George Benson how to play fast

[@christophercoughlin9493]

I actually interviewed him for my school newspaper in Iowa in 1977. He was a real gentleman and very accommodating with all my dumb questions.

[@Trwillis9]

Whoaaa!!!

[@EvaluateAssimilate]

🤘😆 That's awesome!

[@jimmyc5498]

When he plays your jaw drops. I started with Body Talk around 1973. Met him in early 90s and he was so kind and genuine.

[@SaintFredrocks]

I must add to your statement. When he plays your jaw drops, and when he sings you can't believe it, but when he sings what he is playing YOU hit the floor. The man is a treasure.

[@BillyGarland]

We love George Benson !

[@johnwattdotca]

When Mister George Benson played the Colonial in Toronto, a friend and I hitch-hiked over a hundred miles to see him, ordering tickets in advance. Why? I had just bought a 1964 Fender Stratocaster, and a Marshall stack with effects. I made up my mind not to mention Jimi Hendrix. As a lefty, I was playing my brothers' acoustic guitar upside-down and thought that was easiest way to play, agonizing about reversing the strings. Mister George Benson said I don't have to scrunch up my fingers to play lead on the high strings, and my barre chord finger is covering the bass strings already, if I ever become a jazz player. I wish this was the proper place to describe our entire encounter, and how he walked me onto the stage with him afterwards, incredible!

[@agomodern]

Benson has so much damn soul when he plays. Absolutely amazing!

[@jime6688]

One thing that’s been useful to me is slow things down, learn it inside and out and the speed usually comes after that. Of course, this is aside and apart from improvising, but it’s usually not that hard to build up speed if you know the pattern.

[@johnwattdotca]

I suggest using a rubber band, having it outside your fingers, so you can do flex exercises in public. You can wave your hands underwater hard, so the density pushes your fingers, trying to move faster. If you put your hand down on a flat surface, holding it flat, you can pick up a finger and bend it back to see how far it goes, and try to increase the range. You can take your hand and let it rest on a surface. Tap your two outer fingers, tap the next fingers, and then tap the middle finger. You can get that going as a repetitious thing. That creates nerve memory so when you are using those fingers on your guitar they have the pattern embedded already. And if you are a player it's just an exercise to stay in shape. I see you as talking more about having confidence in what you play. Are you also singing along?

[@davidpanzer1166]

He’s a musical genius. And a just plain old genius,

[@fathercharles5743]

I've got a LGB 30 GB signature guitar. I've had it for about a year . Since getting it. I don't play anything else. Absolute best guitar I've ever owned.

[@Landitty]

George's tone here is so woody, 🪵 and pure.

[@LocalManMakesMusic]

Geniuses are not really the best teachers for most people. There’s a lot you can get out of this but it is densely packed with information and wisdom and you have to work hard to unravel it.

[@dannywoody5497]

such an amazing musician for ever. It also helps that he’s such a lovely man has truckloads of humility.

[@dako2117]

5:52 shred and onward is so amazing. i love that lick at 6:02 like damn

[@drummerdaveshouse5848]

Came onto playing smooth jazz on the drums myself in the early 70’s listening to George and he’s still there on top of my all time favorites?

[@johnwattdotca]

You say smooth jazz, Mister George Benson created a new blend of jazz, funk and pop, and after doing that he became the best-selling musical artist around the world for a year and a half. It's not smooth jazz if you try to play and sing like Mister Benson, while all those audience women are dancing all around..

[@Spectre-y5u]

the beast is so chill about it all, love it

[@thierry8087]

Georges Benson is a great guitarist who has a lot of competition in terms of speed but where he is above the others is this "Swing" that drives you crazy...in the top 3 of the greatest guitarists in my opinion.

[@laurenpeot846]

Wow George Benson Killin' it with the Tal Farlow demo. Reminds me of how Jeff Beck could conjure the ghosts of past Greats. Very impressive! George used to say he got the best tip ever from Jimi. He advised maxing out the amp and controlling the dynamics with the tone and volume knobs on the guitar. His argument was that,then, the amp won't ever hold you back Jimi and Jeff Two masters of riding the volume knob.....! Blessings L

[@chumleyshaver7942]

Not many guys can emulate Tal Farlow's uniquely wild 'n crazy technique. George just does it (and nails it) off the cuff!

[@rjlchristie]

Off the cuff? he said that he had studied it.

[@joymahiko]

A great player and teacher like GB is able to break things down into its separate components. He has a great way of explaining things.

[@barr5173]

Too good. Outofthisworld level.

[@tefenstrat]

George is simply " The Man" !

[@nicolosmoffitt]

George is a gem

[@Tradewins4cash]

The master at work!

[@TM-lu1fu]

Beyond brilliant.

[@FriendM2010]

Fascinating! Like hearing the greats sharing stories of how they got there. 🤓🤘. Like how George often complements other musicians too … 👍

[@nmonye01]

Go ahead George put a smile on my face.

[@TheBbtlegit]

George is the man.

[@robertyboberty]

His vocabulary and control is just unreal

[@albertplaysguitar]

Simply inspiring.

[@amsterdamned6209]

"When something is very hard maybe try and find another way of doing it", that's it! Same Einstein said, but it's much much easier said than done, breaking out of your routines and have a creative/inventive solution, opening a new differrent pathway in your mind, can change your whole being!

[@wmruniversalmusicgroup5796]

Best Jazz Fusion Guitarist ever !! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Yuval_L1974]

Jody Fisher is a very good educator, and George Benson is just wow! Check out Peter Farrell if you really want to learn from GB, PF studied with GB for ~15 years and has written a multi volume Jazz guitar treatise as a result. It is phenomenal.

[@boco1951]

It is work the hunt to find his pe breezin albums. They are magic!

[@jacktoddy9783]

Fascinating video - really enlightening.

[@Chuck-Bob]

Man that Ibanez, Mr. Benson! Gorgeous guitar sir.

[@JamesZitoMusic]

Brilliant !!!

[@TheHappyLeperBeaver]

Long live king Georges !

[@genebaynes1190]

You really have to be a very good guitarist to get anything out of these lessons.

[@richardstanley1331]

Yeah, but if you can get it (and you can), it is GOLD. I’m sittin’ about 50%, and feeling pretty good about it.

[@PANDORAZTOYBOKZ]

Not necessarily. I honestly have come to believe over my years of studying Jazz that the first step to becoming a monster player is to stop treating lessons like they are for specific levels, and start trying to pick out any musings that register with your level of playing. If you watch an hour long clinic, and "just" two minutes of that clinic transform your approach to any degree, the other 58 minutes were worth the watch, and even moreso worth a revisit in the future.

[@chrispage2782]

Word.

[@tonywallens217]

Thank God I’m a MONSTER guitarist then

[@davidjorgensen877]

I wouldn't call this a lesson, more of a demonstration with a bit of vague explanation and some wonderful story telling. Great artists rarely make the best teachers, mostly because they have advanced to where they're at by focusing on their playing in the moment, and so it becomes very difficult to remember and articulate the steps by which they got there. Teachers make the effort to go back, recall those steps, and break them down in a fashion designed for students to absorb them one at a time. The greatest players are too busy playing to invest time in that, so they just show some flash and tell awesome stories, and maybe the audience can pick up a tip or two along the way. It's still time well spent.

[@landajimmy]

George is a funny dude. Really charming and humble. Love the guy.

[@ronaldpapa8182]

I’m a George fan!

[@landrecce]

What a cool dude 😎

[@po3333]

Nice!

[@hockeyfreak66666]

Without this guy and the genre there would be no metal and that's my safe place

[@guitarttimman]

GB is legend❤

[@daynenobodyIV]

As I recall, Larry Coryell used a "circle picking" technique

[@BolderSounds]

It would be nice if George talked specifically about his "under the string " approach and the angle of his hand. Maybe some close ups of the way he holds the pick etc... and slowed down playing demonstrations of a scale or 2. Don't get me wrong - I really enjoy these videos. But there could be so much more shown in more detail. Thanks!

[@SRB3ll]

Yes, it would have been great if he’d talked more about his own approach, but the gist seemed to be what his father said about taking the pick, dropping his arm then bringing his hand up to the strings. It seems to fall more naturally into the “under the string” position, the hand is more relaxed and you can vary the pick angle so it almost slices across the strings, which helps with his “bee picking” technique. Now watch the other guy try it, as he brings his arm back up he kinks his wrist so his hand angles down and it looks a little unnatural and awkward. If you’d like to find out more about his picking technique take a look at Peter Farrell’s channel, here he talks about George’s bee picking technique… kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYWph6mCd9mAf7s

[@seanwilliams5916]

if you check out Isaiah Sharkey He has some heavy Benson influence in his playing and he even picks a lot like him and goes into a little detail in some videos, hope that helps!

[@fatunga1]

Many years ago Tuck Andress posted a lengthy analysis of Benson's picking and why and how he adopted it. It's no longer on his website but a guy named Josh Frets wrote a deep dive about it, adding insights from Sheryl Bailey and the Cracking the Code guy, and those posts are still up on Frets' site and googleable.

[@markw9512]

@@SRB3llunfortunately the video you listed is not viewable , shows as private. 😢

[@lgoler]

Rodney Jones too and Miles Okazaki. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2OypWh8a86ZmZofeature=shared

[@kentinspacetime5378]

And he can sing!

[@tonyflorez703]

The boss😎!

[@db5837]

Did not really explain his picking technique but more just the way he moves along the neck. Many have exaggerated the reverse angle of the pick in copying him but it looks more parallel to the strings. Does he use the wrist, or thumb and first finger to move the pick?

[@xodiaq]

“I had to work out ALL the crazies for myself!”

[@renatoguitarist4993]

Mio Maestro

[@germinal_ok]

es un monstruo y aun así habla bien de los colegas y su técnica, no duda al demostrar su admiración por Pat Martino y su técnica, grandeza y humildad como siempre de la mano.

[@frankpfau9054]

another level… way way above most guitarplayers (including the famous ones)…

[@aloeste4147]

Baje el volumen de la guitarra ritmica señor!!!

[@MattBlackParis]

Expecting easy stuff from such a master is weird don't you think?

[@stevemorse108]

I learnt to play the solo to broadway years ago to impress and it worked with a very fetching blonde woman. Benson is a genius. I can’t understand the solo in poquito funk it is so harmonically complex. I am not THE Steve Morse.

[@TheRealBalloonHead]

Lol, the new speed picking guys criticizing George Benson in the comments. 😂 Y’all don’t care about music, you care about impressing other speed pickers.

[@MiguelBaptista1981]

How to play fast 1) GO PRACTICE

[@paulandlesson]

how great to see no "thumbs down".

[@r.a.fiallos234]

great snippet...just too bad the rhythm guitar was way too loud to appreciate some of the stuff the legendary GB was doing.

[@agamhamzah2924]

Yes 100 % agree

[@kepriworks]

I really like that guitar. What model is that guitar?

[@Jokerman518]

2008 Ibanez George Benson GB30th Anniversary

[@JoeBoomerMusic]

@0:38

[@ubirajarasilva-bira6126]

The Best...

[@Hucho]

Who does he mention at 5:20?

[@davidpanzer1166]

Tal Farlow, one of the greatest guitar players who ever played.

[@Hucho]

@@davidpanzer1166 Thank you so much David

[@megatrends]

Good lesson for people that play note for note TAB ... stop doing that. It's easier to play from what comes from inside you. I come up with own thing to sound like my idols without note for note copying.

[@jamessidney2851]

When George hears a G7 he doesn’t think of G7. He thinks of noodling!

[@brianolderfellow7379]

Wow

[@moreme40]

Gimme The Night !

[@valenciaetc]

Who is it he mentioned helped him not be afraid of the guitar? Can't really hear him all that well.

[@zamplify]

Tal Farlow

[@gmanning4881]

some people make it look easy

[@RjBenjamin353]

Norman Brown

[@goranblazevac1978]

❤❤❤❤

[@mayito714]

Hey Jeff Bezo's jamming with George Benson.

[@danaeverhart6487]

Watch closely there is edits all through this video

[@spivvo]

Keep expecting the guy on tbe right to say “not my tempo”

[@robertfitzpatrick4580]

JEFF BEZOES TAKING LESSONS FROM GEORGE

[@SanMaiero]

GB 4-Ever

[@guitarttimman]

One of my other favorites is Larry Carlton.

[@master00booya]

When does does he start to talk about playing fast

[@davidwalker5054]

What has "fast got to do with music fast is for racing cars and jet airplanes

[@guitarman6742]

George Benson...playing solo, is better than 10 guitar players playing.

[@gotguitargetlessons5996]

🔆

[@Sk8rboy420]

Krank up up the g spot!

[@DavidleeBergeron]

Yeah try it kids!! Its easy...

[@boreed5734]

Benson is older now and not quite the same as when he was younger but that's understandable. As a youngster he would blaze through those lines.

[@ellaandstuartpotterton3767]

Wow! Above my paygrade... ill get my coat

[@Topjunkie-r4s]

How in the world did Rolling Stone leave him off of the Top 250 list?

[@randybock82]

Crazy

[@RantzBizGroup]

Is he using his thumbnail as a pick??!!!

[@smithjeff3002]

Amazing guys: can’t help but learn….. Jody’s playing a Klein

[@clydebermingham121]

🤗🙏🏽💥🙏🏽💥👍🏽

[@PopovSB]

4:03 Why does the camera always end up in the hands of idiots?

[@brunoblivious]

Your problem is with the editor, not the two cameras.

[@jamesbarrybrooks6564]

Lot of people knew him here

[@davidisenberg125]

love mr benson to death but i knew danny gatton .....

[@N1CK_B]

TBH I think what’s needed these days is a lesson on how to play SLOW with all your heart.

[@charold3]

How to play fast: be born George Benson or John McLaughlin or (etc.).

[@Robil63]

No disrespect to Mr. Benson but the title of this video is grossly misleading. How many learnt to play fast from this video?

[@MikeHenrick1]

Backing to Loud

[@diabolo3597]

La vidéo est un peu accélérée, pas la peine avec GB mdrrrr

[@kbkesq]

Idiot editor fades away at the best part.

[@obus4186]

This linear method he speaks of, looks like some kind of chromatic scale.

[@danielmargolis3210]

I’m a half fast player.