British guitarist reacts to the FASTEST guitarist in the world!

[@julieshoneybee]

I had the privilege to meet Michael in London. Not only is he insanely good, but you'll never find anyone who is more of a true gentleman and really nice guy.

[@Yes-gz9qs]

Went to one of his clinics years ago and can tell you this.He can play anything. This is just a demonstration of his skill and speed,its only a small part of his playing. He was so melodic and played with so much feeling that we all almost started crying. He hardly did any of this speed stuff and still blew us all away. All you jealous idiots go practice your guitar instead of criticising masters like Mike.

[@ralphshaw9758]

YES you are the man! I totally agree ..all the complainers here haven't seen or heard the entire Batio package.

[@Pax3897]

Great comment 100% right. Go Practice

[@worldwithouttime]

huh i went to one of his clinics too and it was pretty much like this video, only with two guitars. Then he bashed buckethead which i thought was unnecessary. Great technician for sure. But Ive never heard him play anything with great melody or emotion, his albums bored me silly. To each his own. Goin to go practice now.

[@childrenoftheabzu]

If I played like this i would quit as I much prefer music over athletic agility. Writing a good timeless song that will inspire people for countless generations to come is sooooooo much more impressive. Hes a nice guy though, met him in the 90s.

[@jeffpaul8260]

He is actually left handed. Taught himself to play with either hand

[@dalemcalpine1051]

I ran into him at a NAMM after hours Party in 2001. The guy was so down to earth- totally polite and coversational. Much respect to Michael Batio..

[@kimberlygabaldon3260]

Extraordinary talent! Crazy technique! Thank you for posting this. The people who wrote negative comments must not have listened all the way through.

[@TruthSurge]

starting at 10:00 my godz..... that was the coolest arpeggio he did the whole time. Maj 7 going up and down 2 octaves. PICKING EVERY GAWD DAMN NOTE! sheeat. good luck!

[@diamonddar707]

They dont understand that thing. Thats why majority of the comments is negative.

[@TruthSurge]

@@diamonddar707 I personally don't really like much of what Batio did in his career BUT I do acknowledge a great technician when I see one. He was a great technician. A bit too much echo on that VHS lessons vid for my tastes but still, he is so fast and clean. Crazy.

[@Iheartdgd]

@@TruthSurge well said ^

[@nxgngaming6512]

The thing with MAB is that he WAS the fastest thing at the time as not many guitarists really did what he was doing back in the 80's like he did it... But I honestly don't like a lot of the showboating stuff that he does; because as cool as it looks to any random non-player, it's honestly kinda toxic to other guitarists because we know it's not even impressive compared to the technical ability the guy could display instead when he's actually playing properly. It's virtually impossible to find a recording of MAB playing the original No Boundaries with no showboating (especially the ending) from the original album track. And to be honest, that is quite sad to know every video is just him showing off and never actually playing what he wrote back when he was fast enough to play it...

[@Dougs-Ear-Hole-Entertainment]

TruthSurge I follow you and your awesome, how about covering MAB ? Wow I just wonder how many BPM he's churning out. My brain cant think that fast.

[@TruthSurge]

5:30 excellent point. With really low action, the time between pushing and getting a fretted string is virtually nil. With higher action most people use, there is a tiny delay so it makes it harder to do this MAB stuff or Shawn Lane et al. BUT.... you gotta be careful and get the string gauge right so you don't get em too slinky or they'll buzz and be harder to pick since they are easier to move with the pick.

[@wingsofpegasus]

👍

[@jlane1473]

“Just going to cut it off right there before my face melts” thanks for making these videos Fil, really fun to watch while we’re all stuck inside here in 2020

[@iloveslideking]

MAB's technique and skills are out of this world, it is not only his speed, but accuracy and precision as well that make him one of a kind. As Fil said not even a lifetime is enough to even play something close to him. As for the comments about feel and emotion, guys this is an equivalent of a Formula 1 car. It takes only one passenger, no baggage, burns a lot of fuel, but it is the fastest thing on the track. You can't judge it like an everyday vehicle, it is way different.

[@wingsofpegasus]

👍

[@westpoint64]

Good way of putting it. Good analogy, and it's true.

[@iloveslideking]

@@westpoint64 Thank you.

[@dietmarsimon]

So what .....

[@christianjosephkarner]

Of course you got to have special talents if you show up to people like that.

[@enoughcorruption5975]

Absolutely mind blowing Fil! Extraordinary!!! Thanks for sharing it! Rock!

[@CortexZero]

I think the most awesome thing about Michael is his love for the instrument which is undeniable.

[@wingsofpegasus]

👍

[@rizqibayumantari6769]

People said Michael Angelo played without feel, But we all know that Feel is subjective. People get mad on me because I can't feel Jazz.

[@nielbarrientos5045]

Agreed...

[@elixtido1448]

metal head from late 60s here. I feel jazz very much, but a good long nap gets rid of it.

[@67cuda38]

Jazz,....you’ll never play the same again. I tend to stay away from the far out there Jazz. It tends to not connect with the majority of people. Lacking easily understood concept.

[@guillermo3564]

Jazz. That musical odyssey where if the guitar player screws up and gets called out on it, he just says he didn't make a mistake, he just decided to play it differently that time.

[@scyphe]

Batio plays like he's a top elite athlete, 100% skill, speed, complexity and control. But I find his playing boring after the initial skill-blast. I haven't heard a single song by him that I find artistically interesting or having any emotional impact. IMHO that is.

[@rhythmstyx1945]

He's demonstrating speed. All you haters are just jealous of his ability. Of course he has talent other then speed

[@disco.lemonade]

Not only fast, but also his technic is out of this world... and he has real musical knowledge.

[@olderthanyoucali8512]

Having an opinion that's different from yours doesn't mean they're " haters ", are you a person who thinks what you like is what everyone should like? I remember grade school children with this attitude.

[@rhythmstyx1945]

older than you Cali That is not what I am saying, you are putting words in my mouth. This man is CLEARLY talented and if you disagree your opinion is not relevant. I'm not saying I like listening to it, because I don't, but I can tell he is extremely talented and that takes tireless hrs of practice. You, sir, are just looking for an argument.

[@michaelbarton2283]

Really? so why dosen't he show us his "talent"?

[@rhythmstyx1945]

Michael Barton Look at his other videos, dumbass. He demonstrates a substantial amount in this as well. Salty much?

[@kamaboko1]

I can't say that I've been a fan of MB's style, but it goes w/o question he has talent. Moreover, he's always so nice in his interviews. Seems like a great person.

[@wingsofpegasus]

Yeah he's cool!

[@TedyhereMC]

Super nice guy, I met him at a Guitar Center session in St. Louis he made time for everyone there to answer questions and chit chat. Signed my guitar and it seemed he cared about people there to see him and learn some tricks from him.

[@arachnidiscs]

I can watch videos of him playing all day, but, yeah, I think just putting on a record of his I’d want to shoot the stereo pretty quickly.

[@picolete]

His jazz songs are pretty nice too

[@johnmcbarron7282]

Met him a few times and he's always nice and well mannered, a good guy. Not a fan of this kind of playing but I can certainly recognize the talent and time to develop it.

[@ralphmcqueary3641]

People who can’t appreciate this guitar style don’t realize the effort put in to it. I love him

[@Ridingrules10000]

When his hand starts flopping back & forth, it's so fast that it looks like a camera trick. It blows my mind every time I see it.

[@timblack1983]

Went to one of his "clinics", ( him shredding you face off for 2+ hrs) about 8 years ago. My jaw is still on the floor at that guitar store. He is that fast, he is able to play it perfectly live. Still the top live guitar performance ive seen in my life.

[@wingsofpegasus]

Awesome!

[@TheSeantrooper]

Same here actually! (I actually won the lucky door prize which was one of his signature guitars that he warned up on) And exact reaction from me too. He's a top bloke and absolutely flawless playing. Most interesting thing was him explaining the difficulty of the double guitar was more the transitions between playing styles rather than actually playing with both hands

[@timblack1983]

@@TheSeantrooper awesome, since you were there do you remember who the other guitarist he brought was? It's been bugging me and my father in law for a year.

[@TheSeantrooper]

@@timblack1983 he only came solo for the one I went to :/

[@TheJabernet]

I've been digging Michael since the 80's. Very under-appreciated. I still have a couple of his Star Licks videos and STILL play what he was teaching in the vid. He's awesome and a cool guy. Any player would definitely progress with his teaching. And he's still tearin it up!! Thanks Fil, for keeping these guys out there!!

[@wingsofpegasus]

No problem!

[@grahamtaylor8912]

It's how Bruce Lee would have played guitar.. Lol..

[@bobhastings8070]

And you know how we feel about Bruce Lee

[@s1d299]

Somewhere Herman Li is jumping up and down, waving his arms at you...

[@daryls212]

Or, Chuck Norris with his feet! 😉

[@karensimpson5908]

Rudy Toot jumping up and down on a trampoline while playing 🎸 guitar

[@jeffeverett830]

You mean Chuck Norris right? Lee never fought for real, Chuck was the real deal my friend!! Lee was just a poser and acrobatic female type person!

[@jesser5127]

I see a lot of haters. 90% of MAB's stuff is actually "slow" shred or of moderate speed. Songs like Speed Lives were actually not meant to be a song. They were for Michael to improve his technique. If you watch carefully, there is virtually every type of playing within the song itself. You're got vibrato, hammer-ons, pull-offs, ridiculous arpeggios, general shred, playing over-under the neck with alternating notes and about 15 other things in there. He created this song to improve his technique and speed for shows. It clearly has worked. It was originally a personal song for himself. A lot of people thought it was cool and he started playing it at shows. Speed Lives became a song that he plays just to show proficiency with speed. It is sort of his "main event" that people love to see. All of his other music is good, as well. People are claiming that there are other guitarists who are faster. People who come to mind might be Yngwie Malmsteen or Rusty Cooley. MAB"s "No Boundaries" song actually sounds better and makes more sense to me than Cooley's literally mindless shred with no melody at all. He's a good player, but all over the place and all that he actually makes is scale runs, for the most part. Joe Satriani is similar with the endless shred scales, sometimes not even with the timing. Yngwie makes some pretty cool stuff, but he's a little too proud and pompous for me. Comes across as a bit of a jerk most of the time. Michael is always down-to-Earth and trying to help other people with their playing by giving as many tips as possible. In regards to being "the fastest in the world"...without a doubt, show me any other person on Earth who can play alternating notes over and then under and back over the neck again at the speed that Michael plays. In that respect, yes, he IS the fastest in the world.

[@wingsofpegasus]

👍

[@droe2570]

@NESHMETAL Don't be ignorant, the song is just for practice, lol.

[@droe2570]

@NESHMETAL It's not meant to be liked, is the point. smh

[@johnwiggins8535]

@NESHMETAL nice response

[@LungtubouAndCrazyThoughts]

Haters = Losers😂 Useless people who can't even move their fingers.

[@Deliquescentinsight]

I was pleasantly surprised with this guy's feel, and vibrato, he not only has lightening speed he has great expression also-the fast players are often lacking in this area!

[@wingsofpegasus]

👍

[@davidlane147]

Michael Gorman Check out Marco Sfogli. He can play just as fast but much more melodic and expressive. So much easier to listen to

[@i-evi-l]

Mike Batio's actual album called No Boundaries is amazing.

[@rickc2102]

*lightning

[@vladimiroparlato6001]

Thanks Wings! Another nice one thrown at us , that right hand.. at first seemed as if the footage was speeded up ! remarkable,keep up the good work ⚡️all the best ciao.

[@shredguitarob]

I just met Michael earlier this year and he was a super guy. He has added acoustic stuff to his setlist and it's amazing. He played slow, he played fast, and at a medium tempo and he was extremely clean all throughout. He certainly can do anything and seeing him live, you can see and feel the passion he emits while playing fast. You can clearly see and feel that he loves what he does and to me, that is feeling. I can clearly feel the feeling in his playing. He also plays some mad jazz. I have a lesson DVD of him shooting out awesome jazz progressions. And there are videos of him playing jazz on here and fingerpicking some nice classical pieces and jazz as well. MAB is awesome.

[@wingsofpegasus]

Amen!

[@seanrogers9627]

I saw him in Johnson city

[@29ginad]

.

[@shredmonkeymatt96]

seeing guitar being played like this is inspiring! Extreme talent doesn't need to be demonised or ridiculed, everyone's tastes are different. I think being able to incorporate this level of virtuosity into songwriting is a testament to hard work, study, and musical genius.

[@drunyon08]

I met Michael Angelo twice super nice guy and the freak of nature. He's really something to see up close and personal with the guitar clinics he does.

[@PeterBulyaki]

I think the reason why he is anchoring is because he does a lot of arpeggios (or "chord-splitting"). He is apparently a great master of this technique and he uses it a lot. (Malmsteen is another player who loves arpeggios.) It requires you to have a picking movement at a constant speed in one direction, and anchoring may help maintaining this. This does not speed up picking, it just makes it possible to pick across multiple strings at a constant speed. Anyhow, by watching his right hand it is apparent that he - as most players in this guitar sport - is not playing freely though as you would e.g. on a piano, but he is very much bound by the limitations of his own techniques. As his signature technique is very fast picking he prefers to spread out notes over at least 3 strings so that his picking hand had to switch direction less frequently, and his scales are kinda designed to satisfy this. I can't see this from this video but I'm sure he hardly plays two consecutive notes on two neighbouring strings with opposite picking direction. If picking finishes down, he moves a string downwards, if picking finishes up he moves a string upwards. (And maybe this is why his music sounds a bit soulless, because it is mostly scales, up and down, up and down...) Of course he is not alone with this, most fast sports-guitarists are fast exactly because they "optimise" their picking one way or another.

[@wingsofpegasus]

Yeah the scales are often put together for efficiency rather than musicality! 😅

[@PeterBulyaki]

Just noticed that your next video is about Malmsteen, indeed you can see him anchoring too when playing arpeggios, but he uses his little finger sparingly, he lifts it up when picking fast on single strings.

[@TheMentalblockrock]

The "Elephant in the room" that Fil did mention is what Michael is wearing. Who on earth wears a "Gold's Gym" t-shirt and yet has arms like pipe cleaners?

[@JBravoRebel]

An elder Italian rock guitarist? LOL

[@michaelmabrey6969]

I wear a weight watchers shirt and I weigh 350 pounds. Why? Because it fits.

[@Iheartdgd]

@@michaelmabrey6969 I’m sure lots of people do. You still have to admit, it is a bit ironic :P

[@jbradley500]

Every guy in the late 80s and early 90s had that shirt lol

[@raypreseau5360]

Your comment reminded me of that old south park episode where cartman starts drinking wieght gain shakes that bodybuilders use, only cartman hust gets inhumanely obese, and he is wearing the shirt that says BEEF CAKE!

[@mboyer68]

Your description of how his right hand is working, pinkie and ring finger used as reference so his palm can't slow down his hand.. you blurted out a bloody perfect technically correct description as fast as Michael's picking. Good job mate! (was that right, my use of bloody and mate?) Love the deep dives. You make seemingly mundane things seem so cool, and I always learn something. Keep up the great work!

[@jtarman70]

I think one last thing need to be added here as well. MAB is a very down to earth nice person. He takes time to not only visit but also will play guitar with and teach fans new things at workshops and I believe if you just showed up at his house he'd say, come on in, lets play! Not all musicians on his level will give back to their craft the way MAB, Satriani, Vai, Tommy Emmanuel and several others are so willing to do.

[@sparkyjones560]

I vote Fil for best teeth in Britain.

[@wingsofpegasus]

😂

[@linaivanuta5943]

Hahahaha great 😂🤘

[@davidlella8411]

Hahaha

[@renesonse5794]

I'm sure he appreciates that but it's not saying much considering it's...well...Britain.

[@christschin3708]

They’re lovely teeth. They should get an OBE, for services to British teeth.

[@emmanuelwolf6568]

This is the first vhs of guitar playing I owned, takes me back.great video dude!

[@jerry-skids]

He's not just that fast, but the phrasing that he does is heavenly. Other guitarists would emulate classical phrases, but Michael clearly has had to had some formal training in classical music to do that I think. Just speculation, because this is the first time I ever heard of this guy and hear and see him play. Amazing and pleasing to the ears.

[@fredrios1402]

He's not that fast???

[@fredrios1402]

I'm sorry ... Your comment was great ... I misread it...

[@Ymp_11]

I guess "not just that fast" is the result of only half what he plays being heard... (right or wrong? I care as much as I have my bracelet of perception aside me right now). I may just not have made it to the fast part. Few of his harmonies are heavenly performed, some shreds I heard were like the rest that are not : off (enough to notice without paying attention). I did not analyse his phrasing at all, but from experience i can tell you : it takes minimum 888 of MQ to run through barely 9-10 patterns of 3 instances of even 2 different notes (can you even tell the pattern in 4543 764 4345 134 (which I possibly cycled 3 times a second without noticing, with 2 being a sure shot everytime). But some fucking idiot with 3 times DSM-IV diagnosed and probably 11 more times undiagnosed decided to invite me to his place and to carry my keyboard in the cold to get at his place and play. I did it; keyboard broke so I only play computer keyboard. He thought I sucked and wanted to destroy me : now I'm even more bad ass thanks to him) Get off welfare? Shrug all your guitars in your ass, with the strings still on and over-tightened. Oh and, I never even reached 2 hours of lazy half-ass practice since the 5 years I've been doing that, as a mere visualization technique to start with : it keeps my brain busy, contrarily to all jobs, school, parties, friends and hobbies I had. My MQ is probably 1777 judging by how even fast musical compositions from your greatest composers/performers throughout history don't come close to being half as intricate as what i.... taddada (finish him)... IMPROVISE. I tend to notice when someone severly outdoes me, but again : I did not pay attention to his phrasing.

[@jerry-skids]

@@Ymp_11 Do you have any of your guitar playing posted online anywhere. Sounds like you've got something here.

[@Guardducks]

Elvira mistress of the dark called, she would like her wig back.

[@wingsofpegasus]

😅

[@Mekazas]

I choked on my dinner you ass!

[@jafquist27]

I wondered if it was just me...

[@jafquist27]

guardduck - It's been 3 days, and I'm till giggling. ; )

[@onefatstratcat]

Isn't that her kid?

[@brandonrox10]

Great explanation of Batio's right-hand technique.

[@peccatumDei]

I noticed immediately the economy of motion with his right hand.

[@wingsofpegasus]

👍

[@mollyhensley6884]

He makes a point of that in his demos. Right hand doesn’t move much

[@rb032682]

@peccatumDei - Yes. I've seen a few studio players around LA with that same, or better, economy of motion.

[@Evilthx]

I saw him at Seminole Music in Seminole, Florida many years ago and he really is this skilled. I shook his hand and he made a comment on my Marilyn Manson shirt "Cool Shirt" he said. He explained that being a left handed person he decided he wanted to learn to play as a right handed guitarist and had some good reasons for wanting to do so. If you have access to his original Speed Kills video it is worth the watching.

[@wingsofpegasus]

Cool!

[@danielfronc4304]

Thanks Fil. I've had to be away from your channel for awhile so I thought I'd just drop in for another tutorial. Holy cow man, thanks for posting this and letting me see such a phenomenon. In cutting heads, line 'em up and he'd put 'em all in their place. The best stuff, as always, only from Fil.

[@wingsofpegasus]

Thanks Daniel!

[@Bret_Sanor]

I personally know Michael. He actually doesn't play with really low action as you would presume. He actually likes a fairly high action in comparison to most shredders. He likes to "dig in" as he puts it.

[@pauldsheppard126]

You get better tone that way

[@beastLVX]

There are many out there that put the many years in with the right direction and can’t do a quarter of what Michael Angelo does! The man is one of a kind! The man just is!

[@stringbender11672]

Well done!!! Such a positive flow in your words, Fil!!!

[@wingsofpegasus]

Thanks!

[@markphilpot4981]

Dedicated, deliberately brilliant, artistically magnificent and awe inspiring. Can we say phenom. No question! You go guy!👍🏻

[@markphilpot4981]

Guess there are some haters out here. Par for the course when real skill is involved. Guess they feel threatened in some way. Whiners will cry, but real artists let their instrument talk to their audience!

[@gwendolyncarter5668]

Since I'm big on 'feels' it's not a style I would listen to for a very lengthy amount of time, for me persnally, but you do have to give props where they're due. The guy can definitely play fast! Great Analysis as always, Fil!

[@wingsofpegasus]

Thanks Gwendolyn! 🙂

[@TheBoomerPlace]

Wow. The technique and accuracy is awesome. Great review. Thanks.

[@SDesWriter]

He was a local boy from the far South side of Chicago. Very unique with the weirdness of his right and left-handed technique. The best part of his playing for me was giving me the idea of playing upside-down on the neck (or on both sides) for a cool effect live. Not a fan of his actual music style, but he really pushes the extreme on just how fast you can play.

[@rusty-times]

The guy is amazing. Not sure how long I could actually listen without the face melt you mentioned but so fast doing the bottom over the top on the neck his hands were litterally a blur. Almost like he's moving in fast forward. Thanks for the interesting info as usual. 👍

[@lindaz1290]

This one popped up today so I took a look - glad I did, because I loved it! I also like how you expressed your opinion by telling us things you actually liked in addition to telling us the things that are really good. I like hearing your opinion! (Hope that makes sense.)

[@normanturnbull7967]

Amazing. Thanks for this one. Fast but still has melody, insane!

[@wingsofpegasus]

No problem!

[@rcheath4258]

One of Gatton’s nicknames was World’s Fastest Hands, and for good reason. Batio was so impressive, and then there was a country boy that died in Charles County MD.

[@worldwithouttime]

Amen!

[@stevenattanasso2003]

I'm sure I am not the first person to post this ..... BUT .... it is fun watching Your face when someone nails a particular guitar lick ..... Like a little kid waking up on Christmas morn' and seeing the tree and presents .....

[@jacobprice8048]

My favorite part of these videos as well, you can tell how much he loves guitar

[@stevenattanasso2003]

@@jacobprice8048 So true ....

[@brandonrox10]

A quote from Batio about the action on his guitar: "I use medium to high action all of the time. I have an unusual way of setting up my guitars. I use what one would call medium action on the low end (6th string) and raise it slightly higher on the top (1st string). In a word- TONE. Higher action equals better tone. The reason for the higher action on the 1st string side is specifically for my vibrato and bending techniques. I have a full sound and very expressive vibrato. Higher action helps achieve the tone and feel that I want. Having low action does not make you faster. Having fast, strong fingers, a sharp mind and the willingness to practice are the keys to quickness."

[@pauldsheppard126]

That's a really great and inspirational quote, and I wholeheartedly agree. 💯

[@stagxxxghost876]

On his debut mab and the other signature guitars in his series with Dean the action is very low and they play amazingly smooth. In his tutorials he doesn’t preach speed he preaches accuracy and repetition and builds from there.

[@thomasklecyngier8205]

Thank you much " Wings of Pegasus"! The first time I made a comment, not the first time I`m watching your show. Interesting idea of yours! My regards, Thomas, Anytime!...

[@gaijinkuri684]

His double guitar performances are amazing as well.

[@derekbrown6832]

Mesmersing to watch, and awesome technical ability, so, respect where it's due. But from a musical perspective, it's souless. I guess that's part of the trade-off, when you start to play at these insane kind of speeds.....sacrificing emotion, and feel, for speed. As a guitar player though, i love watching all different styles of playing, everyone has something different to bring to table.

[@wingsofpegasus]

👍

[@thomasfontenot4881]

I hear ya Derick, as I'm a guitarist also. But I started thinking about that playing having no soul or feeling in it. But if you think about it it feelings and soul can sometimes sound like this. We have feelings of hyperness

[@thomasfontenot4881]

And his soul, being his heart and mind could just be racing like a quarter mile race in top fuel... Lol.... I may have worded it all kind of funny but I think you know what I mean

[@melindahalsall3681]

OMG...that is CRAZY smokin’ hot! ...another great video...thanks Fil!

[@DudesCover]

"yEa vErY iMpResSiVe, bUt iT's eMoTioNlEsS" -Moron melancholic

[@matthewarms3786]

In true 80's fashion, this vid is schlocky, over the top, and full of queso, but still loads of fun to watch. MAB is a loveable metal nerd IRL. I've sat in a clinic he did and he flat out says that stuff like No Boundries and Prog were written as Paganini/Liztesque technical expos. He can actually write more tasteful and melodic/less wankilicious stuff like his tributes to Randy Rhodes and Dimebag or his track Rain Forest. His theory level is off the charts and is also basically a musical Xerox machine, he asked for some suggestions from students and would do 1-2 listens to solos and passages, then do a detailed breakdown. I also gleaned that while he is ambidextrous with picking, his right is clearly dominante and more precise than his left. Playing left handed he couldn't as cleanly string skip or alternate pick as fast (granted, he would still smoke me with his weak side), so he was doing more compact sweeps and muting. Fun teacher, easily one of the top technicians on the instrument, and a very unassuming and laid back dude.

[@timf7906]

As a subscriber Fil, I always love your intelligent and insightful analysis videos. I've only noticed how that you focus on the hours on practice needed to achieve the level of expertise displayed in your videos, omitting the natural talent aspect. Some ppl just seem to excel at a much quicker rate. My former guitar instructor pointed out to me how that some of his students just seemed to "get it" and would progress exponentially faster than other students. I was flattered when he told me how I progressed faster than average, now if I'd only put in the hours necessary to excel!

[@wingsofpegasus]

Yes certainly you need the desire to learn, those that want to progress fastest!

[@julietp.5877]

There are faster guys on YT with some ridiculous Guinness records or some such nonsense. Whatever they're doing, it isn't music. I actually like Michael's slower stuff. Music is an emotional medium of communication. Speed for speed's sake just gets in the way of that. Hey Fil, let's see how many haters I attract with this comment! :D

[@CreamFreshCream]

Actually, I absolutely agree with you.

[@woody816]

Juliet P. Agreed

[@sydbarret8416]

Technically brilliant and for an appreciation watch on KZbin yes . But to go out and pay money for an album not sure he or players of a similar style can hold my attention for long enough. Granted this may say more about me. But if I'm being honest i feel it lacks soul and melody ...

[@michaelhayward7572]

Agreed.

[@richardgray8593]

Yeah, while I certainly am in awe of their technical prowess, I can only stand to actually listen to it for just a minute or two.

[@nutyeet4016]

People think that Michael can only play fast with no feel. If you listen to some of his records he is equally great at playing with feel and melody as he is with his ridiculously fast shredding.

[@cmustaine2194]

Hes an amazing guitarist/musician.Still to this day hes locked in history.Fil you always have it right.xoxo

[@frederickwhite6416]

So what are we looking at? 2 maybe 3 weeks of practice. Man I remember him from years ago with Viper. "He's fast but has no soul." Give me a break, the man's a freak and he's still out there killing it. Great stuff brother 😅

[@spacemissing]

Good, and incredibly fast, but speed-playing does nothing for me.

[@joeharvey5556]

True but he does some good songs too ...

[@gibbopg]

Agreed ... interesting but I couldn't listen to this for too long!

[@greenclubshillongkhasihill5724]

To you..yeah but for i like. N slow melodic also i like....

[@daveelson213]

Michael says himself "its better to have it and not use it than want to use it and not have it"

[@thangkhupguite4228]

songs with 2bpm would be good for you

[@BloodBoughtMinistries]

You can get a low action on most guitars if you get the frets levelled as well as your nut slots cut to the correct depths. Action is the distance from the string to the top of the fret.

[@bstnlcge2662]

Just as a heads up, I found MAB talking about his string action on his website's forums while answering to a guitarist who wanted help about this. He said he actually uses a average/high action, not a very low one. He starts medium on the low E string, then goes slightly higher up to the high E string because he wants to benefit about higher action to have a better tone control. EDIT: I got my hands on the quotes he made: "I use medium to high action all of the time. I have an unusual way of setting up my guitars. I use what one would call medium action on the low end (6th string) and raise it slightly higher on the top (1st string). In a word- TONE. Higher action equals better tone. The reason for the higher action on the 1st string side is specifically for my vibrato and bending techniques. I have a full sound and very expressive vibrato. Higher action helps achieve the tone and feel that I want. Having low action does not make you faster. Having fast, strong fingers, a sharp mind and the willingness to practice are the keys to quickness." "I use higher string action mostly for tone. I prefer to have a "rounder", more mid range sound. Low string action creates buzzes and unwanted fret noise for me. I do some legato and string skipping legato passages on my new CD "HWS". Having higher action honestly doesn't affect my ability to play legato lines. I understand why some people prefer low action. That is fine. This is what makes playing guitar so great. There are no "right" or "wrong" answers to this, only what you prefer."

[@wingsofpegasus]

Yes I think what Michael is referring to is a medium to high action in professional circles, which can be anywhere up to 4 or 5mm. But recreational players have guitars that are a lot higher than this, I have an old classical guitar that is almost 1cm! 😂

[@bstnlcge2662]

@@wingsofpegasus Haha I see!

[@DokktorDeth]

I recall when Ritchie Blackmore once said he could get 'up and won the neck in record time'. Someone said to him: 'Okay, but what are you seeing along the way'? Fair point.

[@davidsnigier3974]

Wingman He is very impressive, not only fast, accurate and sounds great. Thank you for covering him

[@ronnie9187]

What I admire about Michael Angelo that his hair still isn't grey at all. Not one hair. It is a true miracle!

[@karensimpson5908]

Ronnie Yeah bub wigs don’t turn grey. Isn’t that amazing.

[@Pax3897]

I've been playing for 50 years, I play kinda the same way. You are right on NOT resting your right hand, Lightly touch the guitar body with the tip of your little finger.I VERY lightly palm mute the strings and Sometimes even put my little finger under the strings to mute them and not palm mute. Don't over pick, if you are picking a .9 gauge string, you have to pick in 11 gauge CIRCLES not straight up and down. Angle your pick , you can't flat pick it. It will slow you down and pick lightly. Only bite into the strings for harmonics. Kind of rock your hand from the wrist. Left hand, don't grab the neck, you should only very lightly touch the back of the neck about 3/4 from the top with the tip of your thumb. Left fingers, economize your movement. String action needs to be low so you don't need to lift your fingers very high off the neck. It takes some time to learn. I think it took me about 5 years after the first Yngwie I heard LOL. The over the top thing, I have No idea how to do that LOL. Good Luck !

[@kimberlyhayes6088]

Again.... making me really appreciate so much!!

[@robertrodrigues7319]

Roy Clark! No one comes even close, speed is not everything. Roy was insanly fast, but played with feeling and warmth.

[@je-2024_1]

not any credit given because of country music guitar is always focused on rock

[@Johnnysmithy24]

Is MAB faster than Roy? I’m curious

[@joshgrant824]

Gotta hear his tribute to Randy rhoads, eric Clapton, Metallica and Led Zeppelin

[@brod5352]

Just ran across your channel. I find it quite entertaining. Being an old keyboard player I noticed how he played his guitar almost as if it were a keyboard. It really does stand out. I always wanted to play guitar but just don't have the patience to learn anymore. But to play like this takes true devotion. His style is not everyone's cups of tea as you would say. But I can truly admire his skill. And I can find a melody in there even though some people say they can't. All I can say about his play is "WOW". ;o)

[@ibinTZY]

People who are talking bad about MAB are not really listening to Phil. He talked about so many aspects of what makes MAB great and how he is misunderstood....this is from a instructional dvd where he is teaching people how to play fast try listening to his other music or stuffs live. His knowledge about guitar playing and music is mind blowing and i say it after seeing him live up close. Also not to forget he comes from a generation that demanded this kind of sound like how nowadays it is a chugging on Guitars and shitty pop. And about not being influential...even a God like Steve vai and others like Herman Li were inspired by him.

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

Did he also get voted worst haircut?

[@wingsofpegasus]

No I won that! 😂

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

Wings of Pegasus Wings of Pegasus Nah, you're well within tolerance. Bit of an early Sabbath vibe, that's never bad. Plus you get extra points for your shirt. This MIchael dude has something fundamentally wrong with his whole process.

[@rb032682]

@Batmashups - I think he's from NYC, maybe Jersey (USA). lol

[@pat6601]

That’s the Derek Frigo wig.

[@Ken19700]

Wings of Pegasus, both of your haircuts come from the same era. Yours is just the one the average metalhead had. If you were wearing a 3/4 sleeve Iron Maiden concert shirt under a biker jacket and a pair of Levis 501's you would look like half of my high school, class of 1987.

[@Sunfried1]

Fil, as a comparison, consider doing an episode on the late Alvin Lee of Ten Years After. His reputation was based in art on his fast guitar playing, though Michael is faster.

[@hashtag415]

This guy's amazing! Light speed!!

[@wingsofpegasus]

👍🤘

[@shredfactor7]

Check out “Peace” from MAB. Michael demonstrates alot of emotion in this song. Still some fast parts but I think most would be surprised to hear it

[@theoldsilly]

Great point about the positioning of his right hand and how he frees up his pick by not resting the heel of his hand on the guitar - like I do, lol.

[@delorangeade]

For me, treating the guitar as though it's a keyboard is where it all started to go wrong for me. It sacrifices the very thing that makes the guitar special which is the ability to create and release tension with the strings.

[@wingsofpegasus]

👍

[@mlhesler68]

Love Jason Becker who played fast and also melodic.

[@baltimoreravens1515]

Great analysis spot on

[@xstudios6262]

MAB doesn't play with low action. He likes higher action because of the tone and abillity to pick harder. Even with that setup he is much faster and more accurate then most of the players using low string action... AMAZING Player :)

[@wingsofpegasus]

Yeah the classification of high action is different I think! My definition you can see the gap under the string 😅

[@xstudios6262]

Haha that would be more like slide guitar setup! Yeah what i'm saying is that in terms of shredders MABs string action is high :) But what strikes me the most is how all this players who have this abillity to play fast and accurate (Paul Giblert, MAB, Steve Morse etc.) are different from what people are calling "correct technique", we all are slightly different so if Your body is telling You that that is the way to do it don't fight it MASTER it xD

[@wingsofpegasus]

@@xstudios6262 Yeah I have a classical guitar with an action of 7.50mm, almost a cm! And yes, it is tough to play! 😂

[@xstudios6262]

But i betcha there is no fret buzz there :)

[@vox1003]

I guarantee you he is playing with very low action

[@echoromeo384]

He's an amazing guitar player however I'd like to see his sound and licks on a 6 or 12-string acoustic to see how accurate he really is without all the effects. That's why all those old school guitar players really impress me.

[@Superfantastictop10]

You must be joking. He can play anything.

[@brent3522]

Check out his piece "A New Day", and his acoustic version of this one.

[@tboudreau5239]

Holy moly!!! I just thought my face would melt off when you said it..... Ofreakingmazing!!

[@1tgiuntac395]

Everyone knows Shawn Lane is still unmatched to this day. I'm pretty sure he called Shawn Lane a jedi master.

[@madden7732]

Jason Becker and Shawn Lane were arguably the fastest and most technical guitar players back in the day. But they no longer do, there are guitarists a thousand times faster than them, like Roy Marchbank or Tiago Della Vega. But that's not even a bad thing. They were the top 1 once, and now people learn a lot from them. They are very influential on lots of guitar players to this day!

[@robertgorham3755]

Who?

[@Johnnysmithy24]

I think Buckethead is pretty fast tbh. Shawn Lane agrees with me

[@Wulfdane]

If I am honest.....The only reason for me to listen to him is for the novelty, unfortunately novelty doesn’t hold my attention for very long. This kind of playing is certainly a demonstration of skill, but otherwise empty musically.

[@rosliromasarms2111]

Sorry... I'm not agree with you here... Sorry again...

[@c.caveman1743]

I agree man...technically, pretty amazing, but it's just jerking off.

[@agdgdgwngo]

It's incredible to watch the speed and precision but at the same time... Sounds like Richard Benson on a bad day

[@timothyfuller3921]

I myself have to agree w/Wulfdane here.You got my vote.

[@FlyBri2112]

jealous

[@perseapolaris9015]

Oh...l a Dizzy prestation of Mickaël.and your beautiful expression it's for me,a Real moment of happiness..! I love.!

[@thomasfleig3499]

I love when a guy with spaghetti arms wears a golds gym shirt... Lol. Awesome playing though.

[@JBravoRebel]

An elder Italian rock guitarist. LOL

[@DrDougMusic1]

If Buckethead isn’t the fastest, he entertains the hell out of you without just ramming notes down your eardrums.

[@vmax4steve524]

His right hand technique is similar to the late great Alvin Lee, probably the fastest guitar in the 60's. His playing in the studio was pretty quick and when playing live his band would up the tempo to see if he could keep up with it and he pretty much could. Listen to Extension On One Chord by Ten Years After.

[@TruthSurge]

Well..... by now, I'd say for my money, Shawn Lane is fastest but MAB is damn fast AND he has this crazy mechanical accuracy. He's practiced his ass off and learned tons of shapes and scales and yet.... I can't say I really remember any song he's written. I do remember this example tune from his instructional vid but that's about it. Seems like a nice guy tho.

[@wingsofpegasus]

👍

[@ianleonard3264]

Jason richardson

[@michaelsmith9544]

Try the finish line 2nd version Hands without shadows Or zeppelin forever one of my favs I know old message but might introduce him to new peeps. He's freaking over 60 and still rocks. Also check his acoustic videos he can do more than shred

[@lordcrayzar]

I’m still with Batio!

[@Mrhondak-24]

No biato is way faster than lane,and more technical abilities. He is the fastest guitarist on this planet. Forget dragon force and herman li,and all these other self proclaimed fastest guitarists-micheal angelo biato was doing this years before these other guitarists were even playing.

[@PaulHikes2]

I clicked on this because I thought it said "British guitarist reacts to the FATTEST guitarist in the world!"

[@diamonddar707]

Ok.. so whats happen after ypu clicked?

[@PaulHikes2]

@@diamonddar707 Sadly, the guitarist was standard sized. He sure crams a lot of notes into each bar. Not very musical to my ear, but as a technical endeavor it's very impressive.

[@margaretcooper4389]

Really really cool, amazing guitar playing at it's highest standard. Just blown my mind.

[@Yes-gz9qs]

Mike is a classic example of way and beyond.You need guys like this to put other egoistic guitarist in their place. He is actually a great guy with no ego. its purely his love for his instrument and not that he wants to show off.

[@Godeseternal1]

This dude is a serious guitarist. I'm sure he can write songs too. He plays the piano, then he can write music. He enjoys what he does, and makes some killer $$$. He can probably play blues better than any blues guitarist I've ever listened to. When we watch him play, just because he doesn't make faces like he just hit his thumb with a hammer, doesn't mean he has no feeling. Any kind of music or noise gets old if you listen to it over and over........... Etc... 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@stefanoagostini_com]

I was lucky enough to find one of your videos and since that day I don't miss any of them. One thing over MA's style: what impresses me is his way of playing super fast scales and then jumping over a note doing a string skipping, eg. on the other octave, without making mistakea! It's hard to use the brakes and jump!

[@Nomaybeno]

I’m not the most educated about music, but whenever I listened to this song it reminded me of some really fast classical music. Also, I always preferred the studio recording (?) over this version, the underhand/overhand switching sections never really appealed to me.

[@wingsofpegasus]

👍

[@ursafan40]

Speed KILLS! Holy Moses. Those under over under over the fret board moves were so fast the video couldn't keep up with his hand. Just a blur. Freakishly amazing. Wish I had the skills, but I'll never be that good because I have better things to do with at least half of those 12 hours a day. Not my cup of tea anyway, really I'd rather hear BB play one note. Is it just me or is that guitar neck a bit wider than most? I had to count the tuners , thought it might be a 7 or 8 string for a few seconds.

[@wingsofpegasus]

Yeah I'm more into the slow stuff!

[@Iheartdgd]

Does anyone think/know if Micheal was miming through this playthrough? Obviously, Micheals playing speaks for itself and has proved himself many times. But there are just a few things that don’t add up here, obviously it’s not the original, but I’m thinking perhaps he recorded a live playthrough before going onto camera? Just wondering, I really hope no one takes this as me hating on him, MAB is a genius on the strings.

[@gtr1983]

Saw him back in the day at a club with his band and was amazed when he played two guitar parts at once on two necks left and right and that take a lot of coordination/focus, some guitarists put him down for lack of feel but he is a very skillful player and seems like a nice down to earth dude...i would ask these players to show me if they can play like him..

[@wingsofpegasus]

Cool!