@infinitesentient3545]

His Fretboard Autopsy videos changed my playing forever and I'm 3 times the guitarist I was before I started. Always mad respect for Rusty, from me!!!!

[@nckhed]

@@motorcitysmitty And you proved to lack humility by using the tired "you do better" argument. 🤷‍♂️

[@Killerflamingo1]

Taught him everything he knows. Took him a while to get this but I got him there in the end bless him.

[@lightningfirst689]

The fast and slow versions sound completely different from each other. As in, they don't even sound like they use the same notes.

[@stratmanuk]

I'd love to see Eric Johnson do one of these spots because I'm damn sure that it would be something that I'd actually want to try and play, I really admire shred and I spend a lot of time trying to build speed etc but I'd love to see what insanely difficult but beautiful sounding thing EJ would task us with :-)

[@sultanmamat7661]

The speed at which he shreds the notes is insane. Super fast. Totally badass!😎🤘🤘🤘🎸

[@stupidmonkey151]

In Rusty's defense, he does play licks and has musical capabilities. I know this first hand from being face to face with him as he plays multiple times. And you know you couldn't play this at speed. Yes, I know speed isn't everything but he's just showing off. That's all this series of videos is, just quick videos of a buch of different guitarists showing off.

[@user-hq8mx7mn3u]

anyone who likes guitar enough can practice this (terrible sounding) lick and play it. I don't like it but I'll learn it for the sake of my alternate picking

[@Yonny316]

I remember watching this 13 years ago... how time Flys!!

[@J_Schecter]

i dont understand how playing it slow sounds so pretty, but playing it fast sounds like some kinda of buckethead atonal thing.

[@J_Schecter]

amjams in what way was that a diss. I like buckethead

[@HorridFroth]

He's right too - it's a lick that works at any speed to about 60% of what Rusty plays it at here. Then it just sounds like bad stunt guitar. I have no strong feelings either way about Buckethead. Or J Gang's mom.

[@J_Schecter]

HorridFroth I really need to change my username... it won't let me because months ago is apparently to soon

[@Cash_McCoy]

Buckethead only dreams of being that good.

[@dee2706]

This thing comes with a neck that was made from my moms ironing board, the back horn has been sculpted to a point so you can impale yourself while playing, and the whole thing weighs about a ton and a half so it breaks your back, and I've also dialled in my "wasp in a jam jar" tone on my amp!

[@MetaLibanez1]

"I'm Rusty Cooley and i'm here today to earn my endorsement contract renewal. Buy this guitar. Oh, and look what I can do" bam. \m/

[@mknomad5]

I would want to slow it down to see if he's hitting every note, but I'm taking it on blind faith. Sounds very impressive and I'd go, "whoa" if I just heard it on the radio. Music to me is about accomplishment, and that goes for slow or fast playing. If it makes a musical splash, it's an accomplishment. It's about pushing the limits. Incredible riff.

[@jtu2434]

Now you can and he is!

[@precogtyrant]

hey Rusty, not sure you will get to read this but i wasn't able to find any of your shred videos done on an acoustic guitar. Can you play this on an acoustic guitar?

[@Doomzdayxx]

What's most impressive about this is he actually remembered what he played lol

[@swimmerforlife789]

Guy like this makes me wanna practice even harder!

[@anotherbedroomguitarist]

@AliceinChains8593 No, Phrygian is a minor mode, so Phrygian Minor is correct. Take notes 1, 3 and 5 and you form a minor triad, as you would with both Aeolian (Natural Minor) and Dorian also.

[@fxexpert4541]

But who's betcha?

[@AdamantNRaven]

1:00 that quote still makes me smile whenever i'm watchin this .. damn

[@TheSoufiane]

I can´t play guitar AT ALL but once I buy my own guitar I am gonna be as good if not better as these guys. I have mad respect for any guitarist that play´s guitar his own way

[@edwardkarem972]

How did it go ? It's been 13 years

[@blainethemono19]

Betcha can't play this... Cause I can't either.

[@InfiniteRhombus]

"the only limitations you have are the ones you set on yourself" wow man thats so deep

[@AaronQ1222]

This was less of a lesson, and more of an advertisement, lmao.

[@itsyaboicory5029]

Literally

[@FilipeCRocha]

There's a mode from harmonic Minor called Phrygian Dominant, also know as Phrygian Major, so when he says Phrygian, he is only referring to the phyrigian mode from The major scale modes

[@TheBunkis]

I actually played this 6 times faster than he did, while I was taking a nap. It was easy. I win.

[@WeTalk440]

You win this entire comment section

[@jayrodm643]

+WeTalk440 penis

[@3arendel]

"Hey I'm Aragorn, son of Arathorn. Betcha can't look like this without being Viggo Mortensen."

[@MegaWumba]

Fastest picker of all time period.

[@thewizard3111]

Still not faster than Shawn lane

[@MegaWumba]

i duuunnoo davvvveyyyyy

[@paulwardinghams8301]

And the worst phrasing in the business wow

[@MegaWumba]

won't argue that one honestly

[@lavahit]

thewizard3111 Watch Dark Matter of Rusty Cooley and tell me if Shawn can do that.

[@brandon5pennies]

@pegasus52497 he's explaining how great it is for what he plays cause it was designed around his shredding hence perfect access to the 24th fret it's not a matter of bragging he's actually very modest

[@alexstrekal6944]

It's true, I couldn't play it. It's true that his speed and picking chops are crazy. I won't accuse anyone of lacking emotion or soul because that's subjective. But I will say that when you hear it slowed down and then played fast again, you can't really tell that it's the same thing at the speed he plays it. Despite being technically impressive, it also is not *musically* impressive. That's my problem with players like Rusty. Speed and chops aren't a bad thing, but when it's an obsessive focus it tends to not be used in a musically effective or meaningful way. It's just a super fast wank pattern.

[@twitch.101]

I agree, but this show isn't really about that anyway. Just about playing something super hard that no one can play. Soul has nothing to do with it here.

[@andrewbuck8853]

@Vela S boom

[@danielmisher8984]

That just stuck with me, "the only limitations you have are the ones you set on yourself"

[@kalmahman48]

hi im rusty cooley and i bet you dont wanna sound like this

[@ThreatofParadise]

Challenge accepted! I'll see you in 10 years, my friend 🤘🏼😄

[@crazyfaceperson]

So you have a really nice guitar and can move your hands really fast, but can you play or write anything that will speak to my soul? Something that will move me, stir up passions within my heart?

[@BstandardDan]

rusty like a robot, and cooley hearted. He is a machine. Machines do not have emotion.

[@MimicDaravon]

I think you're missing the point of "Betcha Can't Play This."

[@teabags2day]

hahaha that little speech of yours made me laugh xD

[@CoDisafishy]

Are you gay?

[@crazyfaceperson]

***** A little bit.

[@Symblotic]

*"Hey this is Rusty Cooley and here's my shameless self promotion of my signature guitar."*

[@scarletbond2716]

STOP TRYING TO SELL US THAT GUITAR, ITS NOT COOL

[@luxo5797]

its cooley

[@metalheadedtothemax]

00:45 "and the strings hurt my fingers, and the frets were too far from each other and the neck was too short and it always made me cry"

[@davidcoffman321]

Hey he's not allowed to play that fast! take this off youtube at once, its inappropriate!

[@_FabioSilveira]

Rusty's anything is a betcha cant play

[@joeguitargod]

As impressive as this is...and it VERY much is...don't lose sight of learning how to play other styles and genres of guitar playing as well. I SO wish that I had practiced more finger style playing when I first started instead of having a single-minded obsession to be a shredder. I feel I would be a more rounded player today if I had. Don't let that happen to you. Learn to play as many guitar styles as you can. You'll be glad you did.

[@shawnmatthews5118]

That's one trippy riff, man. I will be trying to mimic it for the rest of my life....unsuccessfully. Good on you, bro-man.

[@jarithesaunalover6008]

i outshred this guy.

[@Bigboss1432Lol]

1:04 he actually starts playing lmao 1:04 seconds of Rusty running his own Rig Rundown or something

[@PanosArvanitis]

that was totally bullshit.....

[@an_38kitkashyap]

Oh mighty Lord of the music, please show us how you can play. And please show us how your TECHNIQUE SUCKS.

[@nicolashrv]

Excercise starts at 1:06 Exercise ends at: 1:10 Notes played: 76.....19 notes per second

[@DeadGlassEyes]

It's been 11 years and I still wouldn't even consider trying to play that.

[@19lionheart90]

@Daputti It's an ELECTRIC guitar. This obviously means that has got some electronic components in it. And by the way, I'm not saying that I listen to techno or whatever, since I'm a guitarist myself too

[@mrHUG3]

the berklee modern guitar method by william leavitt are excellent and provide just about the perfect standard for approaching guitar from a more academic standpoint. they will teach you how to read music, which is mandatory for learning music theory. if you start with those you will get a good grasp of scales and arpeggios as well as build alot of technique and understanding also dont worry about modes - you are interested in learning the major and minor scales. modes are only a small aside.

[@brandonattor]

Its always cool when your guitar matches your shirt.

[@ricopaxton]

"So I told you, you couldn't play it! Naaah, just kiddin'!" I'm pretty sure, everybody thought,"Well, actually..."

[@Bardock992]

Dude, the maple neck had some awesome flame to it. That's kinda funny, how much it contrasts the rest of the guitar.

[@mrHUG3]

I dont believe we were talking about being on the radio, TV, or writing books. I believe we were talking about whether or not Mr. Cooley is playing in a phrygian mode or not. which he is not. unless you still have something to say about that after my video detailing it for you.

[@franktib]

i love when someone describes something so perfectly as u did sir. thank you

[@TMoody]

Sounds like I just got up in a nest of angry bees.

[@joeguitargod]

Holy Fuck Mother! That was...SICK! I think light itself had to catch up to your fingers.

[@Pher98]

Sounds like a death sound from an 80's arcade game

[@mrHUG3]

yes I am - most guitarists do not understand this concept. check into some real music theory beyond what guitar teachers know. I happen to have taken lessons with Mr Cooley for a period of time and got into this topic once I got to college specifically because of his (mis)understanding of the concept. I spoke at length with several music theory professors about it and did extensive reading on it.

[@michaelcosyngroup886]

I don't chase this dragon, but it's cool to see Rusty move beyond 3 note per string shapes. That's freakishly fast! I'll have to check out some of his music.

[@harrypeggio3105]

A whiff of whipped cream puts the finishing touch on a desert ... However, having misunderstood this due to complete lack of musicality, Mr Crusty Drooley proudly presents us A Bucket Of Whipped Cream !

[@dallasmamat1799]

THAT WAS GODDAMN AWESOME,RUSTY!!!...WHEN IS IT POSSIBLE TO SEE U DO A GIG OR GUITAR CLINIC IN SINGAPORE?U HAVE ALOT OF FANS HERE,DUDE!KEEP ON SHREDDING TILL KINGDOM COME!HELLYEAH!

[@followthereaper665]

It's in gw mag for April 2008 if anyone cares

[@mrHUG3]

there is not a music school in the US that would teach it this way. many guitarists never actually learn music theory, they learn music fundamentals and think its theory - this goes for 95% of the pros too. this is not a problem outside of guitarists in my experience, and a large part of it owes to guitarists not having strong backgrounds in musical understanding like say pianists or violinists. get any music theory textbook (not a theory for guitarists book) and check it out.

[@HenryJVargas]

"Hi,im Rusty Cooley, and i betcha can't describe this guitar better than me...."

[@DizzyDez613]

“It addressed all the issues that I always had problems with while playing the guitar.” Be honest, Rusty. You’ve never once had a “problem” while playing guitar.

[@Chumbucket0502]

I like that when he goes slow he actually plays note for note not just kinda slow.

[@satevo462]

14 years later...... Yeah, I couldn't play it..

[@xidorak05]

"Hi, im Rusty Cooley, and i betcha cant afford this..."

[@SuperMegaMantus]

Hi, I'm Rusty Cooley from Outworld and this is You Don't Want Play This.

[@CadeRoberts]

yeah but there is a way of playing fast and having great feel at the same time instead of playing as fast as possible. check out eddie van halen, doug aldrich, reb beach, steve vai, etc.

[@theodoro89]

it sould be: "Betcha Can't Buy This"

[@mrHUG3]

also another point - listen at ~1:55-1:56 - he plays an A note and it sounds like tonic. this lick is in A major and has nothing to do with C# phrygian - if it was in C# phrygian the A note played would not sound like a resolution.

[@conorthealien]

" The only limitations you have are the ones you set on yourself" BUT I HAVE NO LIMITATIONS HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!

[@EventHorizonPrdctns]

Rusty's a standup guy, just cool not cocky. The FEATURE is betcha can't play this, which I am against. Cuz my reaction has ALWAYS been, "yeah, but I betcha I don't want to." He gave em want they wanted tho, for all you shredders who think guitar is all about speed and nothing more.

[@qwertyuiop46853]

@LogicalTaste It's called "betcha can't play this" for a reason. One would expect someone called LocicalTaste to actually utilize logic.

[@jcpringle2053]

I love how when you slow shred licks down, it shows just how little is going on...

[@empreme]

this is like the first thing i learned on guitar..

[@craksracing0com]

Hhahahhaha top comment man !! : )))

[@empreme]

@@craksracing0com :D For real though, ten years later and I still can't play this.

[@harackmw]

Should be called "Betcha you won't ever want to play this!"

[@mrHUG3]

yeah he teaches at a music go round, I took lessons there from him for a while about 3 years ago. your point

[@TheRaven0us]

"So I told you you couldn't play it" Epic lol

[@AtomicPunk1995]

I like how half of the video is Rusty advertising his signature guitar. ha ha

[@aaronschneider1581]

Ah yes, old KZbin!

[@jasongraham4425]

I slept on you and your guitars for too long Rusty. Its growing on me. Definitely gonna get one of these when I'm looking for a 7 string.